Academl' 0{ Mohon Pl~tL'<'? ,~rt s and I SC'~ (:':"~ !.. :-. Y. :-.:",', ANNIVERSARY · AND AWARDS BULLETI "l-_B_- ~~~~~: _~~: ~ . ~- ?~~: __ J ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS & SCIENCES EXECUTIVE OI'I'ICES AND LOUNGE: ROOSEVELT HOTEL, 7010 HOLLYWOOD BLVD. TEL. GR-2134 No. XXII HOllYWOOD, CALIF., JUNE 3, 1929 No. XXII The Academy's activities and responsibilities are growing steadily broader and more important. Among the subjects now receiving active attention are: Merit Awards for 1929 University Cooperation Book on College Course Branch meetings on sound problems Producers' and sound engineers' program Conciliation matters Wider Knowledge of the Academy In addition to these matters there are several others requmng constant considera~ tion and action, such as relations with other organizations, memberships, Academy speakers for dinners, lunches and so on, relations with national women's clubs, requests for endorsements, standard contract rulings, personal services to members, etc. Some of these subjects are covered in detail in this Bulletin. AWARDS AND ANNIVERSAR Y BANQUET The Second Anniversary and Awards Banquet, however, that we should get together and do things held the evening of May 16 in the Blossom Room for the good of all the branches of motion picture of the Roosevelt Hotel, was an unqualified success. production. Some of our dreams did not come true, Distinguished guests and speakers emphasized the but as we look back we find that we have not been prestige which the work of the Academy has at­ standing still. tained. More than 270 were present. After an hour "I want to explain to you to what length the of entertainment in the lounge, the formal presenta­ Academy has gone to arrive at its conclusions to tio'n of awards for the year 1928 was made at the be announced on this occasion for bestowing ~erit banquet. awards for the outstanding and distinctive achieve­ Academy President Douglas Fairbanks opened ments in pictures for the year 1928. We first asked the presentation ceremony with an announcement the entire membership of the Academy to nominate about the method of selection: candidates for the various awards of the year. It took . -"It is now two years since we gathered ·atour eight 'weeks in all to do this; over a thousand nom­ first dinner at the Biltmore Hotel and ·organized iilations were submitted. Then groups of five judges the Academy. We had · many rosy dreams at that each were selected from the five branches of the time, but like most dreams they were hazy. We felt Academy-five for the actors' branch, five for the directors' branch, and so on. Of the ten highest nom­ responsibility that we have taken on just through inees for awards in each group three were selected belonging to this profession. by the judges in the order of their excellence. These "This Academy now stands as a representative were then referred to a central board of judges who organization of the motion picture art and industry. made the final awards. In all, thirty judges were It stands as a liaison officer between the art and active in making these awards, so it is no mean honor the industry because it correlates and brings the to receive consideration under these conditions." two together. It also stands as the official point of contact for other organized groups-the universities WILLIAM C. DE MILLE and many other groups and for this reason the Academy now stands for the ideas and ideals of Mr. Fairbanks then turned the chair over to the motion picture. I was much impressed last week William C. de Mille who reviewed the develop­ when I was allowed the honor of representing you ment of the Acadamy: at the Stanford-Muybridge celebration of the fif­ tieth anniversary of the first moving picture in Palo "Two years ago the Academy was born. Most Alto. The significant thing was the University's of those present here tonight were there. A whole interest in what was going to happen in the next lot of us were dubious. The Academy had to prove fifty years and their realization that they should itself. It was an idea, an ideal that grew in the have a closer contact somewhere. The University brains of a little group of men. There was some realizes that the motion picture has entered the confusion as to an academy and the need of an field of literature and thus becomes the University's academy-what it could do, what it should do. business. Now, the Academy stands for that con­ Everybody took it with a grain of salt at first. It tact. Your Academy now really stands for some­ went on for a year-it took a year to organize thing; it is a representative body. We stand ready really-and then things began to happen. to make the contact for all bodies that want to "The seeds that had been planted- in the first make contact with the motion picture. year began to sprout in the second year and it "This is the first year the Academy has given began to function, and last year, due to many causes awards to the persons who deserve them in the and particularly to the work of a group of prob­ opinion of the Academy. As we all know, the ably fifty or seventy-five members, it has done re­ most valuable award that a worker can get is markably good work in beginning to function. One to have the acknowledged praise of his brother of the ways it functions is this: A great change workers. It means a great deal more to us than has come over the whole motion picture industry just the acclaim of the public. I don't think there since the Academy was organized. The talking pic­ is a professional man in the world who would not ture will be the motion picture from now on, or rather be praised by his fellow workers than re­ else I am so wrong that I have no right to stand ceive any acclaim the public could give him. The up here and address you. This means that the bestowal of these merit awards by the Academy motion picture has finally definitely entered the field is acknowledgment by the Academy that in its opin­ of dramatic literature. It will be an important ion each piece of work was the most outstanding part of the American dramatic literature that is or one of the most outstanding pieces of work dur­ going to be seen and heard by more people than ing the year, so to everyone I am going to call see any play in the theatre or read any printed play on tonight this is now a sort of graduation. in the United States. "Remember, these awards are given for work "We have taken on new responsibilities. It is accomplished during the year 1928. There is necessary for us to make contacts with other or­ only one award in this whole list that has any­ ganized groups representing collective thought be­ thing to do with talking pictures. I t seems strange cause the talking picture is going to be one of the when you stop and look over the field and see how most tremendous influences in our national life. many talking pictures are being distributed today . Millions of people are going to hear our language It was just a year ago that we had a debate in the spoken on the screen and it is going to be taken Academy rooms and one or two members were more or less as a standard. We have taken the re­ almost alone in predicting that within two or three sponsibility of establishing that standard and we years the silent picture would have ceased. are going to see that it will be something worth­ "It is also interesting to notice that in these while. The talking picture is going through the awards a good proportion of them have gone to world and is going to show people everywhere how persons who are not members of the Academy. the rest of the people in the world live. The talking Take Mr. Jannings, for instance, he is not a mem­ picture is going to develop a standard of speech, ber of the Academy-he is not even a citizen of pronounciation, and to a certain extent of philo­ of our country-but it did not prevent the Acad­ sophy. Such is the power of drama. The drama emy from giving him the award. Miss Gaynor has always been the mouthpiece of the people. Now is not a member of the Academy. Why ? God to how much greater extent is that going to be knows. I think she has been invited, in fact I true of talking pictures, the most broad form of know she has had an invitation. As you know, drama that the world has ever seen. This is the membership in the Academy is only by invitation. [2] People are invited to j01l1 the Academy when their award was for writing the original story, 'Under­ services to the motion picture industry have been world'. prominent enough and valuable enough to make " In the writers' group, the first award for the Academy feel that they would like to have adaptation was given to the adaptor of 'Seventh them as brother members. Heaven', Mr. Benjamin Glazer." Mr. Glazer came forward to receive his award. PRESENTATION "Honorable mention for writing the original story, 'The Last Command', was given to Mr. "The fu nction of the Academy is first to formu­ Lejos Biro, who is now in Germany.