8 Oscar nominations that were revoked
The Oscar awards are the most prestigious and sought after motion picture awards that the film industry offers. Since the first Academy Awards took place in 1929 at the Hollywood Roosevelt hotel, here are eight instances where the sacred nomination was revoked.
1. The Circus, 1928
At the first awards night in 1929, Charlie Chaplin had his individual awards revoked. He was nominated for Best Actor, Best Director for a Comedy, Best Writer and Outstanding Picture for his film The Circus. The Academy believed he would take home all four awards so they presented him with an Honorary Award for his writing, directing and producing in the film.
2. Hondo, 1953
Western film Hondo was nominated for Best Story in 1954. It was later discovered that the script was based off a short story called The Gift of Cochise and so the nomination was taken back as it was not an original work.
3. High Society, 1955
The film starring Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly was nominated for Best Story by writers Edward Bernds and Elwood Ulman. However, there was a mix up with films that had the same title. Bernds and Ulman wrote the Bowery Boys comedy called High Society, not the one starring Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly. The writers withdrew their names from the final ballot after the mistake made by the Academy.
4. Young Americans, 1967
Young Americans is the only film in American history to receive a Oscar and then have it revoked after the ceremony. The film won Best Documentary in 1969. However, it was soon discovered that the film played in a theatre in October 1967, disqualifying it from the 1968 movie award season. The Oscar was then awarded to runner-up Journey Into Self.
5. The Godfather, 1972
The Godfather was nominated for nine awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor, which Marlon Brando won. The film was also nominated for Best Original Dramatic Score by composer Nino Rota. The nomination was revoked when it was discovered that Nino used some of his score from 1958 Fortunella. Nino took home the Oscar two years later when he was nominated for his score for The Godfather: Part II.
6. A Place in the World, 1992
In 1993, Uruguay submitted A Place in the World for Best Foreign Language Film. It received one of five nominations but these were rescinded because it was actually an Argentinian film. The director had asked Uruguay to submit the film on his behalf as several artists from Uruguay worked on the film and it had some financers from the country. The director sued the Academy after the nomination was revoked.
7. Tuba Atlantic, 2010
Tuba Atlantic from Norway was nominated for Best Live Action Short Film. It was revoked once it was discovered that the film aired on Norwegian TV before its theatrical release, which goes against the Academy’s rules.
8. Alone Yet Not Alone, 2013
This film was nominated for Best Original Song but was disqualified two weeks later. The song’s composer, Bruce Broughton, who was an executive committee member of the Academy’s music branch had emailed members of the branch to make them aware of his submission. This goes against Academy rules and was believed this promotion method would have given Bruce an unfair advantage.
“I’m devastated… I indulged in the simplest grassroots campaign and it went against me when the song started getting attention. I got taken down by competition that had months of promotion and advertising behind them. I simply asked people to find the song and consider it," Bruce told The Hollywood Reporter at the time.