Little Orphan Oscar

The warning was sounded last fortnight at the annual handing-out of Oscars (TIME, April 4), but no one paid much attention. Jean Hersholt, retiring as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, told the audience: "There have been voices in the industry raised against the academy. [They] say . . . 'We don't want academy standards foisted upon us. We want to make commercial pictures unhampered by considerations of artistic excellence.' "

It turned out that Actor Hersholt was not just orating. Last week he announced that the major studios, prodded by their New York headquarters, were withdrawing their financial support from the Oscar derby, one of Hollywood's best publicity-getters since 1928. Said Hersholt: "They say it wouldn't take so long to make a movie if the actors, directors, writers and technicians weren't so concerned with making it artistic and winning awards." Even this year's Oscars, Hersholt conceded, were not supported by three companies--Columbia, Republic and Universal-International (which released the top prizewinner, the British-made Hamlet).

After a flurry of protestations and denials in Hollywood, the Eastern home offices of the five big studios (MGM, Paramount, Warner Bros., 20th Century-Fox, RKO Radio) put out a confirmation and a pious explanation. Their decision to let Oscar fend for himself, they said, was not "commercialistic," but "in the interests of less commercialization . . . The companies should not be in the position where they can be accused of subsidizing an artistic and cultural forum. In fact, they so have been accused often in the past."

Withdrawal of support did not mean that the studios would stop lobbying for their own pictures. And, as Hersholt quickly pointed out, an Oscar was not just an artistic laurel but a box-office lure as well. At week's end, apparently reconciled to the latest twist of the tightened Hollywood economy, the academy's board of governors decided that the money would have to be scraped up somewhere else, but the Oscars would carry on.

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