You know, one of the advantages of running all this Turner Classic Movies Oscar trivia every day is that it disguises the fact that I've only written about three substantive posts this month (okay, four, but who's counting). I'm going to miss it when TCM's 31 Days of Oscar marathon ends on March 3.On the other hand, the daily posts tend to bury the long-form essays I do write. Like yesterday's essay, The Silent Oscars: 1906-1914, Part Three. I encourage you to check it out if only to see Asta Nielsen's hundred year old version of freak dancing. To quote Ralph Kramden, "Humina humina humina."
Now, on to today's trivia, courtesy of Turner Classic Movies, the classiest network on television:
Oscar Firsts What Italian actress became the first person to win an acting Oscar for a performance in a language other than English? (Hint: The film was released in the U.S. in 1961.)
It's An Honor Just To Be Nominated The man most nominated as Best Actor (Peter O'Toole), received the first of his eight nominations for Lawrence of Arabia (1962). Who directed the film?
Note: I think TCM meant that Peter O'Toole was the most nominated for Best Actor without winning. Here, by the way, are the films he was nominated for and the actor he lost to:
Lawrence of Arabia (1962) — Gregory Peck (To Kill A Mockingbird)
Becket (1964) — Rex Harrison (My Fair Lady)
The Lion in Winter (1968) — Cliff Robertson (Charly)
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969) — John Wayne (True Grit)
The Ruling Class (1972) — Marlon Brando (The Godfather)
The Stunt Man (1980) — Robert De Niro (Raging Bull)
My Favorite Year (1982) — Ben Kingsley (Gandhi)
Venus (2006) — Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland)
Even though I personally think Lawrence of Arabia is O'Toole's best performance, I'd bet 1968 is the one the Academy wishes it could do over. What do you think?
