The 34 Most Outrageous, Scandalous, And Memorable Moments In Oscars History

Controversies started early in Oscar history. In the fifth-ever ceremony, screenwriter Dudley Nichols (above right) turned down the award he won for The Informer. The Screen Writers Guild was still new in Hollywood and studios were trying to prevent unionization. To promote their cause, the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild asked members to boycott the ceremony. While most stars showed up for Oscar night, Nichols stuck to the boycott and skipped the ceremony. A few years later he was elected head of the guild.

Years before CGI and hologram technology made this kind of stunt a cinch, the Oscars had Donald Duck host a portion of the show. The animated character appeared on film and interacted with the show's other hosts—Bob Hope, Jack Lemmon, David Niven, Rosalind Russell, and James Stewart. No word on whether Donald had to wear trousers for the occasion.

Elizabeth Taylor was used to being the center of Hollywood gossip, but she was in the eye of a scandalous hurricane after her affair with Eddie Fisher came to light. Fisher was married to America's sweetheart, Debbie Reynolds, at the time and Hollywood's denizens were clutching their pearls in horror. When Taylor took the role of a high-class call girl in Butterfield 8, costarring with Fisher, it raised even more eyebrows. Taylor garnered sympathy, though, when she wound up gravely ill with pneumonia. She went on to win her lone Oscar for her work in the film, arriving at the ceremony frail and gasping for breath.

Oscar voters awarded Sidney Poitier's powerful performance in Lilies of the Field with the Best Actor Oscar, in a packed field that included Rex Harrison (Cleopatra) and Paul Newman (Hud). Poitier was the first black man to win in the Best Actor category, and in his acceptance speech he noted that it was "a long journey to this moment." Frustratingly, when Anne Bancroft gave Poitier a peck on the cheek while handing him the award, racists got all riled up. It would be another 38 years before another black man won the Best Actor prize—Denzel Washington took the award in 2001 for Training Day.

George C. Scott wasn't known for messing around, so when he told the Academy that he wasn't coming to their awards show, he meant it. "The ceremonies are a two-hour meat parade, a public display with contrived suspense for economic reasons," George C. Scott "harrumphed to the press," according to the Los Angeles Times, and he had no intention of being involved. Scott couldn't prevent himself from being nominated, though, and he couldn't stop Oscar voters from admiring his work in Patton. He won for Best Actor, but when his name was called ("Oh my god," said presenter Goldie Hawn, when she realized what was going to happen), he was far, far from Hollywood and all its hoopla. Patton producer Frank McCarthy accepted the award instead.

Marlon Brando was awarded Best Actor for his role in The Godfather. So when Native American actress and activist Sacheen Littlefeather stepped onto the Academy Awards stage instead, it was a huge surprise. But what she had to say was even more astonishing. "I'm representing Marlon Brando this evening," said Littlefeather, "and he has asked me to tell you...that he very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award, the reasons for this being the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry." Her speech was greeted by a mixture of booing and applause; Littlefeather later said, "John Wayne was in the wings, ready to have me taken off stage. "

Just as actor David Niven was about to introduce Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Opel streaked across the stage in his birthday suit. Niven barely blinked before coolly responding, "Isn't it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?" Perhaps more shocking than the streaking is the fact that Opel wasn't arrested or even kicked out of the show. In fact, he held a press conference, telling reporters: "People shouldn't be ashamed of being nude in public. Besides, it is a hell of a way to launch a career."

Cher always knows how to make a statement, so when her very serious performance in Mask was overlooked by the Academy, she took to the red carpet in an outfit that ensured she could not be overlooked again. She wore a jaw-dropping black beaded outfit with matching feather headpiece, created by her frequent design collaborator Bob Mackie. When asked about her outré ensemble, she famously said, "As you can see, I did receive my Academy booklet on how to dress like a serious actress." She's not only a fashion icon, but a shade icon, too.

How do you tick off Mary Poppins herself? Have Rob Lowe sing a riff on "Proud Mary" with Snow White, apparently. At the 61st Academy Awards, Rob Lowe took the stage with Snow White (played by Eileen Bowman) and performed a 15-minute off-key and off-target sketch that will live in Oscar infamy. Not only did the New York Times write that the bit had earned "a permanent place in the annals of Oscar embarrassments," but the show was sued by Disney, and 17 celebrities, including Paul Newman, Gregory Peck, Billy Wilder, and Julie Andrews (yes, Mary Poppins), all wrote a letter calling the performance "an embarrassment to both the Academy and the entire picture industry." It's easier to find videos of Bigfoot than of this routine online.

When Jack Palance won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in City Slickers he used the opportunity to make a point about ageism in Hollywood. He said that directors were always hesitant to cast men of his age, as they weren't sure what they could or could not do. To prove that he was capable of almost anything, he dropped to the stage for some one-armed push-ups. That'll do it.

Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, and Richard Gere used their place on the Oscars stage to speak out about political causes dear to their hearts. (Sarandon and Robbins spoke out about the treatment of HIV-positive Haitians, while Richard Gere denounced China's invasion of Tibet.) The uproar over their politicization of the Academy Awards caused all three of them to be banned for life from the show. That ban disappeared, though, when Sarandon won Best Actress in 1996 for Dead Man Walking, followed by Robbins' win for Best Supporting Actor in 2004 for Mystic River. No word on whether Richard Gere's ban has also been mysteriously lifted....

In one of the greatest upsets in Oscar history, the historical rom-com that starred Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes (the latter as the Bard himself) somehow beat Steven Spielberg's wartime epic Saving Private Ryan for Best Picture. Spielberg didn't go home empty-handed, though: He was named Best Director.

Italian actor-director Benigni took home Best Foreign Language Film for his work in the heartbreaking Life Is Beautiful. He earned it, too, for making a movie about the Holocaust that was somehow also laugh-out-loud funny. Benigni was so excited when Sophia Loren announced him as the winner that (with a little assist from Steven Spielberg) he stood on top of his chair and waved his hands in pure joy. He then climbed over chairs (and the people sitting in them) before hopping up the aisle toward the stage.