The Oscar (1966) Warm-Up

To assist us in our appreciation of this Sunday's Oscar ceremony, I thought I'd post these particularly splendid moments from the greatest movie about Inside Showbiz that has ever been made,The Oscar (1966-Russell Rouse).

Yes, as the advertisement promised, it is the story of "The dreamers and the schemers...the hustlers and the hopefuls...the free-loaders and the phonies...the fakers and the famous...all fighting for the highest possible award!"

Btw, this epic is being broadcast on TCM at the same time as the real Oscars on Sunday, March 7th. Lest we forget, there was a script, scribblers and at least one great writer behind this baroque morality play, sixties-style: Richard Sale, who wrote the novel that started it all, Russell Rouse, who also directed, and Clarence Greene--as well as the gifted and often frequently hilarious Harlan Ellison. If you like Ellison's sharp tongued, often brilliant observations, you may enjoy the documentary about this man, Dreams with Sharp Teeth (2008), which can be purchased here.

Highlights of the best moments (oh, those immortal lines!):


Tony Bennett's Immortal Meltdown, followed by Boyd's diatribe: