Advertisement

Ouch! The biggest Oscar upsets in history

Elizabeth Taylor's win came amid some heated headlines.

Elizabeth Taylor's win came amid some heated headlines. Photo: Getty

Nomadland is tipped as the film to beat at this year’s Oscars.

We’ll find out in a matter of hours if it can bring home any or all of its six nominations, as the 93rd Academy Awards roars into life.

While we wait, and because the film industry just doesn’t let a good scandal lie, here’s a recap of some of the biggest upsets of all time.

Judy Garland, robbed

Our Dorothy never received an Oscar as an adult. Not for A Star is Born (1954), as Grace Kelly won that year instead for The Country Girl.

(Let us take a moment to acknowledge The Country Girl was not remade into a modern-day hit starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga.)

Questionable judging at best.

Elizabeth Taylor wins best actress, world turns on her

Elizabeth Taylor may forever be remembered as one of cinema’s classiest and most-beloved leading ladies.

But for a short time in 1961, she fell out of favour with fans.

Leading up to her first Academy Award win, Taylor had been in the headlines for her affair with Eddie Fisher, who was married to Debbie Reynolds at the time.

Reynolds was considered by many to be America’s sweetheart, and Taylor’s best actress win for Butterfield 8, where she plays the self-proclaimed “sl-t of all time”, caused quite the stir.

Citizen Kane snubbed

The snub of Citizen Kane at the 1942 Academy Awards might be one of the harshest and most memorable in film history.

The nine-time Oscar-nominated film only managed to take home one win, for best original screenplay, but it was the best picture award, which instead went to How Green Was My Valley, that stung most.

Nearly 80 years later, the film is still heralded by critics as one of the best movies of all time.

A stolen win for Marisa Tomei 

Her accent was strong, but the hairspray keeping up her teased tresses was stronger.

Marisa Tomei’s 1993 win for best supporting actress in My Cousin Vinny was so surprising, many believed presenter Jack Palance had actually read out the wrong name.

When Tomei, a relative newcomer, beat the likes of Judy Davis, Joan Plowright and Vanessa Redgrave, conspiracy theorists started a campaign implying the Academy covered up the mistake as it didn’t want to cause a scene.

Nearly two decades later, we learned that the Academy doesn’t have a problem with causing a scene through issuing a correction.

The La La Land/Moonlight kerfuffle

In a moment few are likely to forget, presenters Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty read out the wrong winner, La La Land, for the 2017 best picture award.

With the La La Land cast and crew celebrating in their acceptance speech, officials hijacked the stage to explain the mistake.

“Guys, I’m sorry, no, there’s a mistake. Moonlight, you guys won best picture,” producer Jordan Horowitz said.

Later, Beatty explained that he had been handed the card for the previous award for best actress.

“I want to tell you what happened. I opened the envelope, and it said Emma Stone, La La Land. That’s why I took such a long look at Faye, and at you [the audience], I wasn’t trying to be funny.”

Stay informed, daily
A FREE subscription to The New Daily arrives every morning and evening.
The New Daily is a trusted source of national news and information and is provided free for all Australians. Read our editorial charter
Copyright © 2024 The New Daily.
All rights reserved.