Showbiz History: Oscared Siblings and Tilda's Sensuality

Six random things that happened on this day, November 5th, in showbiz history

Douglas Shearer and his baby sister Norma

1930 The third Oscars were held (yes, the Oscars were in Novembers for three years early in their history. The masterful anti-war picture All Quiet on the Western Front  took Best Picture. The First Lady of MGM, Norma Shearer won Best Actress (The Divorcée) but, get this, her big brother Douglas won Best Sound Recording for her Best Picture rival (The Big House) making them the first sibling pair to win Oscars. 15 more pairs of siblings have followed them to win Oscars. They are, in rough chronological order...

THE ONLY SIBLINGS TO BOTH WIN OSCARS

1. Douglas Shearer (Sound) and Norma Shearer (Actress) ...the only siblings to win Oscars on the same night but not together
2. Julius J and Phlip G Epstein (Adapted Screenplay)... the first siblings to win together and for no less a film than Casablanca!
3. Joan Fontaine (Actress) and Olivia de Havilland (Actress)
4. Lionel Barrymore (Actor) and Ethel Barrymore (Supporting Actress)
5. Herman Mankiewicz (Screenplay) and Joseph Mankiewicz (Director/Screenplay)... Gary Oldman and Tom Pelphrey will be playing them in David Fincher's Mank coming December 4th to Netflix
6. Denis & Terry Sanders (Best Short) ... The only siblings to win together and then later win separately! (both in Documentary)
7. Richard & Robert Sherman (Score and Song)
8. Alfred Newman (Score) and Lionel Newman (Score)
9. James Goldman (Adapted Screenplay) and William Goldman (Original Screenplay)
10. Warren Beatty (Director) and Shirley Maclaine (Actress) 
11. Jay Boekelheide (Sound) and Todd Boekelheide (Sound Editing)
12. Christoph and Wolfgang Lauenstein (Animated Short)
13. Paul Sylbert (Production Design) and Richard Sylbert (Production Design)
14. Joel & Ethan Coen (Director, Picture, Screenplay, Adapted Screenplay)
15. Neil Corbould (Visual Effects) and Chris Courbould (Visual Effects)
16. Ben Affleck (Screenplay/Picture) and Casey Affleck (Actor)

1956 "The Nat King Cole" show begins airing on NBC. It wad the first variety show hosted by an African-American and it ran for three seasons

1971 Movie musical adaptation Fiddler on the Roof begins its theatrical run in Los Angeles. It will be nominated for 8 Oscars including Best Picture. This summer MGM announces that it's being remade with Thomas Kail (Fosse/Verdon) directing. 

1987 Stephen Sondheim's arguably most popular show Into the Woods opens on Broadway. At the following summer's Tony Awards it would win Best Book and Best Score and Best Actress (Joanna Gleason) but tragically lose Best Musical to Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera. So it's his fault then?

1999 It's opening day in theaters for serial killer drama The Bone Collector starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, the romantic comedy The Bachelor starring Chris O'Donnell and Renée Zellweger, and the future Oscar nominated drama The Insider.

2021 Both Baz Luhrmann's Elvis and Marvel's superhero group film Eternals are due in theaters on this day next year. 

Today's Birthday Suit
Happy 60th today to one of the most inimitable movie stars of all time, Tilda Swinton. Something that's not talked about enough is how sensual her filmography is. So many sexy and strange movies for adults: Only Lovers Left Alive, I Am Love, A Bigger Splash, Young Adam, The Deep End, Female Perversions, Orlando...

Only Lovers Left AliveA Bigger SplashI Am Love

Other actors celebrating birthdays today: Zak Henri (26), Danube Hermosillo (28), Han Ji-min (38), Javier Pereira (39), Sam Page (44), Keala Settle (45), Kim Young-min (49), Sam Rockwell (52), Judy Reyes (53), Famke Janssen (56), Tatum O'Neal (57), Mo Gaffney (62), Robert Patrick (62), and Elke Sommer (80); Other showbiz types with birthdays today: Singer Ryan Adams (46), Composer Jonny Greenwood (49), Broadway's original Annie Andrea McArdle (57), Rock star Bryan Adams (61), Cinematographer Tobias A Schleissler (62), Singer Art Garfunkel (79); Gone but not forgoteen: Gilligan Island's Mrs Howell Natalie Schafer born on this day in 1900, Actor Joel Mcrea (The Most Dangerous Game, Sullivan's Travel) born on this day in 1905, Singing cowboy Roy Rogers born on this day in 1911,  Two time Oscar winner Viven Leigh (Gone With the Wind, A Streetcar Named Desire) born on this day in 1913, Actor/Playwright Sam Shepard (The Right Stuff, Baby Boom) born on this day in 1943, Ballroom legend Pepper LaBeija (Paris is Burning) born on this day in 1948, TV star Jon-Erik Hexum (Voyagers, Cover Up) born on this day in 1957

Comments

[Rama]

William Goldman also won for Adapted Screenplay

[cb]

A perfect post for my birthday. Thank you, Nathaniel!!

[/3rtful]

Sexuality doesn't seem to be the public and professional allure of Swinton. And a European art house muse doing sexually provocative material alongside nudity seems par the course for that lane of film making.

[Cash]

Another remake! The original film of Fiddler on the Roof was great. Why are they making another? Thomas Mail is undoubtedly talented, but why? (See also: West Side Story, Spielberg)

[joel6]

I'd cry nepotism for Douglas Shearer but though he might have gotten in to MGM because of Norma he certainly proved himself once there. His name is everywhere throughout decades of Metro movies and I know he was widely respected.

I saw Into the Woods on its original run. Bernadette had left, Phylicia Rashad had taken over for her very ably but Joanna Gleason was still there. It was wonderful! One of the best most enjoyable nights I ever spent in a theatre.

[markgordonuk]

Can we talk about how Plummer missed the 99 supporting actor line up.

[Manuel]

Plummer was excellent in The Insider! It is still so strange to me that he missed out that year

[NATHANIEL R]

mark & manuel -- one of the weirdest snubs ever.

joel6 -- his career was so much longer than hers, too! He won tons of Oscars.

[Working stiff]

@ joel6 & Nathaniel

Douglas Shearer's start at MGM may have been helped by a touch of nepotism, but as a crucial innovator in the use of sound at MGM he was partly responsible for his sister's career surviving the transition from silent films and lasting as long as it did.