On May 16, 1929, around 270 people gathered at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood for what would go down in history as the first Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards ceremony. It lasted a mere 15 minutes and handed Charlie Chaplin an honorary statuette.
What is the harshest criticism a film can receive today, even when it wins the coveted Oscar? Probably that it is bland, pointless, or formulaic. It seems, then, that American cinema has had a reputation like that baked into its DNA from the very start: the direction of William Wellman was actually described as routine in the first film to ever win the 12-inch statuette, at that inaugural ceremony on May 16, 1929, held at the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles. The film was “Wings” (1927), a war drama about World War I pilots and the most expensive production of its time, with a budget of two million dollars. One notable detail: the award was not yet called the Oscar. That name would not come along until five years later, coined in a column by critic Sidney Skolsky.
The ceremony was held to honor works filmed between August 1, 1927 and July 31, 1928. Wellman’s film, starring Clara Bow, also won a prize for engineering effects, a category that was never used again. The biggest winner of the night, however, was arguably “7th Heaven,” which took home awards for Dramatic Picture Direction (Frank Borzage), Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actress for Janet Gaynor, who was recognized for her performances in “Street Angel” and “Sunrise” as well. The comedy direction award went to Lewis Milestone for “Two Arabian Nights,” while “Sunrise” received a prize for “Artistic Quality of Production,” a category that was likewise discontinued the following year. Ben Hecht won for original screenplay, and Charles Rosher and Karl Struss shared the cinematography prize for “Sunrise.”
The Best Actor award went to Swiss-born Emil Jannings for his performances in “The Last Command” and “The Way of All Flesh,” though the actor ultimately received the statuette in Germany. In the years that followed, the Academy would come to deeply regret that decision: in 1941, Jannings was named “Artist of the State” by none other than Joseph Goebbels.
As for “The Jazz Singer” (1927), the first sound film in cinema history, it was decided that it should not compete against the other entries, so it received a special honorary statuette. Charlie Chaplin took home a similar honor for the direction, performance, and screenplay of his film “The Circus.” Gossip of the day attributed this sidelining to the complicated relationship Chaplin had with the industry, particularly with producer Darryl Zanuck, who was competing at the time with “The Jazz Singer.” Another notable snub did not go unnoticed among guests: Buster Keaton and his film “The General” had not received a single nomination.
The ceremony took place in the Blossom Room of the Roosevelt Hotel. About 270 attendees were present at the closed event, each having paid five dollars for admission and a dinner of chicken fillet or sauteed sole. Adjusted for inflation, that five-dollar ticket is worth roughly 92 dollars today. There was little suspense in the 15-minute event, as the winners had already been announced on February 18, when the Los Angeles Times published the results. Janet Gaynor herself later said the evening felt more like a private party than a public ceremony.
It all traced back to an initiative by Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) owner Louis B. Mayer, who wanted to push back against rumors of immorality circulating about Hollywood circles, spread by local labor unions and religious organizations. His plan was to bring together the professionals working in what was then a small industry. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded in 1927, following a dinner, with the primary goal of mediating labor disputes. Its founding membership included 231 professionals across five branches of the industry: actors, directors, writers, technicians, and producers. The president of the Academy at the time of the first ceremony was the era’s leading star, Douglas Fairbanks, with William de Mille serving as vice president.
For all its historical significance, the ceremony that set the stage for the spectacular event it would become passed largely in silence. It was not broadcast on radio until the following year, and television coverage did not arrive until March 1953.
