The first-ever Oscars were awarded on May 16, 1929 in the Blossom Room at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was for films released from August 1, 1927 and August 1, 1928. The winners of the Academy Awards were announced three months in advance of the evening and given their awards at the dinner.
The evening was hosted by famed swashbuckling actor Douglas Fairbanks and legendary director Cecil B. de Mille. The ceremony was not broadcast over the radio and was by invitation only. At this time, films featured written captions rather than synchronized sound, and during this Academy Awards' presentation, an award for Best Writing: Titles was given for achievement in producing the narration that accompanied films. The winner was title writer John Farnham, and that was the only year the award was given.
1929 Best Picture Oscar
The 1929 Best Picture Academy Award was given in two categories, the overall production award similar to the modern Best Picture Oscar and an award given for the most Artistic Production.
The latter was awarded to Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, which was directed by F.W. Murnau. The film starred Janet Gaynor and George O'Brien and told the story of a simple farmer who is seduced by an evil temptress from the city. Sunrise also took home the1929 Oscar for Best Cinematography.
Other nominees in the category were Chang: A Drama of Wilderness and The Crowd. The 1929 Oscars was the only time the Artistic Production award was given.
The winner of the Best Picture in the category of overall production was Wings, which was directed by William A. Wellman. The movie tells the story of a love triangle between Mary Preston (Clara Bow) and her would-be suitors, World War I pilots Jack Powell (Charles "Buddy" Rodgers) and David Armstrong (Richard Arlen). Wings also won for Best Engineering, a category similar to the modern Special Effects award.
One of the other two films nominated was The Racket, directed by Lewis Milestone. Although the film did not win, its director, Milestone, won an Oscar for Best Director of a Comedy for his work in another film, Two Arabian Nights.
The second film nominated for Best Picture was 7th Heaven, the director of which, Frank Borzage, won the first-ever Best Director Oscar. The film also won the award for Best Writing Adaption.
Best Actor and Actress
The only acting awards given during the 1929 Academy Awards were for performances in a leading role. In the category of Best Actor, the award went to Emil Jannings for his work in two films, the Way of the All Flesh and its sequel the Last Command. In the films, Jannings played August Schilling, a Russian general for the czar leading troops around the time of the Revolution. Last Command was also nominated for the Best, Writing Original Story category, but was beaten by the film Underworld.
The other nominee in the category of Best Actor was Richard Barthlemess for his work in The Noose and "The Patent Leather Kid." Originally, Charlie Chaplin was also nominated, but in the end, the Academy gave the actor a special award for writing, directing, producing and starring in The Circus.
The 1929 Best Actress award was given to Janet Gaynor for her work in 7th Heaven, Street Angel and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. In both 7th Heaven and Street Angel, Gaynor played prostitutes who managed to retain innocence and virtue despite the lives they were forced into by circumstance.
The other nominees in the Best Actress category were Louise Dresser in A Ship Comes In and Gloria Swanson in Sadie Thompson. The latter film was also nominated for Best Cinematography.
The 1929 Oscars At-A-Glance
The 1929 Oscars had many differences from the next year's ceremony and others after it in that the event:
At the end of the evening, the film with the most awards was 7th Heaven and the film also tied Sunrise: A Story of Two Humans for the most nominations. With its many nominations, it is surprising that director F.W. Murmau received no nods from the Academy for his work on Sunrise. In fact, like many acclaimed directors throughout film history, Murmau never received an Oscar nomination for Best Director.
The evening was hosted by famed swashbuckling actor Douglas Fairbanks and legendary director Cecil B. de Mille. The ceremony was not broadcast over the radio and was by invitation only. At this time, films featured written captions rather than synchronized sound, and during this Academy Awards' presentation, an award for Best Writing: Titles was given for achievement in producing the narration that accompanied films. The winner was title writer John Farnham, and that was the only year the award was given.
1929 Best Picture Oscar
The 1929 Best Picture Academy Award was given in two categories, the overall production award similar to the modern Best Picture Oscar and an award given for the most Artistic Production.
The latter was awarded to Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, which was directed by F.W. Murnau. The film starred Janet Gaynor and George O'Brien and told the story of a simple farmer who is seduced by an evil temptress from the city. Sunrise also took home the1929 Oscar for Best Cinematography.
Other nominees in the category were Chang: A Drama of Wilderness and The Crowd. The 1929 Oscars was the only time the Artistic Production award was given.
The winner of the Best Picture in the category of overall production was Wings, which was directed by William A. Wellman. The movie tells the story of a love triangle between Mary Preston (Clara Bow) and her would-be suitors, World War I pilots Jack Powell (Charles "Buddy" Rodgers) and David Armstrong (Richard Arlen). Wings also won for Best Engineering, a category similar to the modern Special Effects award.
One of the other two films nominated was The Racket, directed by Lewis Milestone. Although the film did not win, its director, Milestone, won an Oscar for Best Director of a Comedy for his work in another film, Two Arabian Nights.
The second film nominated for Best Picture was 7th Heaven, the director of which, Frank Borzage, won the first-ever Best Director Oscar. The film also won the award for Best Writing Adaption.
Best Actor and Actress
The only acting awards given during the 1929 Academy Awards were for performances in a leading role. In the category of Best Actor, the award went to Emil Jannings for his work in two films, the Way of the All Flesh and its sequel the Last Command. In the films, Jannings played August Schilling, a Russian general for the czar leading troops around the time of the Revolution. Last Command was also nominated for the Best, Writing Original Story category, but was beaten by the film Underworld.
The other nominee in the category of Best Actor was Richard Barthlemess for his work in The Noose and "The Patent Leather Kid." Originally, Charlie Chaplin was also nominated, but in the end, the Academy gave the actor a special award for writing, directing, producing and starring in The Circus.
The 1929 Best Actress award was given to Janet Gaynor for her work in 7th Heaven, Street Angel and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. In both 7th Heaven and Street Angel, Gaynor played prostitutes who managed to retain innocence and virtue despite the lives they were forced into by circumstance.
The other nominees in the Best Actress category were Louise Dresser in A Ship Comes In and Gloria Swanson in Sadie Thompson. The latter film was also nominated for Best Cinematography.
The 1929 Oscars At-A-Glance
The 1929 Oscars had many differences from the next year's ceremony and others after it in that the event:
- Was not broadcast
- Featured two categories for Best Picture
- Awarded a Best Writing Oscar for title writing
At the end of the evening, the film with the most awards was 7th Heaven and the film also tied Sunrise: A Story of Two Humans for the most nominations. With its many nominations, it is surprising that director F.W. Murmau received no nods from the Academy for his work on Sunrise. In fact, like many acclaimed directors throughout film history, Murmau never received an Oscar nomination for Best Director.
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