Behind the Oscar: The Secret History of the Academy Awards

Holden ( Prince Charles ) covers each of the award ceremonies in rich detail, from the first Oscar dinner in 1929 to the orgy of self-congratulation in 1991. Devotees of Oscar trivia will be interested to learn how the statuettes are made, the security measures that insure the secrecy of winners' names--and a plethora of other tidbits. The book is marvelously entertaining, but it is also a serious and comprehensive inquiry into what the Academy Awards have represented to the movie industry and the public for more than six decades. Holden explains how the winners are chosen and how the ``sympathy vote'' evolved, and he gives examples of studios' and actors' attempts to influence the voting--such as John Wayne's ``all-time shameless Oscar campaign'' on behalf of The Alamo . He discusses the correlation between the awards and box-office receipts, and reviews the controversies, scandals and hallowed moments that have helped make Oscar Night a night to remember. Photos. (Mar.)