And the Oscar went to...

This time of year always makes me miss my mom. We have watched so many movies together and many of them have been Oscar winners. So I thought I'd share some of my favorite moments, lines, and other trivia from some Oscar winning films.

Oscar winner 1951

 

 

Won Oscars for Sound, Costume Design, Screenplay, Director (Joseph L Mankiewicz), Supporting Actor (George Sanders), and Best Picture. Neither Bette Davis nor Anne Baxter won for Best Actress. Amazingly enough, Judy Holliday won for Born Yesterday, also beating out Gloria Swanson, nominated for Sunset Blvd.
Davis had no idea how true this line would be on that night: "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night!"




 

Oscar winner 1963

Won Oscars for Score, Film Editing, Art Direction, Sound, Cinematography, Director (David Lean), and Best Picture. 
Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif became fast friends during this film. O'Toole swore 'Omar' was not his real name and called him Freddy for the rest of his life. I don't know why I chose that tidbit. I just thought it was great.
One of the best moments ever caught on film is the scene where Lawrence (O'Toole) meets Ali (Sharif). In a wide shot, we watch with Lawrence in anticipation as a black dot on the horizon gets closer and closer, finally revealing itself as a lone rider. Everything about this scene is perfect and is best seen on the big screen.

Oscar winner 1969

Won Oscars for Original Score, Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actress (Katherine Hepburn). She shared the win with Barbara Streisand for Funny Girl. I've seen both performances and they were both fantastic, but no one is better than glorious Kate. She delivers one of my most favorite movie lines of all time, "I'd hang you from the nipples, but you'd shock the children." In fact, every word of this screenplay is poetry and delivered perfectly by the entire cast.
I never tire of watching this stupendous film. The chemistry between Hepburn and O'Toole is genuine. She affectionately called him 'pig' onset and they sat together every day at five, winding down with a glass of white wine. Now that's a 'tea time' I would have loved to take.

Oscar winner 1983

 Won Oscars for Film Editing, Costume Design, Art Direction, Cinematography, Original Screenplay, Director (Richard Attenborough), Best Actor (Ben Kingsley), and Best Picture. Kingsley so resembled Gandhi that many natives believed he was Gandhi's ghost. Oddly enough, Kingsley's parents were from the same state in India as Gandhi. Perhaps he was truly meant for the role. Either way, his performance is outstanding.
I knew next to nothing about Gandhi before I saw this movie and learned so much about the strength of nonviolence and power of conviction. It's a lesson that should be embraced by everyone, everywhere.




There they are, some of my favorite Oscar winners. I love them all because, in some way, they all remind me of my mom. She is the best movie buddy in the world. I love you Mom, every single day!