Who dubbed the Academy Award 'Oscar' after her husband's bottom?

Brainy Blonde

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 Hepburn's first Best Actress win. The Academy itself didn't use the nickname officially until 1939. See: http://www.oscar.com/legacy/statuette2.html Apr 01 02, 8:41 PM

Gatsby722

This is one of those questions that has more legends than known answers but, from what I've read, Bette Davis dubbed Oscar 'Oscar'. But no one seems to really know for sure. Apr 01 02, 10:22 PM

Brainy Blonde

So, how did the statue come to be known as 'Oscar'? No one can be certain as there are three claimants to the distinction of so naming the statuette. Bette Davis is credited with naming it after her first husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson, Jr. Another story has it that a librarian at the Academy by the name of Margaret Herrick said that the statue reminded her of her uncle Oscar. Whoever it was who gave the Oscar its name, the title certainly stuck. Today the entire Awards ceremony is known simply as 'The Oscars'. See: http://wiwi.essortment.com/historyacademy_refm.htm Apr 01 02, 10:33 PM