Saturday, August 29, 2026

Question: The very first Academy Awards ceremony, held at a Hollywood hotel in 1929, looked nothing like today’s hours-long telecast. About how long did that first Oscars ceremony last?

Answer: About 15 minutes. Held in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, it was a private dinner for roughly 270 guests who paid $5 a ticket. The winners had been announced three months earlier, so Academy President Douglas Fairbanks presented the awards.