Melvyn Douglas presenting an Honorary Oscar® to Lillian Gish for superlative artistry and for distinguished contribution to the progress of motion pictures, at the 43rd Academy Awards® in 1971.
You can tell class. Apparently, not today, however. Look what the "intellectuals" at Bowling Green State have done to her and her sister! Nothing but LITTLE people, all of them!
Just fancy that: Mrs. Gish was such a lovely person that, almost 100 years old, she sat down, cut out a private photo, stuck it on a piece of paper and signed it and sent it to me. That was in late 1992, shortly before her death. This is deeply touching and of absolute idealistic value! R.I.P. dear Mrs. Gish. You have immortalized yourself in my heart! ❤🌼🌹🌻🥀🌺
One of the most beautiful women to ever grace the screen from beginning to end. Every movie that she appeared in was made so much better because of her presence.
And such close friends during their early careers! I say that if Mary had lived longer, and if the film had been made a bit earlier, it would have been so special to see Lillian and Mary in The Whales of August. Bette Davis, was, however, iconic as always.
@@mike856ms you uncultured swine. That's a damn quote from Sunset Blvd. WTF you mean a snarky comment? Not my fault you don't get old Hollywood references.
@@aaronmccutcheon that's not true. A LOT of old classic Hollywood stars both male and female had plastic surgery and Miss Swanson is no exception. Nobody ages like that just naturally. Come on you should know better. Just like everything when it comes to classic Hollywood the stories they came up about them was to make them seem more than human. So basically these people were purposely mythazided and pretending they all look flawless with absolutely no help is was and is part of the myth. But it's just a flat out lie.
I've always loved the movies. When I found out that Ms. Gish was starring in a film "The Whales of August" (1987 - her last), I made sure I went to see it. She was in her 90s when she made it, and she didn't disappoint. What a lucky man I was that evening! RIP Ms. Gish.
Do you look like she did when she was your age? If you look "half as good" as she did (which is likely,) then you are probably on track to gain your wish!
It’s worth noting that it was Lillian Gish and Helen Hayes who convinced their close friend Mary Pickford not to destroy Pickford’s films after her death. We credit Gish with preserving this early pioneer of film and enabling future generations to enjoy Mary Pickford’s masterpieces.
I believe there were Close friends before they BOTH became famous in a anecdote when the gish sisters were watching movie they were shocked to see Mary in the film
I still get goosebumps when I think about the scene where Rachel is inside singing, "Leaning on Jesus...leaning on Jesus", and Harry Powell is outside in the dark singing "Leaning...leaning...safe and secure"...etc. That movie is so wonderfully atmospheric...moody...lots of German expressionist film influences.
Lillian deserved the award for Whales of August (or at least a nomination). This was Douglas only Oscar appearance. What a classy, classy Gentleman! The song playing is The Eyes of Love- a Quincy Jones song (he was the Conductor that night). And a well deserved standing ovation. To think on this Oscar night Lillian Gish, Orson Welles and Ingmar Bergman were all honored with special awards. Today we relegate the past greats to a non televised dinner to make way for....
Mary Pickford Lillian Gish Charlie Chaplin Douglas Fairbanks Joan Crawford Mae Marsh Dorothy Gish Mary Miles Minter Buddy Rogers Richard Barthellmes Bessie Love Mabel Normand Fatty Arbuckle Harold Lloyd So Many Talented Star That Will Not Forgotten
Can I just say how extraordinary good Ms. Gish looks for her age here? Can't believe she was actually 78 years old when she accepted her Honorary Oscar!
She was in The Wales of August 1987 at age 94 in a leading role, she was vital, attractive, fun and so interesting and compelling to watch, just adore her. What an actress!
I saw this at the age of 12 on TV. I can say my love affair with the movies began at this very moment. A wonderful life and a charming, talented woman.
Class, beauty, talent, and dogged determination - perhaps my favorite actress of all time: she was remarkable! God Bless you, dear Miss Lillian Gish - and thank YOU for the memories. :-)
What a wonderful person she was. Everyone who hasn't seen "Night of the Hunter," which she is in, just has to see it. I worked with someone who met her, and he told me she was just a delight.
If memory serves, didn't Lillian Gish play a pivotal role in Charles Laughton's film Night Of The Hunter opposite Robert Mitchum ? I believe that she also made The Whales Of August, co-starring with Bette Davis, in one of the latter actresses' last films. A superlative talent.
Lillian deserved to win Supporting Actress for The Night of the Hunter as well. She's one of the greatest actresses of all time. I love her more than words can express!
Yes, she played Rachel Cooper in that movie, which is one of my favorites -- and probably Mitchum's greatest/most memorable performances. It's also hard to believe that Ms. Gish received only one Oscar nomination throughout her long career: as Best Supporting Actress of 1946 for "Duel in the Sun".
Dear Lillian....The Silent Era lasted just over 20 years....and yet produced a host of unique and highly talented actors .........Lillian Gish.....Mary Pickford......Rudolph Valentino.......Douglas Fairbanks......Harold Lloyd.......Gloria Swanson......Roscoe Arbuckle.....Lon Chaney.....Theda Bara......Charles Chaplin.... William S Hart......Harry Langdon.......John Gilbert......Clara Bow......Buster Keaton Mabel Norman.......Tom Mix......Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy......
This is a STAR! There is no one to compare her to except her friend, another great STAR Mary Pickford, these two ladies were the heart and soul of Hollywood, and I am sure they are both doing the same thing in heaven now.
I have been looking forward to this tribute being added to the Oscars You Tube site. Thank you to the Academy for adding it! It is indeed a shame that these tributes have been relegated to the non-televised ceremony. BLNS01 is on to something in having the honorary winners present the top awards. It worked well at the recent Emmys.
Lillian Gish was also a much loved stage actress. She did many New York Broadway and off Broadway plays plus acted in many regional theaters around the U.S. In 1953 she originated the role of Carrie Watts in Horton Foote's original play of The Trip to Bountiful on Broadway and on early American television a year later in 1954 to much critical praise. In 1985 Geraldine Page won a much deserved Academy Award for playing the same role that Lillian Gish did 30 years earlier in the movie version of the play
The debut album of The Smashing Pumpkins, released on May 28, 1991, is entitled Gish in reference to her. Singer Billy Corgan explained in an interview, "My grandmother used to tell me that one of the biggest things that ever happened was when Lillian Gish rode through town on a train, my grandmother lived in the middle of nowhere, so that was a big deal..."
movies wouldn't be what they are today which is sometimes disappointing, without people like Lillian! If you want to see a great silent film, watch anything with Charlie Chaplin, and, The General, based on a true story , with Buster Keaton!
I have to agree about Miss Lillians acceptance speech being the best one ever given, not the longest but says what it has to say without making people bored, although I dont think anyone in Miss Lillians presence could ever be bored, we miss you Miss Lillian you will always be remembered.
I agree with you "Cats Pajamas - that "Night of the Hunter" was one of the best talking film she did. She was so incredibly strong in that role and hard to believe she was older. She was feisty and wonderful in her performance. I hated Robert Mitchum playing the bad guy but that is just one role of so many wonderful ones he did.
I remember seeing The Whales of August in high school back in the 80s and learning that Ms Gish (appearing in this film in the late 80s) had been doing movies since the teens! What an incredible accomplishment! This Oscar acceptance speech by her was flawless! She is an absolute star!
There are several critically acclaimed films from the mid fifties that failed to receive recognition from the Academy Awards, including Hunter, Kazan's A Face In The Crowd and Kubrick's Paths Of Glory.
You're also correct about "Whales of August" in which she starred along with Bette Davis and Ann Sothern (another favorite of mine); the latter also received her only Oscar nomination for Supporting Actress for her performance in that film.
A good film. I think Vincent Price should also have been nominated, but Sothern was the only cast member recognized. Similar thing happened when Mark Wahlberg wound up being the only person from "The Departed" to be nominated.
What a beautiful acceptance speech. Old Hollywood knew how to do it. It's sad these cherished moments are no longer part of the main telecast. The Academy moved the "Honorary Awards" to a separate event a long time ago.
Well, let's face it: these were small films (and people would be amazed by Andy Griffith's performance in "Face") and Hollywood and the Academy were enamored with big-budget, blockbusters, full of Cinemascope, Technicolor, and VistaVision: I mean, really..."The Greatest Show on Earth"?, "Around the World in 80 Days"? 1955's "Marty" was an anomaly. A "small" movie that won, and if I remember correctly, the shortest movie ever to win Best Picture.
And let's not forget Shelley Winters. That scene with her dead underwater, her hair floating upwards like the sea grass. And the the touching final scene with Rachel talking about children, how they "endure" and they "abide". And that wonderful character actress, Evelyn Varden, too! In this and "The Bad Seed"!
Last night I dreamed of living the silent film Era. There was no sound or colors, just black and white. All I remember standing in some park and some breeze
They gave her so much more respect than Mary Pickford. It's sad, because though Lillian had a longer career, Mary did so much for a woman of her time. For anybody, male or female.
That’s not really true - Pickford chose to become a recluse - Gish was still active and a delight to interview. It’s hard to honour someone who more or less withdrew from the industry decades before. It’s a shame - I’d have loved to hear her stories and views but there it is.
@Vera Didenko oh that's interesting. I don't know much about US states and accents, just what I hear on TV... and my/younger generation all sound very nasal... the old generation (like old episodes of Columbo or Murder She Wrote) sounded a lot more pleasant and less nasal to British ears!
@@justthink5854 it's idiotic indeed. Even the way British kids today say "like" in every sentence, I think that came from American teenage speech... older Americans sounded much classier
