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UNIT 1 The Oscar Statuette 1. Industry insiders and members of the press called the award the Academy statuette, the golden trophy or the statue of merit, but the term never stuck. 2. No hard evidence exists to support that tale, but in any case, by the sixth Awards Presentation in 1934, a Hollywood columnist used the name in his column. 3. Walt Disney was honored with one full-size and seven miniature statuettes on behalf of his animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. 4. If the statuettes dont meet strict quality control standards, they are immediately cut in half and melted down. 5. The large boxes are shipped to the Academy offices via air express, with no identifiable markings. The Oscar statuette, designed by MGMs* chief art director Cedric Gibbons, depicts a knight holding a crusaders* sword, standing on a reel of film with five spokes, signifying the original branches of the Academy: Actors, Writers, Directors, Producers, and Technicians. Born in 1928, years would pass before the Academy Award of Merit was officially named Oscar. Industry insiders and members of the press called the award the Academy statuette, the golden trophy or the statue of merit. The entertainment trade paper, Weekly Variety, even attempted to popularize the iron man. The term never stuck. A popular story has been that an Academy librarian and eventual executive director, Margaret Herrick, thought the statuette resembled her uncle Oscar and said so, and that as a result the Academy staff began referring to it as Oscar. No hard evidence exists to support that tale, but in any case, by the sixth Awards Presentation in 1934, Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky used the name in his column in reference to Katharine Hepburns first Best Actress win. The Academy itself didnt use the nickname officially until 1939. Since its conception, the Oscar statuette has met exacting uniform standards - with a few notable exceptions. In the 1930s, juvenile players received miniature re