| 25th Academy Awards | |
|---|---|
| Date | March 19, 1953 |
| Site | RKO Pantages Theatre Hollywood, California NBC International Theatre New York City,New York |
| Hosted by | Bob Hope (Hollywood) Conrad Nagel (emcee) Fredric March (New York City)[1] |
| Highlights | |
| Best Picture | The Greatest Show on Earth |
| Most awards | The Bad and the Beautiful (5) |
| Most nominations | High Noon,Moulin Rouge, andThe Quiet Man (7) |
| TV in the United States | |
| Network | NBC |
The25th Academy Awards were held on March 19, 1953, at the RKO Pantages Theatre inHollywood, and theNBC International Theatre inNew York City, to honor the films of1952. It was the first Oscars ceremony to be televised,[1] the first ceremony to be held in Hollywood and New York simultaneously, and the only year in which the New York ceremonies were held in theNBC International Theatre onColumbus Circle, which was shortly thereafter demolished and replaced by theNew York Coliseum.[2][3]
This ceremony was the first to be broadcast on television; the Academy, long resistant of television, paid NBC $100,000 to televise the event.[4][5]
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Nominees were announced on February 9, 1953. Winners are listed first and highlighted inboldface.[6]
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Ronald Reagan | Announcer for the 25th Academy Awards |
| Charles Brackett (AMPAS president) | Gave opening remarks welcoming guests to the awards ceremony |
| Ginger Rogers | Presenter of the award forBest Costume Design |
| Jean Hersholt | Presenter of the Documentary Awards |
| Frank Capra | Presenter of the award forBest Film Editing |
| Joan Fontaine James Stewart | Presenters of theArt Direction Awards |
| Claire Trevor | Presenter of the award forBest Sound Recording |
| Ray Milland Jane Wyman | Presenters of the Short Subject Awards |
| Teresa Wright | Presenter of the awards forBest Cinematography |
| Walt Disney | Presenter of the Music Awards |
| Charles Brackett Olivia de Havilland | Presenters of the award forBest Director |
| Dore Schary | Presenter of the Writing Awards |
| Greer Garson | Presenter of the award forBest Supporting Actor |
| Edmund Gwenn | Presenter of the award forBest Supporting Actress |
| Janet Gaynor | Presenter of the award forBest Actor |
| Fredric March | Presenter of the award forBest Actress |
| Mary Pickford | Presenter of the award forBest Motion Picture |
| Loretta Young | Presenter of the award forBest Special Effects |
| Luise Rainer | Presenter of theHonorary Foreign Language Film Award |
| Charles Brackett | Presenter of the Honorary Awards toJoseph M. Schenck andHarold Lloyd |
| Anne Baxter | Presenter of the Scientific & Technical Awards |
| Charles Brackett | Presenter of the Honorary Award toBob Hope and theIrving G. Thalberg Memorial Award toCecil B. DeMille |
| Name | Role | Performed |
|---|---|---|
| Adolph Deutsch | Musical arranger and conductor | Orchestral |
| Bob Hope Marilyn Maxwell | Performers | “Am I in Love?” fromSon of Paleface |
| Billy Daniels | Performer | “Because You’re Mine” fromBecause You're Mine |
| Tex Ritter | Performer | “High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darlin’)” fromHigh Noon |
| Celeste Holm | Performer | “Thumbelina” fromHans Christian Andersen |
| Peggy Lee Johnny Mercer | Performers | “Zing a Little Zong” fromJust for You |
| Academy Awards Orchestra | Performers | "There's No Business Like Show Business" (orchestral) during the closing credits |
The 25th Academy Awards ceremony was the first to be broadcast ontelevision:[1]For the first time in history, a television audience estimated at 40,000,000 persons[7] will watch the movie industry's biggest show. It will mark the TV debut for scores of the biggest names in moviedom.
The telecast was prompted by the need to finance the bi-coastal ceremony. When three of the film studios refused to provide their customary financial support, theRCA Victor Division of theRadio Corporation of America agreed to payAMPAS $100,000 (one source reported $250,000[8]) as a sponsorship fee.NBC telecast thebicoastal ceremony over its 64-station television network and on its 174-station radio system.[5] TheArmed Forces Radio Service recorded the proceedings for later broadcast.[5]
The show was broadcast from 10:30 p.m. to 12:15 a.m.EST (7:30 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.PST),[9][10][11] switching back and forth from host Bob Hope on the West Coast to Conrad Nagel on the East Coast. The late start was made to accommodate those nominees who were performing that night on theBroadway stage.[11]
Thetechnology used for television at the time meant that Bob Hope had to wear a bluedress shirt with hisformal dinner jacket;[12] the traditional white shirt would have been too bright.
The year saw a major upset when the heavily favoredHigh Noon lostBest Picture toCecil B. DeMille'sThe Greatest Show on Earth, eventually considered among the worst films to have won the award.[13][14] Today, it ranks #94 onRotten Tomatoes' list of the 95 films to win Best Picture, ahead of onlyThe Broadway Melody.[15]
Although it only received two nominations,Singin' in the Rain went on to be named as thegreatest American musical film of all time and in the 2007American Film Institute updated list asthe fifth greatest American film of all time, whileHigh Noon ranked twenty-seventh on the same list.
The Bad and the Beautiful won five Oscars, the most wins ever for a film not nominated for Best Picture. It was also the second—and, to date, last—Academy Awards in which a film not nominated for Best Picture received the most awards of the evening, excluding years where there were ties for the most wins.
UntilSpotlight won only Best Picture andBest Original Screenplay at the88th Academy Awards, this was the last year in which the Best Picture winner won just two total Oscars. It was also the second of three years to date in which two filmsnot nominated for Best Picture received more nominations than the winner (The Bad and the Beautiful andHans Christian Andersen, both with six). This occurred again at the79th Academy Awards.
Shirley Booth was the last person born in the 19th century to win an Oscar in a Leading Role, and the first woman in her 50s to winBest Actress, at the age of 54 (the second woman in her 50s to win,Julianne Moore, was also 54 when she won at the87th Academy Awards).
John Ford's fourth win forBest Director set a record for the most wins in this category that remains unmatched to this day. For the first time since the introduction of Supporting Actor and Actress awards in 1936, Best Picture, Best Director, and all four acting Oscars were awarded to six different films. This has happened only three times since, at the29th Academy Awards for 1956, the78th for 2005, and the85th for 2012.
| Awards of Merit |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special awards |
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| Former awards |
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| Ceremonies (years of film release) |
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