I don’t remember a year when I did not watch the Academy Award presentation. As a child, it was a family event. We’d all sit together and watch the show. If memory serves, our first TV entered the house when I was about 3 years old. That would have been around 1958 or 59. So at least since then, I haven’t missed one. In those days, of course, the show was in black and white and it wasn’t a big theater setting. I think it was in small venues.
As an adult, I watched the red carpet pre-shows (which did no begin as early as they do now). The awards were held in March and they were on Monday nights. During the day, the local stations (I lived in the Los Angeles area) had day long shows interviewing everyone from the people who carried the flowers into the auditorium to the waiters that would staff the “after parties.” I usually remained glued to the set all day.
When I became a parent and the kids got to an age that they cared, we watched together. By then, my son was already interested in movies and loved to watch the awards to see if his predictions were right, even though he hadn’t seen most of the movies. Later on, my son grew intensely interested in movies (he went on to get a college degree in film) so he was the one that motivated the interest in the Academy Awards. I remember several years that we had a kind of game running at home. I would print out two ballots for each of us plus a master ballot. Then we all made our predictions and put them into a sealed envelope. I would grab my purse and pull out money, filling envelopes and writing categories on the front. We always had a “most right total,” “most of the big five,” “least right,” “best picture winner,” and envelopes for the best actor nominees, too. The big wins were the most right total and most of the big five (actor, actress, supporting actor, supporting actress, picture). The money amounts varied on how much “extra” money there was that month. Usually the big winners got a $5 bill in their envelope and others would get a single dollar. The one that got the least wins usually got about $3 in their envelope.
When the show came on, we’d gather in the living room with our pizza, chili, popcorn, soda pop, nachos, and any other goodies the kids had requested and we’d watch the awards, keeping track of winners on the master ballot. It was a fun night and a fun way to spend the evening together. A couple of times, I let the kids invite a friend and they were included in the voting and won money too.
Now everyone is scattered and it’s not a big deal anymore. Tonight my son is watching with friends where he lives a couple of hours away from me. My older daughter is watching with a friend. My younger daughter will probably not watch at all. I’m not sure if I will. It no longer holds the interest it once did.
But the memories are sweet.
It sounds like you and your family had a lot of fun. Would you believe, I don’t think that I’ve ever watched the Academy Awards??
My parents were award show watchers. I quit watching after Raiders of the Lost Arc was denied.
teaspoon…what a crime! LOL. No, I think that as a part of American culture, we should watch at least part of it once in a while.
Try the red carpet pre-show. That’s the best part anyway.
Stevo…I love Raiders of the Lost Arc. Sometimes I say I will never watch again and then the following year, there I am.
Like this year, I say I probably won’t watch but I find myself watching the clock so I can run out and get my laundry soap before the pre-shows begin in a little over an hour. That way I can do my mountain of laundry while I watch!
Gosh Corina, I wish you could come over. My family also does the ballots, and usually watches together, but this year *ugh* mom and step dad are going to the casino instead. My friend Bill might come over to watch (might meaning, if he doesn’t find something tall and blonde to occupy him before tonight) I love your idea of the money ballots. I still love the Oscars, even if I don’t know the movies very well, there’s just sort of a sense of occasion to them. I like that. It’s often missing.
Remember Billy Crystal’s openings? He was the best. Dave Letterman was regrettable, I thought Whoopie wasn’t much better. I love Jon Stewart, but Billy Crystal is sort of synonymous in my head with the classic glamour of the Oscars.
I’ve also never watched the Academy Awards. I guess that comes from never having had a television. But I’ll look up the winners online tonight.
I used to watch the Oscars, but it’s been a few years now. I think the main reason I stopped watching was because I no longer keep up with the films.
But, like you, I grew up watching the show with my family. It was one of those fun nights where we all watched together. We also did that during the once-yearly showing of The Wizard of Oz.