Frank Capra: Lady for a DayFrank Capra's successful, sentimental comedy Lady for a Day catapulted him into the top rank of Hollywood filmmakers. So sure was he of winning the best director Oscar that Capra rented a mansion in Beverly Hills, wrote thank-you notes and speeches, and bought an expensive tuxedo for the evening.
Soon enough, Oscar night arrived and host Will Rogers, arriving at the Best Director category, opened the envelope and began a rambling speech about a young man who had slowly risen from the bottom of the business. At last he made his much-anticipated announcement: "Come on up and get it, Frank!"
Capra stood triumphantly and made his way to the stage. As he reached the stairs, however, he was mortified to realize that the winner was in fact a different Frank: Cavalcade director Frank Lloyd!
[Capra was so embarrassed that he vowed never to attend the Oscars again - a vow which he broke the following year, when It Happened One Night became the first film in history to win all five major Oscars.]
Capra, Frank (1897-1991) Italian-born American director, President of the Screen Directors Guild (1939-1941), President of the Directors Guild of America (DGA, 1960-1961) [noted for his collaboration with screenwriter Robert Riskin, with whom Capra developed the little-guy-bucks-the-system theme (later dubbed "Capra-corn") evidenced in such
films as
Lady for a Day (1933),
It Happened One Night (1934, Oscars),
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936, Director Oscar),
You Can't Take It With You (1938, Oscars),
It's a Wonderful Life (1946); and for his autobiography,
The Name Above the Title (1971)]
[Sources: Carol Amende,
If You Don't Have Anything Nice to Say... Come Sit Next to Me; eonline.com, 75 Days of Oscars]More Frank Capra anecdotesRelated Anecdote Keywords:
Embarrassment Awkward Moments Film Movies Directing Introductions Surprises Academy Awards Oscars Awards Assumptions Losers Vanity Coincidences
View/add Comments [0]
