by Robert Laurence
Hollywood’s gold-plated Oscars remained nameless four years after
the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences first gave the awards in
1927. Called simply the Statuette, the ten-inch-high trophy was designed
by Cedric Gibbons, each weighing about seven pounds, bronze on the inside
and originally costing about one hundred dollars. The statuette quickly
became a symbol of film fame, but it wasn’t until 1931 that it got a name.
At that time Mrs. Margaret Herrick reported to work as librarian at the
Academy and when shown one of the trophies, observed, “He reminds me of my
Uncle Oscar.” As fate would have it, a newspaper columnist happened to be
in the room when she made her remark and he soon reported to his readers
that “Employees of the Academy have affectionately dubbed their famous
statuette ‘Oscar.’” The name stuck and Mrs. Herrick’s uncle won
immortality. Uncle Oscar was in reality Oscar Pierce, a wealthy Texan from
a pioneer family who had made his fortune in wheat and fruit and migrated
to California, where he could now bask in glory as well as the sun. The
Oscars honoring him are today given annually in twenty-three categories,
the seven most widely known being best motion picture, best leading actor
and actress, best supporting actor and actress, best director, and best
screen play. Cedric Gibbons, the Oscar’s designer, received six Oscars for
best art director.