UCLA

The Academy Awards are an internationally recognized symbol and one of the top global achievements in filmmaking. Every year, movies are released with the hope of awards consideration; an annual bombardment of advertisements, punditry, and PR campaigns, all designed to encourage ticket sales and success at the ceremony. This dissertation examines the development of this Hollywood institution, exploring the first twenty-five years of the event from 1929 to 1953. During this period, the Oscars became the first award to combine the act of prizegiving with the yield and reach of popular culture that over time came to influence a global system of awards. Each chapter tracks the growth of the prize in both public and industrial life, exploring its beginnings as a private party for insiders through to its first national television broadcasts starting in 1953. Focused on issues of creative labor and public relations, it examines how the Oscars were designed to celebrate the accomplishments of the industrial workers in the studio system. At the same time, it showcases how the event served as a powerful marketing tool that emerged into a night of pageantry, stardom, and glamour that has long grabbed and maintained the national interest. However, beyond identifying the socio-economic and cultural structures that define the Oscars, this research articulates how the achievements have exacerbated systemic inequality and discriminatory practices in the American film industry. Focusing on gender, race, and class, it argues that the Oscars have helped to exclude and limit opportunity in filmmaking. Ultimately, this dissertation identifies the root of these roles in industrial PR ventures and career advancement, while further articulating the barriers built by this system of prestige.