“1954 was a big
year in the movie
business. That’s
the year that
Twentieth Century
Fox lost Marilyn
Monroe. Darryl
Zanick stamped his
foot so hard they
struck oil.”
— BOB HOPE, 1955
on the famous studio
executive and then head of
Twentieth Century Fox.
v
o
i
c
e
“you know me. i’m
just the man who
came to dinner.
really i think this
is a wonderful
thing, a benefit
like this for
david selznick.”
— BOB HOPE, 1940
on the producer best known
for films like Gone with the
Wind and Rebecca. At the
time of these Oscars, he had
two films out.
s
quoted
“Cecil B. Demille is
about to make The Ten
Commandments. Two
of them he couldn’t get
by the Breen office.”
— BOB HOPE, 1955
When Joseph Breen took
over the Motion Picture
Production Code, films
were much more rigorously
censored than before.
“There’s a special
award for bravery
for the producer
who made a picture
without Grace Kelly.”
— BOB HOPE, 1955
Grace Kelly had three big
films out in 1954: Rear
Window, Dial M for Murder,
and The Country Girl.
‘‘
BOB HOPE: BURT, DO YOU WANT
ME TO STICK AROUND AND HELP
YOU TEAR OPEN THE ENVELOPE?
BURT LANCASTER: YOU
COULD SLIT IT OPEN.
BOB HOPE: LET’S NOT HAVE ANY
NOSE JOKES THIS FAR DOWN INTO
THE SHOW.
—1962
‘‘
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES (MONROE); ABC PHOTO ARCHIVES/ABC VIA GETTY
IMAGES; MICHAEL OCHS ARCHIVES/GETTY IMAGES; AP PHOTO; ABC PHOTO ARCHIVES/ABC VIA GETTY IMAGES
THE OSCAR ISSUE / HUFFINGTON / 02.10-17.13