Thursday, May 10, 2007

Trivia Pur$uit

Oscar statuettes are manufactured by R.S. Owens and Company in Chicago. They are made from the alloy britannium and are then plated in copper, nickel silver, and finally, 24-karat gold. The Oscar depicts a knight, holding a crusader's sword, standing on a reel of film. The film reel features five spokes, signifying the five original branches of the Academy (actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers.)

2 comments:

Bart said...

Why are they the Oscars, though? I've always wondered that, but not enough to research it. Why is the Academy Award an "Oscar."

david mcmahon said...

Hi Bart,

From the day someone sketched the first impression of the yet-to-be-launched award.

The sketch was done on a linen tablecloth, during a working lunch.

One of the people at the table said: ``That looks just like my Uncle Oscar''.

Pretty sure that's accurate. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Cheers

David