15 Captivating Tidbits About the Emmy Awards

The Emmys are known for their unpredictability: spontaneous romantic moments, unexpected scandals, and even close calls for legends like Bob Newhart. As the 2018 ceremony approaches on Monday, September 17, dive into the most intriguing and bizarre moments from the show’s seven-decade legacy. While hosts Michael Che and Colin Jost are expected to deliver sharp humor (with a political edge), can they top the chaos of the 1974 Super Emmys?

1. THE NAME “EMMY” HAS TECHNICAL ROOTS.

During the late 1940s, when the Television Academy was naming its awards, founder Syd Cassyd initially proposed “Ike,” referencing the television iconoscope tube. However, concerns arose that the name might be associated with Dwight Eisenhower, the WWII hero and future president, making it seem politically charged. Instead, Henry Lubcke, who later became the Academy's third president, suggested “Immy,” inspired by the image-orthicon tube. The team then tweaked it to “Emmy” to align with the statuette’s feminine design. The trophy, featuring a winged woman holding an atom, was modeled after a real individual. (Continue reading ...)

2. DOROTHY MCMANUS INSPIRED THE STATUETTE'S DESIGN.

Cassyd and his team reviewed 47 design concepts for the award statuette, dismissing each one. However, the 48th attempt proved successful. Louis McManus, a television engineer, submitted a design featuring a winged woman (symbolizing the arts) holding an atom (representing science). This final proposal won the team’s approval. McManus based the winged figure on his wife, Dorothy—prompting some to humorously suggest the awards should have been named “Dorothies.”

3. THE INAUGURAL CEREMONY AWARDED JUST SIX TROPHIES, INCLUDING ONE TO A VENTRILOQUIST.

The first-ever Emmy Awards took place on January 25, 1949, at the Hollywood Athletic Club. It was a modest event compared to today’s grand affairs, with tickets priced at just $5 and a much shorter runtime. Only six awards were presented that night. Shirley Dinsdale, a 20-year-old ventriloquist, and her puppet, Judy Splinters, won the first award for Most Outstanding Television Personality for The Judy Splinters Show. Other winners included Pantomime Quiz and Louis McManus, who received a special Emmy for designing the statuette.

4. THERE WAS ONCE A CATEGORY FOR “BEST CONTINUING PERFORMANCE IN A SERIES BY A PERSON WHO ESSENTIALLY PLAYS HERSELF.”

During the Emmys' early years, they experimented with various categories, some more logical than others. The most baffling pair emerged in 1958, when the Television Academy introduced awards for “Best Continuing Performance in a Series by a Comedienne, Singer, Hostess, Dancer, M.C., Announcer, Narrator, Panelist, or Any Person Who Essentially Plays Herself” and a corresponding male category. Speculation suggests these were created to honor Lucille Ball for I Love Lucy, but the plan backfired. Dinah Shore won for The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, and Jack Benny took the male award for The Jack Benny Show. These categories were thankfully retired by 1959, sparing presenters from tongue-twisting announcements.

5. JACKIE KENNEDY REMAINS THE ONLY FIRST LADY TO WIN AN EMMY.

To this day, Jackie Kennedy holds the unique honor of being the only First Lady to win an Emmy. She received a special Trustees Award for her iconic 1962 televised White House tour. (Lady Bird Johnson accepted the award on her behalf.) While Michelle Obama came close with a 2015 nomination for her Billy on the Street appearance, she lost to Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis.

6. THE “SUPER EMMYS” TURNED OUT TO BE A MAJOR FAILURE.

In 1974, the Emmys tried something bold with the “Super Emmy” ceremony. The event pitted winners from drama and comedy categories against each other—like Best Lead Actor in a Drama vs. Best Lead Actor in a Comedy. The winners, including Alan Alda, Mary Tyler Moore, and Cicely Tyson, were crowned “of the year” in their respective fields. However, The New York Times criticized the event as "confusing" and "pointless," leading to its discontinuation the following year.

7. ALAN ALDA CELEBRATED HIS 1979 WIN WITH A CARTWHEEL.

Alan Alda created a memorable moment at the 1979 Emmys. Winning for his writing on M*A*S*H, he celebrated by cartwheeling down the aisle. While he had previously won acting and directing awards for the show, this was his first writing Emmy, and his excitement was palpable. The cartwheel remains one of the most iconic moments in Emmy history.

“The writing award meant everything to me," Alda later shared with Variety. "I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was eight years old. Winning an Emmy for writing was so significant that the cartwheel was completely spontaneous. Even at 80, I tried doing a cartwheel on a beach in the Virgin Islands just to see if I still could."

8. BETTY THOMAS’S EMMY WAS ALMOST STOLEN—ON STAGE.

In 1985, Betty Thomas won Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Hill Street Blues, but her moment was almost hijacked. A stranger walked on stage to accept the award, despite Thomas being in the audience. The man was Barry Bremen, known as “The Great Imposter,” famous for crashing major events like the Super Bowl. His Emmy stunt earned him a $175 fine and six months of probation.

9. CABLE SHOWS GAINED EMMY ELIGIBILITY IN 1988.

Before the late 1980s, only network programs could compete for Emmys. Cable shows had their own awards, the CableACE Awards. However, the Emmys changed their rules in 1988 to include cable programming, leading to the final CableACE Awards in 1997.

10. LORNE MICHAELS HOLDS THE RECORD FOR MOST EMMY NOMINATIONS.

Lorne Michaels, the creator of Saturday Night Live, holds the record for the most Emmy nominations, with an impressive 87 nods. This year, he’s nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series for SNL and will also serve as executive producer for the Emmy Awards ceremony.

When it comes to actual wins, Sheila Nevins, president of HBO Documentary Films, surpasses Lorne Michaels. She has won 31 Emmys, more than double Michaels’s 15 victories. Her latest win was the 2018 Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special for The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling.

11. SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE HOLDS THE RECORD FOR MOST EMMY WINS.

With a 43-year history, Saturday Night Live has earned 252 nominations and 62 wins, making it the most celebrated series in Emmy history.

12. THE TELEVISION ACADEMY HAS A SOFT SPOT FOR COP SHOWS.

If you’re aiming for an Emmy, playing a law enforcement character might be your best bet. In 2015, Rolling Stone analyzed the data and found that cop roles dominate Emmy wins. Dennis Franz won four for NYPD Blue, Tony Shalhoub earned three for Monk, and Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless combined for six wins on Cagney & Lacey.

13. SOME WINNERS ARE REQUIRED TO PAY FOR THEIR STATUETTES.

While Julia Louis-Dreyfus doesn’t pay for her Emmy on the spot, winners in categories with large teams, like writing staffs, may face fees. Mo Rocca, for instance, shared how he paid for his Emmy as part of The Daily Show writing team.

14. EACH EMMY COSTS $400 AND TAKES OVER FIVE HOURS TO PRODUCE.

While charging winners might seem excessive, the cost of an Emmy justifies it. Each statuette is priced at $400 and takes five-and-a-half hours to craft. They are produced at Chicago's R.S. Owens, where artisans mold and layer the figures with copper, nickel, silver, and gold.

15. THE EMMYS ACHIEVED A DIVERSITY MILESTONE IN 2015.

Isabel Sanford made history in 1981 as the first black woman to win Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for The Jeffersons. It took over six decades for the drama category to follow suit, with Viola Davis claiming the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series in 2015 for How to Get Away With Murder. Her acceptance speech, addressing race and opportunity, moved the audience and earned applause from fellow nominee Taraji P. Henson. (Davis is nominated again this year for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for her appearance on Scandal.)

This year marks another milestone, as Sandra Oh becomes the first Asian actor nominated for Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in Killing Eve.

An earlier version of this story ran in 2016.