The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1946-03-08

oscar and Scuffieo OH the stage,
"f'm surprised they just handed
It to him." quipped master OF cere-
monies Bob Hope. II thought maybe
they'd hide II IN the chandelier"
The gllttering audience sent up
another tremendous cheer for
James Dunn, who won an oscar"
as the best supporting actor Of the
year In o comeback part, hiatt Of q
drunken father In "A Tree Grows
In Brooklyn"
Best supporting actress was
freckle-faced Anne Revere for her
mother role In National Velvet"
Trying II Years
II was the first oscar" for each
Of the top winners and nobody was
more excited than Miss Crawford,
who's been trying for oil Of 81 years.
II usually have plenty TO say"
she told reporter In her beige,
plush-lined livingroom. "But right
now ! can't think Of q thing. I
voted for Bergman myself"
She planted q kiss on the fore
head OF her doctor, william p,
Branch, whose orders made her miss
the festivities, and then dashed up
stairs to tell her two children,
Christine, Q, and Christopher, 3, ig-
norIng the fact that Christopher
was sick In bed, too, with the
measles.
Less than 20 minutes after the
ceremonies were over, scores OF
friends, including Director Mike
Curtiz who handed her the coveted
gold oscar" crowded into her room
With their congratulations.
TITS too wonderful" she said IN
tears clutchlng Van Johnsof's hand
Then Miss Crawford blew her
nose and started her years reign
as queen Of Hollywood by going
back TO bed.
Mis- Crawfords award was for
her performance Of the title role IN
Warner Bros. production OF the
gripping James Gain novel, Mildred
Pierce" II Is the story OF mother
who seeks to shield her daughter
from ell hardship, and learns TOO
late that she has spoiled her beyond
redemption.
"The Lost Weekend" q movie
about the evils Of drink, swept IN
most OF the other Oscars" leading
off with one Of for the best picture
of the year" It won two for Billy
Wilder-one for the best directing
lob and another, with Charles Brae"
kett, for the best written screen
play.
The program, flrst formal acad-
envy shindig since Pearl Harpor'
started of on time-but most Of the
audience dribbled in late, forcing
Hope 10 rush things toward the last.
But he slowed down long enough
TO let Jean Hersholt, president Of the
Academy OF Motion Picture Arts and
Sciences to give him o tiny oscar
all his own.
And about time. too" declared
Hope. 1--WE emceed so many OF these
things in Grauman's Chinese my
eyes are slanting. But really didn't
expect one, II I'd known ! would've
brought along my writers. ! haven't
got any gags for this"
Pioneer movie maker D. w. Grit
nth started OF the major awards by
presenting gold cinematography
Oscars. to The Picture Of Dorian
Gray" in the black and white class
and Leave Her to Heaven, FOL
technicolor.
Peggy Ann Carrier won Q minia-
ture statuette as the most promising
juvenile star.
Then George Murphy. president
of the Screen Actors Guild, pre-
sented Frank Sinatra, special
oscar" for his Aim short The
House I Live In"
Better get your wife to help YOU
carry it home, kid" grinned Hope
! Erick Johnston, new head man Of
| the movie industry, awarded the
oscar" for the best picture Of the
year after Q two-minute speech ir
which he said the movies were "or
the threshold Of their greatest
achievements"
Frank Sinatra, Dick Haynes
Dinah Shore, and Kathryn Gray
son plugged the songs nominated fol
the original songwriting award
with 1T Might AS Well Be Spring
by Richard Rodgers and Oscar
HammerStein emerging as the win
ner.
Then Bette Davis, two-time win
rer. put on her horn-rimmed spec
tacles and passed out oscars" Il
Bracket and Wilder for The Lost
Weekend" as the best written
screenplay; Swiss writer Richard
Schweizer for ''Marie-Louise" as the
best original screenplay: and
Charles @. Booth for the House on
92nd Street as the best original mo-
ton picture story.
Ginger Rogers. who also has an
oscar" at home on her mantel. was
the sensation Of the evening In an
almost frontless metallic silver
gown. She presented George Stoll
his statue for the best scoring Of q
musical picture, Anchors Aweigh'
and another to Miklos Rosa for his
musical score of "Spellbound."
Walter Wanger. who served six
years as Academy president, receiy-
ed q special PLAGUE for "Distin-
guished service"
Other awards included:
Interior decoration = Blood On
The sun" lblack and white: and
'Frenchman's Greek" (color) Ar
direction, "Frenchman's Crook
COLOR; and Blood On The sun
(black and whitel. Wonder Man
tok top honors for special effects;
Bells Of st. Mary's" for sound re-
cording: and National Velvet" foI
Aim editing.
The winners. gathered on the
stage for the finale 10 sing This
Star Spaneied Banner" theiS
Oscars" clptched In their hands. Al
except Hope. He dangled his befors
his nose.
Il A. "a "a. 49,. 4. =