Boy, Cecil was quite a snot 30+ years ago wasn’t he. Thankfully, he’s mellowed a bit with age.
Of course, anyone who knows anything about the Oscars knows that the Honorary awards goes to people who are long overdue for recognition, were largely taken for granted during their careers, and have since proven themselves to be of a unique, timeless quality (though being near death doesn’t hurt).
In other words, the exact opposite of “forgettable”. :rolleyes:
That’s Cecil’s total answer to the question about Garbo.
He used the weasel word “usually,” so you can’t pin him down for a three-count.
I tend to agree with you ArchiveGuy, about Garbo. She had four nominations for best actress, but never won. Four nominations ain’t too shabby.
Cary Grant(Dex), never won an Academy Award(Amazing!!) but got a lifetime achievment Oscar. What was he–chopped liver??
What a great opportunity for nitpicking!
There is no such thing as a “Lifetime Achievement” Academy Award. At least, not according to the official Academy Awards website.
Greta Garbo and Cary Grant won an “Honorary Award.” As Cecil says, Garbo in 1954 “for her unforgettable screen performances.” while Grant won in 1969 "for his unique mastery of the art of screen acting with the respect and affection of his colleagues. "
But look here at the total listing of “Honorary Awards.”
It it an olio, a slumgullion, a mishmash, a hodgepodge, and a salmagundi without even a Salma Hayek.
Danny Kaye got an Honorary Award the same year as Garbo and so did two juvenile actors.
Why, if you look at that list…
Well, you see a lot of great names even before 1973’s Honorary Award to Groucho Marx[!!!] that Cecil of all people should have been aware of.
I don’t know what the Cursed Master was smoking that day, but while I like the tone of the response, there’s no there there.
What a great opportunity for nitpicking!
Nobody said “Lifetime Achievement,” though I swear I saw the words before I posted…
Damn! I should have quickly gone back to my post and removed that phrase.
I’ll admit that I posted without checking to see if that was the name or the award. I guess it wasn’t.
But admit it, don’t you just think that you remember them saying that every year at the AA?
Yeah, everybody but everybody refers to the award in that fashion. Yet the word “lifetime” only appears in the tributes to Laurence Olivier and Myrna Loy. Who’s a better actress than Garbo and prettier too. And she never, no that’s not a misprint, never received even one single Oscar nomination.
But what do I get for correcting my own non-mistake? Other than a new prescription for my glasses, I mean.
Wow! What are you smoking tonight? This isn’t like you.
Garbo received four nominations for best Actress. Unless it’s me. :)\
She did get two New York Film Critics Best Actress Awards.
Ummm…I think he meant that Myrna Loy never got a nomination.
Not mellowed as much as you’d think, but, yeah.
BTW, this was obviously a very old column, back in pre-internet days. Today, Cecil wouldn’t tackle a problem that is so easily answered by anyone with a quick computer search.
Yes, I meant that it was Myrna Loy who never received any nominations.
I don’t smoke, but whatever fumes the monitor was giving off evidently got into your head as well. :smack:
Maybe we should start this whole thread over again.
The Cecil Adams who wrote the Straight Dope columns from 1973 to 1978 was not the Cecil Adams we all know and love today. In fact, I believe that there were a couple different Cecil Adams in the first five years. Like Doctor Who, he metamorphized a couple of times before he settled on his current incarnation from 1978 to the present.
Sorry, Wendell, but that’s just plain silly. Cecil has had several different editors over the years, and his style has matured over time, but let’s not allow paranoia to overwhelm common sense.
And what number are you of the incarnations of C. K. Dexter-Haven?
Oh! Oh! :waving hand: Can I start the rumor that Cecil is actually Doctor Who? (Would that make Dex the equivalent of Sarah Jane Smith or Teela? :eek: Never mind. Strike that thought.)
Well, there was my name-sake, of course, but he didn’t write on the Message Boards so far as I’m aware.
Actually, there are some other C K Dexter Havens out there. Some science fiction writer (Orson Scott Card, maybe?) mentions one, but it ain’t me. It’s a fairly common name. However, in terms of the Straight Dope Message Board, it’s always been only just me.
And thank goodness for that! The thought of multiples of you running around is just…
Well, it’s just, okay?
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_022b.html
Come on! Can’t people do their own web searches–or googles? Or does Cecil need a bone thrown to him so he can earn a paycheck?
???
That link is in the OP.
!!!
Of course. I repeated it for easy access.