The Oscars

Indefatigable Hollywood last week put on its 20th annual Academy Award ceremony. As usual, there was the most brilliant possible fanfare, and very little happened that was surprising.

Keynoter Jean Hersholt rose to announce that "We are sentimental people. . . ." But the 6,000-odd movie colonists assembled in Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium gave only one sign of out-&-out sentiment during the whole evening. That was a cheery huzzah for cheery Edmund Gwenn, who won an Oscar as the best supporting actor for his very human, slightly balmy Santa Claus in Miracle on 34th Street. Celeste Holm was named the best supporting actress for her acid other-womanizing in Gentleman's Agreement.

To nobody's surprise, Gentleman's Agreement was named the year's best picture. It also won Elia Kazan an Oscar for his direction. In accepting the Oscar for the film, 20th Century-Fox's long-memoried Darryl Zanuck firmly reminded everyone: "This makes up for an earlier disappointment . . . still a picture of which I am proud, Wilson."

To nobody's displeasure, Ronald Colman was Oscared as the year's best actor for his portrayal of an actor divided against himself in A Double Life.

With good grace, the Academy allowed a little credit where a lot was due--to European films. Britain's Great Expectations and

Black Narcissus (in color) carried off three minor prizes apiece (for art, set and camera direction); a special Oscar went to Italy's magnificent Shoeshine.

Like a dying whale, the monster Academy shindig saved its mightiest thrash for last: to everyone's astonishment, Loretta Young was named (over Competitors Rosalind Russell, Joan Crawford, Dorothy McGuire, Susan Hayward) the year's best cinemactress for her blonde-braided lady-politicking in The Farmer's Daughter. Gurgled Loretta, who had never been

Oscared in all her 21 years in the movies: "At long last." The audience echoed her with a multitudinous sigh of relief, and shortly went home.

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