Bob Hope Introduces Oscar to Radio

Let’s go to the Movies Part 18

Hollywood Grows Up.
Hollywood came of age during the 1930’s and movie fans lined up in droves to watch the latest film. The industry grew in every aspect of filmmaking, silents to sound, black and white to color, and a thousand other film techniques the public was not aware of.
With every passing year during that decade writers and directors were delivering a better product.
Suddenly a funny thing happened, it was like the whole Hollywood colony took aim at and built to a crescendo, saving their very best for that last and final year of the decade -- 1939. And what a film year it was. Members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science had a wonderful and at the same time the terrible task of weeding out the good from the good.
During most years any one of 1939’s top 20 or 25 films could have won an Oscar
The nominating committee did a masterful job just to pare it down some, but not much, as they finally nominated ten films for best picture. When you read the list of films in the group that were not nominated you might have a fleeting moment and think – why they must have thrown a bunch of titles into a hat and drew out the first ten. I’m sure that didn’t happen, but what a delicious dilemma.
Here are some of the films that didn’t make the cut Gunga Din – Cary Grant, The Little Princess – Shirley Temple, Intermezzo – Ingrid Bergman’s American debut, Story of Vernon and Irene Castle – Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, The Roaring Twenties – Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney, Drums along the Mohawk – Claudette Colbert and Henry Fonda, The Hunchback of Notre Dame – Charles Laughton and Young Mr. Lincoln with Henry Fonda.
America was digging its way out of the malaise and misery of those depression years and it was Hollywood that provided an all-star celebration, marking an end to the thirties.
‘Turn on your radios America.’
On the night of February 29, 1940 there's going to be a party at the Ambassador Hotel’s Cocoanut Grove.
Bob Hope was the MC for the evening and said, ‘Hello this is Bob, coming to you from the Ambassador Hotel, and the Academy Award Ceremony, Hope -- saying good evening all you, sitting on pins and needles, hopefuls.’
That was Oscar night and what a wonderful night it was as they passed out awards for great and talented work in front of and behind the camera.
Then came the announcement for the grand prize. ‘And here are the nominees for best picture.
Dark Victory
Good Bye, Mr. Chips
Gone With the Wind
Love Affair
Mr. Smith Goes To Washington
Ninotchka
Of Mice And Men
Stagecoach
The Wizzard Of Oz
Wuthering Heights.

Now open the envelope please. ‘The best picture of 1939 is;

GONE WITH THE WIND.’

Think ahead to the Belmont Stakes.
There will be no Triple Crown in 2009, but the drama continues.
Blocked at the top of the stretch -- the lost momentum doomed the chances of a clean late run for Mine that Bird’s win. However, when he got back in stride, he gave a stretch run for the ages only to come up ¾’s of a length short to finish second.
Rachel Alexandra got the win, but her owners are unsure about the Belmont.

There’s a long tradition in horse racing that directs the horses from the saddling barn to begin the post parade. The horses are led out of the barn to a walking area where they make a brief stop and one of the racing officials gives the call, ‘Riders up,’ and the jockey is given a leg up and into the saddle.
Question now is who’s the jockey that will climb aboard Mine that Bird on June 6th for the Belmont Stakes?
Last Monday morning trainer Chip Woolly announced that his choice for the Belmont was Mike Smith who rode Mine that Bird to a second place win in the Preakness. But later in the day Smith’s agent called Woolly and explained that a prior commitment to ride Madeo in the Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap at Hollywood Park that day had to be honored.
So there you have it – for now.
Back at Churchill Downs, trainer Chip Woolly’s first priority is keeping Mine that Bird fit and ready for the Belmont. Second is the jockey situation. He said, ‘We’re going to make a decision pretty quick, so we’ll see what happens.’ Then he added, ‘Patience is probably the number one concern; is somebody patient and will they wait and see how things develop.’
And here’s my two cents for what they’re worth. I’d be looking for someone based at Belmont with patients and a jockey that knows every inch of ground on that big oval like the back of his or her hand. A jockey that knows how to win at a mile and one half on that two turn monster.
To keep up with the saga read my daily twitter reports in the sidebar of this blog or go to www.twitter.com/tombarnes39

Writers Notebook:
Writing a book is just part of the chain that eventually gets your book into the hands of the reader. Publishing and marketing are a large part of that process and to give you some ideas about marketing and sales during the next few weeks I plan to introduce you to some of those subjects by using my own reviews of the books.
Make Friends and Sell Books
John Kremer seems to live and breathe book marketing. One of his mottos is that selling is all about making friends and the more you work with 1001 Ways to Market your Book the sooner you recognize the truth in that statement. Connecting with people and networking is all about making friends.
The first time you thumb through the 700-page book you are almost overwhelmed by the daunting task ahead. Just turn a couple of pages and you’ll find the dedication. It’s only a few lines but near the bottom is a line filled with hope. John says, ‘Take your time. Do it right. And enjoy.’
Keep that in mind and do one task at a time. Then before you know it, you’ll be highlighting sections and marking page numbers for points of reference.
The book contains everything from Internet sales, websites, blogs and newsletters to bookstores and book fairs. And a whole lot more.

Tom Barnes -- Actor, Writer and Hurricane Hunter.
Check out my website for books, blogs, western legends, a literary icon, reviews and interviews. Also my novels The Goring Collection and Doc Holliday’s Road to Tombstone along with a non fiction remembrance of The Hurricane Hunters and Lost in the Bermuda Triangle.
www.tombarnes39.com
www.RocktheTower.com