# Presenting Academy Award to self (need answer fast) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 2, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225 "2011-03-02T16:32:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/1 "2011-03-02T16:32:52Z")
(yes, “need answer fast”, as I’m preparing a sheet of Oscar trivia and it’s scheduled to go to print in a few hours (I know with this group, I’ll probably get a quick answer anyways, but covering the bases.)) I heard somewhere that the person who announced the nominees (and winner) of a particular Academy Award was also a nominee himself - who turned out to win the award, thereby presenting an Oscar to himself! (The rules were changed after to not have a nominee be a presenter in his or her own category). Anyoen remember who that is? ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/2 "2011-03-02T16:58:02Z")
Fastest way if you are on a deadline is to call the Academy. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Telephone: (310) 247-3000 ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/3 "2011-03-02T17:05:50Z")
[Irving Berlin.](http://www.oscars.org/countdown/ceremony/15th.html)After this, the rules were changed to make it impossible for someone to present to themselves. ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/4 "2011-03-02T17:08:41Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > [Irving Berlin.](http://www.oscars.org/countdown/ceremony/15th.html)After this, the rules were changed to make it impossible for someone to present to themselves. A quick check of his [Wikipedia page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Berlin#Awards_and_celebrations) doesn’t show him having won any Oscars, but I do believe it was that era. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/5 "2011-03-02T17:12:19Z")
> [@dhkendall](#): > > A quick check of his [Wikipedia page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Berlin#Awards_and_celebrations) doesn’t show him having won any Oscars, but I do believe it was that era. **Saint Cad** ’s link was to the Academy’s official site, but if you’re still skeptical, the [IMDb confirms it](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000927/awards). ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/6 "2011-03-02T17:15:05Z")
Yup missed that. (Wikipedia having incomplete information? Say it isn’t so!), I think that’s what I was thinking of. (And doing some Googling around on this had me stumble across a general “questions answered” site (like Yahoo Answers) and my word, people have some idiotic questions! Just from that site alone: [ul] [li]Who was the first person to land on the moon?[/li] [li]Who was the first person to commit suicide?[/li] [li]Who was the first black person ever?[/li][/ul]) ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/7 "2011-03-02T17:16:24Z")
> [@dhkendall](#): > > A quick check of his [Wikipedia page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Berlin#Awards_and_celebrations) doesn’t show him having won any Oscars, but I do believe it was that era. [The Wiki page for the 15th Academy Awards](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/15th_Academy_Awards) lists him getting it for “White Christmas”, as best original song. ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/8 "2011-03-02T17:16:46Z")
Yahoo Answers is one of the silliest websites out there. Maybe not deliberately, but the responses are almost always amusing. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/9 "2011-03-02T17:19:52Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > **Saint Cad** ’s link was to the Academy’s official site, but if you’re still skeptical, the [IMDb confirms it](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000927/awards). But links to the official Oscar site apparently doesn’t prove anything. I’ve provided the link to the official page at least a dozen times but even when they [see it](http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/oscarlegacy/2000-present/79nominees.html)(scroll to Documentary (Short)), they still insist Al Gore won an Oscar and the page is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![A.Gwilliam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@A.Gwilliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.Gwilliam)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/10 "2011-03-02T17:26:02Z")
> [@dhkendall](#): > > [ul] > [li]Who was the first black person ever?[/li][/ul] Well? Who was it, then…? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/11 "2011-03-02T17:28:51Z")
> [@A.Gwilliam](#): > > Well? Who was it, then…? According to a theory once popular in justifying racism, it was [Ham](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_Ham), the son of Noah. ---
**Author:** ![dhkendall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a9adbd/32.png) [@dhkendall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dhkendall)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/12 "2011-03-02T18:36:13Z")
> [@A.Gwilliam](#): > > > [@dhkendall](#): > > > > [ul][li]Who was the first black person ever?[/ul][/li] > > Well? Who was it, then…? Glad you asked, the [actual answer](http://www.chacha.com/question/who-was-the-first-black-person-ever) at the site I have to applaud (almost Yahoo Answers worthy): > [@](#): > > There is no record of the 1st, but Lewis Temple (1800 - 1854) revolutionized the whaling industry by inventing the toggle harpoon. Gotta love an answer like that! ---
**Author:** ![A.Gwilliam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@A.Gwilliam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.Gwilliam)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/13 "2011-03-02T18:47:45Z")
> [@dhkendall](#): > > Gotta love an answer like that! Brilliant! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Heyoka13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Heyoka13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heyoka13)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/14 "2011-03-02T18:51:23Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > According to a theory once popular in justifying racism, it was [Ham](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_Ham), the son of Noah. Correct. And from that we have God’s curse upon the Hamites. Fundamentalist Christians (and others) cite this as justification for slavery and other racial edicts. Landover Baptist is pretty big on God’s curse upon the Hamites. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/15 "2011-03-02T19:50:56Z")
There’s the story about Isaac Asimov, who many many years ago was a habitual host of the Nebula science fiction writer awards banquet because of his lively personality and speaking ability. He wrote that every year they would ask him to host, and he would think “Drat! No award for me.” One year they asked someone else to host. the fellow had to withdraw, so the organizers asked Asimov to fill in again. When he was announcing one award where he was nominated, he went on and on about “well, we know it’s not me…” and how underappreciated he was, until he opened the envelope to find he was the winner. He was flabergasted. Apparently the organizers had discussed it and said “if anyone can present an award to himself, Isaac can!” Of course, the Oscars today are no doubt so heavily scripted that you can’t have that sort of spontaneous hilarity. Too bad. The funniest and livelest guy on the show the other night was Kirk Douglas. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/16 "2011-03-02T20:34:04Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > [Irving Berlin.](http://www.oscars.org/countdown/ceremony/15th.html)After this, the rules were changed to make it impossible for someone to present to themselves. According to the book “Inside Oscar,” Berlin presented the award by announcing, “This goes to a nice guy. I’ve known him all my life.” ---
**Author:** ![beartato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@beartato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beartato)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/17 "2011-03-02T20:37:03Z")
> [@dhkendall](#): > > [ul] > [li]Who was the first person to land on the moon?[/li] > [li]Who was the first person to commit suicide?[/li] > [li]Who was the first black person ever?[/li][/ul]) As obvious a butt of jokes as Yahoo answers is, reading that last one quite literally made me spit-choke on the water I was drinking. ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/18 "2011-03-02T20:39:03Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > Yahoo Answers is one of the silliest websites out there. > Maybe not deliberately, but the responses are almost always amusing. I’ve been guilty of trolling Yahoo answers in the past. Especially the categorized questions. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/19 "2011-03-02T21:10:14Z")
The first black person to win an Academy Award was [Hattie McDaniel](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0567408/bio). ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225/20 "2011-03-02T21:21:05Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > The first black person to win an Academy Award was [Hattie McDaniel](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0567408/bio). That was in 1939. Shirley Temple won her Academy Award in 1935, but didn’t become Black until 10 years later. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/presenting-academy-award-to-self-need-answer-fast/573225.md?page=2)