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Oscar: the golden mystery man turns 75
( 2002-03-24 12:12 ) (7 )

The gold prize the world knows as Oscar, officially named the Academy Award of Merit, turns 75 years old this year, but the origin of his name remains lost in time.

Oscar is the child of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which was created in May 1927 to promote films. The academy began with 36 members with the actor Douglas Fairbanks as its first president.

The Academy created the golden trophy to honor performances by the industry's leading actors, actresses and directors, eventually expanding to categories not even envisioned in 1927.

George Stanley was selected to design the statuette -- the figure of a knight standing on a reel of film, hands gripping a sword. The Academy's world-renowned statuette was born.

Since the first awards ceremony in 1928 nearly 3,000 of the trophies have been handed out.

The early editions of the statues were bronze, but during the World War II's metals shortage, the trophies were made of plaster. Those were later redeemed for the now gold-plated ones.

The trophy wasn't always called an Oscar, nor was it always so tall or heavy. The knight now stands 34 centimeters (13.5 inches) tall and weighs 3.85 kilos (8.5 pounds).

The origin of the statuette's name is unclear. Legend has it that Academy librarian and eventual executive director Margaret Herrick thought it resembled her Uncle Oscar and said so. Her staff began referring to it as Oscar.

Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky used the name in a 1934 column in referring to Katherine Hepburn's first best actress win. The Academy itself didn't use the nickname officially until 1939.

At the first awards ceremony, which lasted just 15 minutes, there were only 15 statues handed out. On Monday, Oscars will be handed out in 24 categories as the fields of achievement expanded into areas such as special effects.

Carried initially by radio, the Academy Awards were first televised in 1953 in black and white, making the jump to color in 1966. This year, the ceremony will also be carried on the Internet.

The highly anticipated invitation-only awards ceremony, which is watched worldwide, goes on no matter what, though on rare occasion the broadcast has been delayed.

Ceremonies were delayed in 1938 because of heavy flooding, in 1968 after the assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, and in 1981 after assassination attempt on one-time actor and then president Ronald Reagan.