there are many reasons that I hate award shows, but the montage of dead actors is near the top of the list. It’s not reminding us who died that bothers me so much as the applause track, since the audience chooses to applause louder for some people than others. And we all KNOW that Brando, Carson and Charles are going to get the hooting and hollering, and then they’ll quiet down when someone not so famous is shown. Allowing an audio track of the audience during this segment is very disrespectful, especially with this kind of tapering reaction. I wonder if this segment is editted to pace things, anticipating the level of crowd noise for each slide?
I love the applause. They entertained us in life, it continues with their death!
The applause always strikes me as odd. It’s almost like they are applauding the fact that they are dead.
Of course I know that 's not WHY they are applauding, but I agree with the poster that said there should be no audio track allowed during these tributes. Why not just have music in the background and show movie or performance clips…why even allow the applause?
Oh yeah, meant to also add:
Wouldn’t Christopher Reeve be included in this year’s list? While I don’t think he got any nominations, he was definitely a performer of note and certainly an inspiration to many of the Academy members. He might be the applause winner over Brando.
I think Reeves would be well received (I assume he was an Academy Member) because of his stance on stem cells.
Interestingly, Rodney Dangerfield will likely NOT be in the montage as he was never admitted into the Academy. NO RESPECT!
Yes, he was mentioned by Marley23 above.
Actually, I think Reeves would be well-received simply because he had a reputation for being a nice guy who handled a tragic accident with dignity, class, and courage. I don’t think politics has anything to do with it.
And I think the Academy knows that keeping Rodney out while he was living was one thing, but ignoring him posthumously will only draw more negative press to themselves. He’ll be there.
Bruce Davis, executive director of the Motion Picture Academy, as quoted by Roger Ebert:
they pretty much set up Brando to get the loudest applause, by not only having him last, but being the only one in the montage to have audible lines (the infamous “contender” speech). Ray Charles and Hunter Thompson were missing, although Rodney Dangerfield did make it in. I was surprised that Rodney didn’t get any respect, nor did Christopher Reeves (I was expecting them to go nuts as soon as they showed a clip from the Rear Window remake), but even more surprised that the audience got louder for Elmer Bernstein.
Did they leave Ruth Warrick out? I can’t remember if I saw her or not.
Ronald Reagan, the first person, also had dialogue from his “Win won for the Gipper” speech in Knute Rockne, All-American.
No, Ruth Warrick was not among the memorialized, and Hunter S. Thompson was not part of the motion picture industry (others adapted his works).