Danette Herman was one of the key staff members of the Academy Awards ceremonies from the 1970s into the 2010s, beginning as a production assistant and rising through the ranks to become the show’s executive in charge of talent and coordinating producer. One of the few women to serve in key positions at the Oscars, she was with the show during the years of its highest ratings and largest cultural impact.
As the Academy prepares for the 95th Oscars ceremony, Herman asked TheWrap if she could share some memories of past shows, from an encounter with Katharine Hepburn in 1974 to a pair of anniversary shows in which she assembled historic groups of past winners. —Steve Pond
Congratulations to the Academy on 95 years of the Academy Awards. Almost 40 of those years are my history, also.
It began in April 1968 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The 40th Academy Awards were hosted by Bob Hope,...
As the Academy prepares for the 95th Oscars ceremony, Herman asked TheWrap if she could share some memories of past shows, from an encounter with Katharine Hepburn in 1974 to a pair of anniversary shows in which she assembled historic groups of past winners. —Steve Pond
Congratulations to the Academy on 95 years of the Academy Awards. Almost 40 of those years are my history, also.
It began in April 1968 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The 40th Academy Awards were hosted by Bob Hope,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Danette Herman
- The Wrap
Still one of Tracy and Hepburn’s best, this follow-up to Adam’s Rib works on all levels. It rings the feminist rights gong just hard enough, and drums the notion that women deserve a chance to achieve their potential without sex discrimination getting in the way. Katharine Hepburn is at her most attractive when being athletic. Some fine star-making supporting action adds to the fun, especially the contribution of a young Aldo Ray.
Pat and Mike
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1952 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 95 min. / Street Date August 25, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Aldo Ray, William Ching, Sammy White, George Mathews, Gussie Moran, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Don Budge, Alice Marble, Frank Andrew Parker, Betty Hicks, Beverly Hanson, Helen Dettweiler, Loring Smith, Phyllis Povah, Charles Bronson, Frank Richards, Jim Backus, Chuck Connors, Joseph E. Bernard, Owen McGiveney, Lou Lubin, Carl ‘Alfalfa’ Switzer, William Self, Frankie Darro.
Pat and Mike
Blu-ray
Warner Archive Collection
1952 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 95 min. / Street Date August 25, 2020 / available through the WBshop / 21.99
Starring: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Aldo Ray, William Ching, Sammy White, George Mathews, Gussie Moran, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, Don Budge, Alice Marble, Frank Andrew Parker, Betty Hicks, Beverly Hanson, Helen Dettweiler, Loring Smith, Phyllis Povah, Charles Bronson, Frank Richards, Jim Backus, Chuck Connors, Joseph E. Bernard, Owen McGiveney, Lou Lubin, Carl ‘Alfalfa’ Switzer, William Self, Frankie Darro.
- 8/11/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Katharine Hepburn would’ve celebrated her 112th birthday on May 12, 2019. With four Oscars victories in Best Actress, Hepburn holds the record for the most wins by any performer, but how many of her titles remain classics? In honor of her birthday, let’s take a look back at 20 of her greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1907, Hepburn got her start on the stage before setting her sights on Hollywood, winning her first Oscar for playing an aspiring Broadway star in “Morning Glory” (1933). Despite this early success, Hepburn found herself labeled “box office poison” after a series of flops throughout the decade. She returned to theater with “The Philadelphia Story,” and the 1940 film version provided her with a big screen comeback from which she never faltered.
SEEOscar Best Actress Gallery: Every Winner in Academy Award History
It took 34 years before Hepburn won her second Oscar for the interracial marriage...
Born in 1907, Hepburn got her start on the stage before setting her sights on Hollywood, winning her first Oscar for playing an aspiring Broadway star in “Morning Glory” (1933). Despite this early success, Hepburn found herself labeled “box office poison” after a series of flops throughout the decade. She returned to theater with “The Philadelphia Story,” and the 1940 film version provided her with a big screen comeback from which she never faltered.
SEEOscar Best Actress Gallery: Every Winner in Academy Award History
It took 34 years before Hepburn won her second Oscar for the interracial marriage...
- 5/12/2019
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Katharine Hepburn would’ve celebrated her 112th birthday on May 12, 2019. With four Oscars victories in Best Actress, Hepburn holds the record for the most wins by any performer, but how many of her titles remain classics? In honor of her birthday, let’s take a look back at 20 of her greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1907, Hepburn got her start on the stage before setting her sights on Hollywood, winning her first Oscar for playing an aspiring Broadway star in “Morning Glory” (1933). Despite this early success, Hepburn found herself labeled “box office poison” after a series of flops throughout the decade. She returned to theater with “The Philadelphia Story,” and the 1940 film version provided her with a big screen comeback from which she never faltered.
It took 34 years before Hepburn won her second Oscar for the interracial marriage message movie “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” (1967), the last...
Born in 1907, Hepburn got her start on the stage before setting her sights on Hollywood, winning her first Oscar for playing an aspiring Broadway star in “Morning Glory” (1933). Despite this early success, Hepburn found herself labeled “box office poison” after a series of flops throughout the decade. She returned to theater with “The Philadelphia Story,” and the 1940 film version provided her with a big screen comeback from which she never faltered.
It took 34 years before Hepburn won her second Oscar for the interracial marriage message movie “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?” (1967), the last...
- 5/12/2019
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
I was three years old in 1974. I’m giving away my age, but I love the fact that I can remember the 1970s and 1980s. The classic film stars who many young people today don’t recognize were still popping up on award and variety shows. One such very memorable occasion was the 1974 Academy Awards telecast. Granted I was too young to remember this awards show, and it would be another decade before my passion for movies took hold. However, it is one of the ceremonies that has multiple special moments that are still discussed on this anniversary 45 years later. And it took place during an era when over-the-top, cheesy broadcasts were in full bloom. This particular ceremony provided the only appearance by Katharine Hepburn at the Oscars, the youngest Oscar winner ever, an odd quartet of hosts with an opening musical by Liza Minnelli and a very shocking but amusing “visitor.
- 2/5/2019
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
Liz Taylor scorches the screen (as least as much as it could be scorched in 1958) in a watered-down yet still potent Tennessee Williams adaptation. Paul Newman gets his Brando act together, and the rest of the show is stolen by 'Big Daddy' Burl Ives. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof Blu-ray Warner Archive Collection 1958 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 105 min. / Street Date August 9, 2016 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives, Jack Carson. Judith Anderson, Madeleine Sherwood, Larry Gates, Vaughn Taylor. Cinematography William Daniels Film Editor Ferris Webster Written by Richard Brooks, James Poe from the play by Tennessee Williams Produced by Lawrence Weingarten Directed by Richard Brooks
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof might have been the big Oscar winner in 1959 if it were not for Gigi, another major MGM production. In other hands, with different stars in the lead roles, the show could...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof might have been the big Oscar winner in 1959 if it were not for Gigi, another major MGM production. In other hands, with different stars in the lead roles, the show could...
- 8/2/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The Oscars sum up Hollywood quite tidily: The most popular people get together to find out who has been selected as being especially notable, and then everyone claps. If you're the type who likes attention - and let's face it, most who excel in Hollywood do - getting that moment onstage is a dream come true. Every now and then, however, an Oscar winner isn't present to receive his or her statuette. It's Hollywood heresy - the thought that someone would have somewhere more important to be than onstage, receiving applause. But it happens, and when it does, there's usually a good story behind it.
- 2/23/2015
- by Drew Mackie, @drewgmackie
- PEOPLE.com
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