The Academy Awards ceremony in 1949 marked a big step for British films in Hollywood. Two masterpieces from across the pond (Hamlet, directed by Laurence Olivier, and The Red Shoes, directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger) were up for the Best Picture of 1948. Although the sumptuous and colourful film about a ballerina forced to choose between love and her career was the top-grossing British film of 1948, Laurence Olivier’s moody Shakespearean adaptation ran away with the Best Picture award.
While filming Hamlet, Larry received an honorary Academy Award for special achievement with his 1944 film Henry V (which was released in the US in 1946). Ray Milland came to England to present the award to Olivier at Denham Studios.
It’s that time of year again: Oscar season. I have to admit I’m not a huge fan of the televised ceremony because it keeps getting worse and worse every year, but I watch it anyway. I can’t help it (ad I’ll always remember the time I went up to LA to try and get a bleacher seat but ended up standing at the corner of Hollywood and Highland with a bunch of obnoxious and scary people for 11 hours)! The Academy Awards are good for food, friends, fashion and frustration, in my opinion.
The Oliviers had four Oscars between them, 3 for acting and one for special achievement. For the next three days leading up to the Academy Awards ceremony, I thought it would be fun to go back in time and look at Larry and Vivien’s crowning cinematic achievements.
The glamorous days of pre-war Hollywood. The scene: the Cocoanut Grove at the Ambassador Hotel on Wilshire Blvd. The occasion: The 12th annual Academy Awards celebrating the best in cinema.
1939 is considered by many to be Hollywood’s best year in terms of quality output. 10 films were nominated for the Best Picture prize that year (something the Academy reinstated in 2010), and what a selection! Wuthering Heights, Ninotchka, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Wizard of Oz, Stagecoach, Dark Victory, Love Affair, Goodbye, Mr Chips, Of Mice and Men, and the biggest of them all, Gone with the Wind.
The competition in the Best Actor and Actress categories was equally as tough: Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Laurence Olivier, Robert Donat, Bette Davis, Greta Garbo, Irene Dunne, and Greer Garson were all in the running. But as far as the Best Actress was concerned, none of the ladies listed above even came close to garnering as many votes as Vivien Leigh. The Hollywood newcomer was the belle of the ball when she turned up on the arm of producer David O. Selznick, leaving fiancee Laurence Olivier to escort her co-star Olivia DeHavilland (who was up for the Best Supporting Actress award).
Wishing you all a happy Valentine’s Day, wherever you are in the world. Enjoy some romantic quotes and photos starring Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier as well as some free music 🙂
Some people are blessed with outstanding Photoshop skills. Zsazsa R. is one of those people. She’s notorious on tumblr for posting gorgeous graphics of her favorite classic film stars, and that’s one of the reasons I love having her creations on my dashboard. It’s like an eyegasm every day. Luckily for us, she gave me the okay to post some of her Vivien Leigh graphics here at vivandlarry.com. Thanks, Zsazsa!
If you’ve ever used Photoshop, you know it can be really tricky until you get the hang of all the different tools and settings, and their functions for photo enhancement. But these are the sorts of things you can do once you’ve mastered it!
2010 was a pretty wild year with lots of life changes. I spent the first half in southern California and the second half up north and then in London! It was last January that I found out it’d been accepted to grad school, and now here I am about to start my second semester. It’s crazy. I miss California, especially the warm weather, my friends, and the beach, my cat and my family, but I’m loving being in England so much. I really feel like this was meant to be, like some strange force is pushing me toward my goals. I have a lot I want to accomplish in 2011, a good deal of which has to do with the subjects of this website.
One of the cool things about pond hopping (and continuing with the location scouting theme from previous posts) is that I saw a lot of places where Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier lived, worked, played, etc, as well as exhibits and other things. So, to wrap things up for 2010, here are some photos I took this past year.
I hope you all have a bright, joyful, and prosperous new year! Thanks for all of your amazing support in 2010!
