..OSCAR STATUETTE..
It's been called "the Academy statuette," "the golden trophy" and "the statue of merit." The entertainment trade paper, Weekly Variety,
even attempted to popularize "the iron man." Thankfully, the term never stuck. Born in 1928, the Academy Award of Merit — which
we know as simply "the Oscar" — depicts a knight holding a crusader's sword, standing on a reel of film with five spokes, signifying
the original branches of the Academy: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers and Technicians.
Weighing 8.5 pounds and standing 13.5 inches tall, the statuette was designed by MGM's chief art director Cedric Gibbons. Frederic
Hope, Gibbons' assistant, created the original Belgian black marble base; artist George Stanley sculpted the design; and the California
Bronze Foundry hand cast the first statuette in bronze plated with 24-karat gold.
The Origin of the Oscar Name
A popular but unsubstantiated story has been that the moniker caught on after Academy librarian and eventual executive director
Margaret Herrick said that the statuette resembled her Uncle Oscar. Its first documented mention came after the sixth Awards Presentation
in 1934 when Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky used it in reference to Katharine Hepburn's first Best Actress win. The Academy itself
didn't use the nickname officially until 1939.
Oscar has changed his look on occasion. In the 1930s through the 50's, juvenile players received miniature replicas of the statuette;
ventriloquist Edgar Bergen was presented with a wooden statuette with a movable mouth; and Walt Disney was honored with one full-size and
seven miniature statuettes on behalf of his animated feature SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS. In support of the World War II effort
between 1942 and 1944, Oscars were made of plaster, to be traded in for golden statuettes after the war. Additionally, the base was raised
and changed from marble to metal in 1945. And in 1949, Academy Award statuettes began to be numbered, starting with No. 501.
Manufacturing, Shipping and Repairs
Approximately 50 Oscars are made each year in Chicago by the manufacturer, R.S. Owens. If they don't meet strict quality
control standards, the statuettes are immediately cut in half and melted down.
The Academy won't know how many statuettes it will actually hand out at the Annual Academy Awards Ceremony until the envelopes are opened
on Oscar Night. Although the number of categories and special awards is known prior to the ceremony, the possibility of multiple
recipients sharing the prize in some categories makes the exact number of Oscar statuettes awarded unpredictable. As in previous years,
any surplus awards will be housed in the Academy's vault until next year's event.
"Casting the Oscar statuettes is our New Year's celebration," says R. S. Owens spokesperson Noreen Prohaska. "It's our first project
of the year, and certainly our most prestigious. Though we could probably do it quicker, we take three to four weeks to cast 50 statuettes.
It may sound silly, but each one is done to perfection and handled with white gloves. After all, look at the people who will be
clutching it on Oscar Night."
Prior to 1949, the statuettes were not numbered. Since that year, starting with a somewhat arbitrary number 501, each Oscar
statuette has worn his serial number behind his heels.
The 15 statuettes presented at the initial ceremonies were gold-plated solid bronze. Within a few years the bronze was abandoned in favor
of an alloy called Brittanium, which made it easier to give the statuettes their smooth finish. Due to the metals shortage during
the World War II years, they were made of plaster. Following the war, all of the awarded plaster figures were redeemed for gold-plated ones.
For eight decades, Oscar has survived war, weathered earthquakes, and even managed to escape unscathed from common thieves.
Since 1995, however, R.S. Owens has repaired more than 160 statuettes. "Maybe somebody used chemicals on them to polish them and the chemicals
rubbed right through the lacquer and into the gold," says Owens president Scott Siegel, "or maybe people stored them someplace
where they corroded." Although he stresses that the statuette is made to endure, Siegel offers this sage advice to all Oscar
winners: "If it gets dusty, simply wipe it with a soft dry cloth."
