Buzz
In the late 1920s, MGM executive Louis B. Mayer grew increasingly uneasy as construction unions began forming in Hollywood. These guilds came with costly labor contracts, which were becoming too expensive for the studio. Mayer was also frustrated because he wanted MGM set designers to help build his beach house in Santa Monica, but recent union agreements made the project prohibitively expensive. To bypass this, he hired a few skilled artisans from the studio while outsourcing the cheaper labor. This situation was a wake-up call for Mayer, who soon realized that Hollywood’s directors, actors, and writers would likely unionize as well.
In response, Mayer and a few colleagues established the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), hoping to prevent further unionization efforts in Hollywood. Shortly after, Mayer met with 36 industry professionals, including actors, directors, writers, technicians, and producers, in an upscale hotel. He promised them that if they joined the Academy, working conditions would improve, and they would be part of an exclusive organization. Not wanting to miss out, Hollywood’s elite, including new president Douglas Fairbanks and the only woman, Mary Pickford, eagerly signed up.
The distribution of awards, which will be celebrated worldwide on TV tonight, was initially an afterthought of this newly formed union. While many in the industry had joined the AMPAS, there were few events planned to legitimize it or display Hollywood’s talents. This led to the first awards ceremony in 1929, honoring films released between August 1, 1927, and July 31, 1928. Held in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 250 well-dressed guests enjoyed fish and chicken as Douglas Fairbanks gave a brief speech and handed out golden statues. The event, though, was reportedly quiet and lacked media attention.
We know that a nervous studio head founded the AMPAS to counter union formations in Hollywood and to increase his control over his staff. But what about the awards ceremony itself? Was it created for some sneaky reason as well? Well, it seems it was.
In *Lion of Hollywood: The Life and Legend of Louis B. Mayer*, Scott Eyman shares a rather self-satisfied quote from Mayer about the Oscars:
I realized the best way to manage [filmmakers] was by covering them in medals. […] If I gave them cups and awards, they'd go to great lengths to create what I wanted. That’s the real reason the Academy Award came into being.
Keep that insight in mind as you watch the Oscars tonight.
Additional Sources:History of the Academy Awards; Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel; "The House That Mr. Mayer Built: Inside the Union-Busting Birth of the Academy Awards."
