{"id":2015,"date":"2015-02-19T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-02-19T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/?p=2015"},"modified":"2024-06-26T10:33:28","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T14:33:28","slug":"waving-flag-oscar-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gettysburgflag.com\/blog\/waving-flag-oscar-ceremony\/","title":{"rendered":"Waving flag at Oscar ceremony"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Tyrone<\/a>
Tyrone Power, Marine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Movie buffs know that many memorable moments have occurred during the annual presentation of the Academy Awards, such as the surprise appearance of a streaker and, far more seriously, the first time a Black actress won an Oscar. One great moment, however, has been forgotten: the time two actors in uniform waved an American flag<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The date was March 5, 1943, smack in the middle of U.S. involvement in World War II. Tyrone Power, known for his swashbuckler roles, and Alan Ladd, who was often in westerns, had given up acting and entered the military. Power was a Marine<\/a>; Ladd was in the Army<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Alan<\/a>
Alan Ladd in his Army uniform<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On the night of the ceremonies, soprano Jeanette MacDonald, described in a news account as a \u201cred-haired singer wearing an electric blue gown with a screen of chartreuse feathers in her hair,\u201d sang the National Anthem<\/a> as hundreds of movie personnel rose from their chairs.<\/p>\n

The flag that all of them faced was carried onstage by Power and Ladd. The moment was as electric as MacDonald\u2019s dress.<\/p>\n

Many of the awards that followed were given to patriotic films. James Cagney won best actor for playing George M. Cohan in \u201cYankee Doodle Dandy.\u201d The biopic included many of Cohan\u2019s all-American songs, including \u201cOver There\u201d and \u201cYou\u2019re a Grand Old Flag.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>
A flag hangs behind Oscar winners in 1943, including Van Heflin (left), who wore his military uniform to the ceremonies<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The statuette for best actress went to Greer Garson for the title role of \u201cMrs. Miniver,\u201d the story of an English family surviving Nazi bombing of England. Winning the supporting actress prize was Teresa Wright, who played Garson\u2019s daughter. The film itself was named the best picture. \u201cMrs. Miniver\u201d garnered several more awards, including one for the director, William Wyler, who was not present because he was in the Air Corps overseas.<\/p>\n

\"Behind<\/a>
Behind Oscar recipients was the number of Hollywood employees, 27,677, who had entered the Armed Forces<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The best supporting actor came from another film: Van Heflin, who arrived in his Air Force<\/a> uniform to collect the Oscar. The pro-American mood extended even to a cartoon when Walt Disney\u2019s studio won an award for the Donald Duck short, \u201cDer Fuehrer\u2019s Face.\u201d As for documentaries, four were honored, all of them related to WWII.<\/p>\n

Capping off the flag-draped night was the presence of a gigantic service flag to show how many people from the film industry were in the military: an incredible 27,677.<\/p>\n

For good measure, composer Irving Berlin\u2019s \u201cWhite Christmas\u201d won the best-song prize. During the war, the nostalgic tune connected men overseas to the homes they were protecting.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Movie buffs know that many memorable moments have occurred during the annual presentation of the Academy Awards, such as the surprise appearance of a streaker and, far more seriously, the first time a Black actress won an Oscar. One great moment, however, has been forgotten: the time two actors in uniform waved an American flag…. continue<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[10,270,19,126,112],"class_list":["post-2015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-lessons","tag-american-flag","tag-oscar","tag-patriotism","tag-soldiers","tag-world-war-ii"],"yoast_head":"\nWaving flag at Oscar ceremony | WWII Patriotism<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A patriotic night at the Oscar award ceremony. 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