Readers may recall the evening, in 1973, when Marlon Brando declined to accept, in person, his Oscar for The Godfather and sent instead a winsome half-Native-American woman (stage name: Sacheen Littlefeather), who proceeded to deliver a Brando-certified speech about the film industry’s ill-treatment of Indians. The incident had two long-term effects: It prompted the academy to ban surrogate recipients for Oscar winners; and it established a tradition of political diatribes delivered by celebrities at televised award ceremonies.
For that reason, The Scrapbook is disinclined to comment about Meryl Streep’s recent sermon on Donald Trump at the Golden Globes. First, our respect for the integrity of the post-Pia Zadora Golden Globes is too great to lure us into public criticism; and second, there are altogether too many such cringe-inducing moments—at the Oscars, Emmys, Tonys, etc.—in the history of award shows to choose from. We prefer to look to the future.
The Oscar nominations are coming this week, and the Academy Awards ceremony will be shown on television in late February. We can’t predict if any of the likely winners—La La Land, Moonlight, Manchester by the Sea, Fences—will inspire left-wing oratory from their lead players and producers. But in our view, there is an opening here for less-exalted honorees to smash the professional glass ceiling and earn lifetime employment in movies and television.
Imagine the media sensation if the Best Costume Design winner took advantage of her or his 60 seconds on air to make fun of Melania Trump’s wardrobe! Think of the op-ed essays if the winner of the Best Sound Mixing Oscar reminds us (more in sorrow than anger) of the horrifying effects of Donald Trump’s voice when heard overseas! Indeed, with Trump in the White House and Hollywood in high dudgeon, the sky’s the limit. And the acceptance speech from this year’s winner in the Best Makeup and Hairstyling category practically writes itself: “Your orange bouffant masks a brain powdered in bigotry and sexism,” he or she will declare to the cameras, “and no amount of lipstick can make anything you say sound pretty.” Cue the walking music.
