1st Academy Awards - Wikipedia 1st Academy Awards 1st Academy Awards The first Academy Awards was at The Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Date May 16, 1929 ( 1929 - 05 - 16 ) Site Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S. Hosted by Douglas Fairbanks Highlights Best Picture Wings Most awards 7th Heaven and Sunrise : A Song of Two Humans ( 3 ) Most nominations 7th Heaven ( 5 ) Academy Awards 2nd → The 1st Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ), honored the best films of 1927 and 1928 and took place on May 16, 1929 at a private dinner held at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, California. AMPAS president Douglas Fairbanks hosted the show. Tickets cost $5 ( which would be $71 in 2017 considering inflation ), 270 people attended the event and the presentation ceremony lasted 15 minutes. Awards were created by Louis B. Mayer, founder of Louis B. Mayer Pictures Corporation ( at present merged into Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer ). It is the only Academy Awards ceremony not to be broadcast either on radio or television. The radio broadcast was introduced the following year in 1930. During the ceremony, the AMPAS presented Academy Awards, now known as the Oscars in 12 categories. Winners were announced three months before the live event. Some nominations were announced without reference to a specific film, such as for Ralph Hammeras and Nugent Slaughter, who received nominations in the now defunct category of Engineering Effects. Unlike later ceremonies, an actor could be awarded for multiple works within a calendar year for the same category. Emil Jannings, for example, was given the Best Actor award for his work in both The Way of All Flesh and The Last Command. Also, Charlie Chaplin and Warner Brothers each received an Honorary Award. Major winners at the ceremony included 7th Heaven and Sunrise, which each received three awards, and Wings, receiving two awards. Among its honors, Sunrise won the award for Unique and Artistic Picture and Wings won the award for Outstanding Picture ( now known as Best Picture ). These two categories at the time were regarded equally as the top award of the night intended to honor different and important aspects of superior filmmaking. The next year, the Academy dropped the Unique and Artistic Picture award, and decided retroactively that the award won by Wings was the highest honor that could be awarded. Contents 1 Background 2 Ceremony 3 Winners and nominees 3.1 Awards 3.2 Honorary Awards 3.3 Multiple nominations and awards 4 Gallery 5 See also 6 References 7 Bibliography Background In 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ) was established by Louis B. Mayer, originator of Louis B. Mayer Pictures Corporation, which then would be joined into Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer ( MGM ). Mayer 's purpose in creating the award was to unite the five branches of the film industry, including actors, directors, producers, technicians, and writers. Mayer commented on the creation of the awards `` I found that the best way to handle ( filmmakers ) was to hang medals all over them... If I got them cups and awards, they 'd kill them to produce what I wanted. That 's why the Academy Award was created ''. Mayer asked Cedric Gibbons, art director of MGM, to design an Academy Award trophy. Nominees were notified through a telegram in February 1928. In August 1928, Mayer contacted the Academy Central Board of Judges to decide winners. However, according to the American director King Vidor, the voting for the Academy Award for Best Picture was in the hands of the AMPAS founders Douglas Fairbanks, Sid Grauman, Mayer, Mary Pickford, and Joseph Schenck. Ceremony The ceremony was held on May 16, 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, located in Los Angeles. It consisted of a private dinner with 36 banquet tables, where 270 people attended and tickets cost five dollars ( equivalent to $71.26 in 2017 ). Actors and actresses arrived at the hotel in luxury vehicles, where many fans attended to encourage celebrities. The ceremony was not broadcast on radio or television, and was hosted by AMPAS director Fairbanks during a 15 - minute event. Winners and nominees Winners were announced three months before the ceremony. The recipients included : Emil Jannings, the inaugural first award recipient for Best Actor ( The Way of All Flesh and The Last Command ) ; Janet Gaynor for Best Actress ( 7th Heaven, Street Angel, and Sunrise : A Song of Two Humans ) ; Frank Borzage for Best Director, Drama ( 7th Heaven ) ; Lewis Milestone for Best Director, Comedy ( Two Arabian Knights ) ; and Wings for Best Picture ( the most expensive film of its time ). Two presentations were made of a Special Award : Charlie Chaplin, a multiple nominee for one movie ( Best Actor, Best Writer and Best Director, Comedy ; all for The Circus ) having been removed from the list so as to recognize his total contribution to the industry ; and Warner Brothers, an award for pioneering talking pictures ( The Jazz Singer ). Three categories were eliminated for subsequent presentations : Best Engineering Effects, Best Title Writing, and Best Unique and Artistic Quality of Production. The larger film producers received the preponderance of awards : Fox Film Corporation, Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer, Paramount Pictures, Radio - Keith - Orpheum, and Warner Bros... Awards Winners are listed first and indicated with double dagger Outstanding Picture Wings -- Lucien Hubbard for Paramount Pictures 7th Heaven -- William Fox for Fox Film Corporation The Racket -- Howard Hughes for The Caddo Company Best Unique and Artistic Picture Sunrise : A Song of Two Humans -- William Fox for Fox Film Corporation Chang : A Drama of the Wilderness -- Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack for Paramount Pictures The Crowd -- Irving Thalberg for MGM Best Director, Comedy Picture Lewis Milestone -- Two Arabian Knights Ted Wilde -- Speedy Best Director, Dramatic Picture Frank Borzage -- 7th Heaven King Vidor -- The Crowd Herbert Brenon -- Sorrell and Son Best Actor Emil Jannings -- The Last Command and The Way of All Flesh Richard Barthelmess -- The Noose and The Patent Leather Kid Best Actress Janet Gaynor -- 7th Heaven, Street Angel, and Sunrise : A Song of Two Humans Louise Dresser -- A Ship Comes In Gloria Swanson -- Sadie Thompson Best Original Story Underworld -- Ben Hecht The Last Command -- Lajos Bíró Best Adaptation 7th Heaven -- Benjamin Glazer, based on the play by Austin Strong Glorious Betsy -- Anthony Coldeway, based on the play by Rida Johnson Young The Jazz Singer -- Alfred A. Cohn, based on the story `` The Day of Atonement '' and the play The Jazz Singer by Samson Raphaelson Best Art Direction The Dove and Tempest -- William Cameron Menzies 7th Heaven -- Harry Oliver Sunrise : A Song of Two Humans -- Rochus Gliese Best Cinematography Sunrise : A Song of Two Humans -- Charles Rosher and Karl Struss The Devil Dancer -- George Barnes The Magic Flame -- George Barnes Sadie Thompson -- George Barnes Best Engineering Effects Wings -- Roy Pomeroy ( No specific film ) -- Ralph Hammeras ( No specific film ) -- Nugent Slaughter Best Title Writing ( No specific film ) -- Joseph W. Farnham ( No specific film ) -- George Marion Jr. The Private Life of Helen of Troy -- Gerald Duffy ( posthumous nomination ) Honorary Awards Charlie Chaplin `` For versatility and genius in acting, writing, directing and producing The Circus ''. Warner Brothers Production `` For producing The Jazz Singer, the pioneer outstanding talking picture, which has revolutionized the industry ''. Multiple nominations and awards The following six films received multiple nominations : Nominations Film 5 7th Heaven Sunrise : A Song of Two Humans The Crowd The Last Command Sadie Thompson Wings The following three films received multiple awards : Awards Film 7th Heaven Sunrise : A Song of Two Humans Wings Gallery Academy Award winners -- Gallery Wings is the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, which was at the time known as Outstanding Picture. Also won an award for the Best Engineering Effects Sunrise : A Song of Two Humans won the Academy Award for Best Unique and Artistic Picture, the only year that such a prize was awarded. The prize was intended to honor prestige art films separately from `` commercial fare ''. Frank Borzage, Best Director, Dramatic Picture Emil Jannings, Best Actor Janet Gaynor, Best Actress Charles Chaplin, Honorary Award Warner Brothers Production, Honorary Award. In top image First National Studios, Burbank, c. 1928. See also 1927 in film 1928 in film References Jump up ^ `` The 1st Academy Awards Memorable Moments ''. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. ^ Jump up to : `` The Official Academy Awards Database ''. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved February 18, 2012. Reader must select `` 1927 / 28 '' in the `` Award Year ( s ) : '' drop - down menu and press `` Search ''. ^ Jump up to : `` History of the Academy Awards ''. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on April 8, 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2010. ^ Jump up to : Dirks, Tim. `` 1927 -- 28 Academy Awards Winners and History ''. Filmsite. Rainbow Media. Archived from the original on July 24, 2010. Retrieved May 6, 2010. ^ Jump up to : Cosgrave 2007, p. 1 Jump up ^ Eyman 2005, p. 117 Jump up ^ Eyman 2005, p. 209 Jump up ^ Eyman 2005, p. 138 ^ Jump up to : `` This day in History ''. History. A&E Television Networks. Archived from the original on March 7, 2010. Retrieved October 5, 2010. ^ Jump up to : Pawlak, Debra Ann. `` The Story of the First Academy Awards ''. The MediaDrome ( ( inconsistent citations ) ) ^ Jump up to : Cosgrave 2007, p. 4 Jump up ^ `` Names make news ''. Time. Time Inc. May 27, 1929. Archived from the original on October 27, 2010. Retrieved October 5, 2010. Jump up ^ Decherney, Peter ( August 14, 2012 ). `` Hollywood and the Culture Elite : How the Movies Became American ''. Columbia University Press -- via Google Books. Bibliography Cosgrave, Bronwyn ( 2007 ). Made for Each Other : Fashion and the Academy Awards ( I ed. ). New York, United States : Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 978 - 0 - 7475 - 7630 - 3. OCLC 74523691. Eyman, Scott ( 2005 ). Lion of Hollywood : the life and legend of Louis B. Mayer ( I ed. ). New York, United States : Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0 - 7432 - 0481 - 6. OCLC 57506846. Academy Awards Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ) Records Most wins per ceremony Oscar season Governors Awards Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting Pre-show Awards of Merit Best Picture Director Actor Actress Supporting Actor Supporting Actress Adapted Screenplay Original Screenplay Animated Feature Documentary Feature Foreign Language Film Animated Short Film Documentary Short Subject Live Action Short Film Cinematography Costume Design Film Editing Makeup and Hairstyling Original Score Original Song Production Design Sound Editing Sound Mixing Visual Effects Special awards Governors Awards Academy Honorary Award Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award Special Achievement Academy Award Academy Scientific and Technical Awards Academy Award of Merit ( non-competitive ) Scientific and Engineering Award Technical Achievement Award John A. Bonner Medal of Commendation Gordon E. Sawyer Award Student Awards Student Academy Award Former awards Merit Awards Assistant Director Dance Direction Story Special Awards Academy Juvenile Award Ceremonies ‡ ( List Book ) 1927 / 28 1928 / 29 1929 / 30 1930 / 31 1931 / 32 1932 / 33 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1984 1985 1986 2017 Footnote ‡ Dates and years listed for each ceremony were the eligibility period of film release in Los Angeles County. For the first five ceremonies, the eligibility period was done on a seasonal basis, from August to July. For the 6th ceremony, held in 1934, the eligibility period lasted from August 1, 1932 to December 31, 1933. Since the 7th ceremony held in 1935, the period of eligibility became the full previous calendar year from January 1 to December 31. Book Category Portal Academy Awards lists Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences ( AMPAS ) Records Oscar season Oscar speech History of film Most wins per ceremony Combined major Oscars Superlatives Big Five All four acting categories Combined major awards Academy, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony Award careers Acting All nominees Best Actor ( by age ) Best Actress ( by age ) Best Supporting Actor ( by age ) Best Supporting Actress ( by age ) Acting noms in foreign language Actor multi-nom years Multi-Best Picture acting careers Multi-win Actors Multi-nom Actors Love curse Directing Best Director ( by age ) Film Films Foreign - language wins Foreign - language nominees Foreign - language noms in other categories Foreign - language : count by country Animated feature noms in other categories Ethnicity African Argentine Asian Australian Black Brazilian British Canadian Chilean Colombian Cuban French German - speaking Greek Hispanic - American ( U.S. ) Indian Iranian Italian Jewish Latin American Mexican New Zealand Nordic Pakistani Polish Puerto Rican Spanish Uruguayan Other Ceremonies Families Fictitious LGBT Multi-win years Posthumous Best Picture Presenters Trophy displays Oldest & Youngest Awards for Walt Disney Women in Non-gendered Categories Book Category Portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=1st_Academy_Awards&oldid=831501333 '' Categories : Academy Awards ceremonies 1928 film awards 1929 in Los Angeles 1929 in American cinema May 1929 events First events Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from April 2011 Use American English from February 2012 All Wikipedia articles written in American English Featured lists Talk Contents About Wikipedia Afrikaans Azərbaycanca বাংলা Català Čeština Dansk Deutsch Eesti Ελληνικά Español فارسی Français Galego 한국어 Հայերեն Hrvatski Bahasa Indonesia Italiano עברית ქართული Қазақша Latviešu Magyar मराठी Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Plattdüütsch Polski Português Română Русский Simple English Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски Suomi Svenska ไทย Türkçe Українська اردو 中文 33 more Edit links This page was last edited on 20 March 2018, at 22 : 25. 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Question: who won the first academy award for best picture
Answer: Wings