Take home an Oscar winner from the library

In the United States, we have our patriotic holidays and our

religious holidays. Then we have our purely American celebrations

that aren’t actually holidays, but they might as well be. Sporting

events like the Super Bowl come to mind, and, of course, Oscar night.

(Although for us on the left coast, it’s really Oscar afternoon,

since the festivities and the dress parade and the long-winded

speeches and the gushing and the tears will begin at 3 p.m.)

So, while you are pondering how to mark your ballot at that Oscar

party, let the library help you with some Academy Awards trivia to

liven up the festivities. You can dazzle the company with some arcane

knowledge.

“The Aviator” leads the pack with 11 nominations this year. But

“All About Eve” and “Titanic” lead all-time with 14 nominations each.

Though it has great reviews and lots of fans, “The Aviator” has

been called a little long at 170 minutes. The longest Best Picture

winner? Try “Gone with the Wind” at 234 minutes, “Lawrence of Arabia”

at 222 minutes and “Ben-Hur” with 212 minutes.

Just in case you are wondering, “Marty” is the shortest Best

Picture champ, coming in at 91 minutes.

If your favorite film doesn’t win, don’t feel bad. Here are some

classic films that were never even nominated: “Touch of Evil,” “His

Girl Friday,” “Frankenstein,” “Once Upon a Time in America” and

“Metropolis.” And films that were nominated without winning? “Taxi

Driver,” “Dr. Strangelove,” “12 Angry Men,” “The Maltese Falcon,”

“Deliverance,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” “Das Boot” and

“Rebel without a Cause,” to name just a few.

What about the stars? Peter O’Toole has seven nominations and no

wins. (In 1962, the year of “Lawrence of Arabia,” Gregory Peck won

playing Atticus Finch in “To Kill a Mockingbird,” a very tough

choice!)

Shockingly, Deborah Kerr received six nominations overall and

never won an Oscar.

Since someone is sure to bring up the fact that Martin Scorsese

has never won as best director, dazzle the guests by telling them

that neither has Robert Altman (“Short Cuts” and “Gosford Park”),

Orson Welles (“Citizen Kane” and “The Third Man”), Ingmar Bergman

(“The Seventh Seal” and “Fanny and Alexander”), and Sydney Lumet

(“Network” and “The Verdict”).

This year’s awards feature nominations for outstanding

performances by black actors Jamie Foxx, Don Cheadle, Morgan Freeman

and Sophie Okonedo. Who was the first black actor to win an Oscar?

Hattie McDaniel in the 1939 production of “Gone with the Wind.”

The oldest actor/actress nominated this year is Clint Eastwood

(“Million Dollar Baby”) at age 74. The youngest is Catalina Sandino

Moreno at 23 years old (“Maria Full of Grace”). The record holders

for winners are Jessica Tandy (80 years old when she was nominated

for “Driving Miss Daisy.” The youngest was Tatum O’Neal (age 10 when

she was nominated for “Paper Moon”).

This year’s Oscar ceremony features funnyman Chris Rock, hosting

the show for the first time. The host with the most appearances? Bob

Hope, of course, with 18 shows altogether.

And the stumper that will surely win a bet: what was the last

Oscar film to win that was filmed in black-and-white? “Schindler’s

List,” which won in 1993. Before that, it was “The Apartment,” which

won in 1960.

As soon as the nominees are released for home viewing, you will be

able to check them out from the library. In fact, all the other films

mentioned above are available at the Newport Beach Public Library.

You can reserve them online, or call the reference desk for

assistance.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Sara Barnicle. All titles may be

reserved from home or office computers by accessing the catalog at

https://www.newport beachlibrary .org. For more information on the

Central Library or any of the branch locations, please contact the

Newport Beach Public Library at (949) 717-3800, option 2.