Oscar’s Oddities: 10 Surprising Tales Behind the Awards

The Academy Awards, or Oscars, represent the pinnacle of achievement in the film industry. Winning one is a dream come true for many, but the stories behind these golden statuettes can be as dramatic and captivating as the movies they celebrate. While some Oscars are proudly displayed and cherished, others have embarked on bizarre journeys filled with mystery, controversy, and unexpected twists. Let’s dive into ten of the most surprising tales behind the Academy Awards.

Clark Gable

Clark Gable initially doubted his comedic talent when he took on It Happened One Night (1934). Winning the Best Actor Oscar for this role was a sweet victory, but Gable didn’t keep the award for himself. He gave it to his young godson, Richard Lang, who admired it greatly. After Gable’s death, Lang passed the statuette to Gable’s son, John Clark Gable. Later, it ended up at Christie’s auction house, where Steven Spielberg anonymously bought it for $607,500 and returned it to the Academy, emphasizing that the Oscar should be seen as a recognition of artistic merit rather than a commercial item.

Dudley Nichols

Dudley Nichols made history by being the first person to decline an Oscar. He won for the screenplay of The Informer (1935) but refused to accept it due to a dispute over the limited protections the Academy offered writers. Nichols was fighting for better pay and credit through the Screen Writers’ Guild. He returned the award, explaining he couldn’t accept it while his fellow writers’ concerns remained unaddressed. Eventually, after the Guild achieved most of its goals, Nichols claimed his Oscar in 1938.

Katharine Hepburn

Katharine Hepburn, a legendary actress, won four Oscars during her illustrious career but never attended the ceremony, stating, “As for me, prizes are nothing. My prize is my work.” The only time she made an appearance was in 1974 to present the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. Her first Oscar was lost when a hurricane swept away her summer home in 1938, but it was later found. In 2007, her estate loaned all four Oscars to the Smithsonian for a special exhibition, highlighting the slightly tarnished and shorter statuette that survived the hurricane.

Hattie McDaniel

Hattie McDaniel’s Oscar win for Gone with the Wind (1939) was a historic moment, making her the first Black actor to receive the honor. However, racial segregation meant she was barred from attending the film’s premiere in Atlanta. At the awards ceremony, she was seated at a segregated table, distanced from the other attendees. Upon her death, McDaniel wanted her award to go to Howard University, but it went missing in the 1970s. In 2023, the Academy replaced her plaque, and it is now displayed at Howard’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts.

Gone with the Wind

Gone with the Wind (1939) secured eight competitive Oscars, and some ended up in surprising places. Vivien Leigh’s Best Actress award fetched a record $510,000 at a 1993 auction. Michael Jackson bought the film’s Best Picture Oscar for $1.54 million in 1999, but it mysteriously disappeared after his death. Another GWTW Oscar, belonging to art director Lyle Wheeler, was lost when he couldn’t pay his storage fees. A fan later purchased and returned Wheeler’s award for The Diary of Anne Frank (1959) shortly before his death.

Orson Welles

Orson Welles, who didn’t have much love for the Academy, won only one Oscar for Citizen Kane (1941). After his death in 1985, the award’s whereabouts remained a mystery. His daughter, Beatrice, received a replacement in 1988 after the original was presumed lost. However, it reappeared at an auction in 1994. After legal battles, Beatrice gained possession and sold it to a nonprofit. In 2011, it was resold to an anonymous buyer for $861,542, marking a surprising turn for an award Welles seemed indifferent to.

Judy Garland

Judy Garland received a Juvenile Award in 1940 for her performances in Babes in Arms and The Wizard of Oz. This special award, nicknamed “The Munchkin Award,” was the only Oscar she ever received. In 1958, it was reported lost or stolen, and the Academy replaced it with a full-size statuette. In 2000, the original Juvenile Award resurfaced online for $3 million. The Academy took legal action and won, reuniting the Munchkin Award with its rightful place.

Margaret O’Brien

Margaret O’Brien, known for Meet Me in St. Louis, received her Juvenile Award from Bob Hope, but in 1954, her statuette was stolen. Decades later, it was found at a flea market by two resellers. They returned it to O’Brien, and the Academy held a press conference to celebrate its recovery in 1995. During an Oprah appearance, Oprah accidentally dropped it, leaving a small dent. O’Brien keeps her long-lost Oscar safely locked away, vowing never to let anyone polish it again.

Shelley Winters

Shelley Winters, after winning an Oscar for The Diary of Anne Frank (1959), donated it to the Anne Frank Museum in Amsterdam, fulfilling a promise she made to Anne’s father. Winters’ award is now displayed in a glass case near the museum’s exit, serving as a symbol of remembrance and respect.

Dalton Trumbo

Dalton Trumbo, blacklisted during the Red Scare, won two Oscars under different names. For Roman Holiday (1953), Ian McLellan Hunter was credited, and Trumbo won for The Brave One (1956) under the pseudonym Robert Rich. The Academy officially ended its blacklist in 1959, and Trumbo was credited for his work on Spartacus (1960) and Exodus (1960). In 1975, he finally received his long-overdue award for The Brave One. His widow was given a replacement for Roman Holiday in 1993, acknowledging his contributions at last.

These stories reveal that the journey of an Oscar can be just as fascinating as the films they honor. From being lost and found to serving as symbols of protest and remembrance, these golden statuettes have certainly seen their fair share of drama.