Danette Herman was one of the key staff members of the Academy Awards ceremonies from the 1970s to the 2010s, starting as a production assistant and rising through the ranks to become executive in charge of talent and producer. program coordinator. One of the few women to hold key roles at the Oscars, she was on the show during its highest-rated, most culturally impactful years.
As the Academy gears up for the 95th Oscars, Herman asked TheWrap if he could share some memories of previous shows, from meeting Katharine Hepburn in 1974 to a couple of anniversary shows where he brought groups together. history of previous winners. —STEVE POND
Congratulations to the Academy on 95 years of the Academy Awards. Nearly 40 of those years are my story, too.
It began in April 1968 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. The 40th Academy Awards were hosted by Bob Hope, produced by Arthur Freed and directed by Dick Dunlap. It was my first job as a production assistant at a live awards show.
It was also a tumultuous and turbulent time. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been tragically assassinated, and out of respect, the show was postponed for two days, from April 8-10.
It was a stellar year of nominees, winners, presenters and performers. Little did I know at the time that (much later) I would get to work with Gregory Peck, Gene Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Sidney Poitier, Eva Marie Saint, Robert Wise, Angela Lansbury, Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, Paul Newman, John Williams, Quincy Jones, Julie Andrews, Barbra Streisand, Warren Beatty, Sammy Davis, Jr., Olivia de Havilland, Julie Christie, Vanessa Redgrave, Patricia Neal and Karl Malden at the following Oscar performances.
My responsibilities were keeping track of show badges and handing out pink, yellow and blue script revisions. (As I passed Greer Garson sitting in the audience, she smiled and said, “Us redheads have to stick together.”) It was an intense and exciting experience and I knew instinctively that it was something I was meant to be a part of. And I was, for a long time.
I created a career when there were few opportunities for women, working with respected producers Howard W. Koch, Jack Haley, Jr., William Friedkin, Stanley Donen, Gene Allen/Larry Gelbart/Gregory Peck/Robert Wise, Alan Carr, Richard D. . and Lili Fini Zanuck, Quincy Jones/David Salzman, Joe Roth, Bill Condon/Laurence Mark, Bill Mechanic/Adam Shankman, Bruce Cohen/Don Mischer, Neil Meron/Craig Zadan, Laura Ziskin and Gil Cates in the 14 shows he produced . .
Here are some stories to share among the many.
46 Academy Awards
April 2, 1974
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Produced by Jack Haley Jr.
Legendary producer Lawrence Weingarten received the Irving G. Thalberg Award, and his longtime friend and colleague, Katharine Hepburn, was to present it to him. This would be the first and only time, after multiple Oscar nominations and a record four wins over the years, that he would appear on the show.
We were in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and our makeshift production office was backstage. Ms. Hepburn had to arrive for rehearsal “from the back” (the loading dock) as many stars did to avoid being seen by photographers. She had not arrived at the scheduled time and we were worried about her, looking for her all over the building.
On my way backstage, I made a pit stop at the production office, and lo and behold, there was Mrs. Hepburn, my movie star icon, sitting in my space at a production table, typing on a manual typewriter, very frustrated. She had her speech and needed to make corrections for the reference cards.
I cautiously approached her and offered to help her rewrite, but she insisted on doing it herself, growing increasingly frustrated. She had a bottle of the “Wite-Out” correction fluid, which we used in those days. So I sat down next to her and explained how she can “erase” her mistakes. In those days, copies were made on carbon paper, so in the interest of time I showed him how to remove typos in the original and suggested, “Let’s forget about carbon copies.”
She was so relieved and we shared a laugh. Before she was ushered onto the stage for rehearsal, I gave her two bottles of White-Out to take home. She thanked me and put them in her pocket as she walked onto the stage.
70 academy awards
March 23, 1998
Shrine Auditorium
Produced by Gil Cates
With 2023 being an anniversary year, I’d be remiss not to add my thoughts on two landmark shows. For the 70th anniversary, Gil Cates wanted to do something big to celebrate. That was the beginning of what became known as the “Oscars Family Album.” It took a town and it was a herculean effort by everyone, the Academy, Gil and the production team, to make it happen creatively, technically and logistically. But it was worth it.
The Academy sent “Save the Date” invitations and cards to all previous Oscar winners in the acting and honorary categories. RSVP went to the Academy first for their master list, with copies for me to follow up on. Most of our communications were by phone, mail, or fax. Gil made calls as he personally knew many of the actors.
It was a privilege to speak with actors from some of my favorite movies, including Harold Russell and Teresa Wright from “The Best Years of Our Lives.” A lot of effort from all team members went into coordinating the details of each participant. Each of my five production books weighed around five pounds as they were filled with correspondence and copies of each RSVP card.
We didn’t realize the enormity of what we had been working on until the participants arrived to rehearse at the Shrine Auditorium. The production had built a large enclosed area/green room backstage specifically for past winners. It was a reunion of actors and actresses who hadn’t seen each other in years: Russell and Wright, Gregory Peck and Claude Jarman, Jr. (who played father and son in “The Yearling” in 1946).
Jennifer Jones was wonderful to see (I think Gregory Peck called her to attend) and everyone was excited about Shirley Temple. Luise Rainer, the oldest living Oscar winner, received a lot of attention from many of the women, especially Anjelica Houston and Vanessa Redgrave (who sat next to her on stage).
When it was time for rehearsal, the stage managers entered the green room and asked all the stars to line up alphabetically before going on stage. They talked a lot among themselves as they walked. Gil spoke briefly before rehearsing. All the weeks of planning were finally coming to fruition.
Backstage it was electric on the night of the show. Billy Crystal was the host, and in addition to the Oscars Family Album contestants, we also had hosts waiting in the show’s main green room. “Titanic” was the big movie and there was a tremendous amount of energy in the night.
As the Oscar winners lined up alphabetically and walked onto the stage, I walked into the Shrine Auditorium audience and stood against a wall so I could watch. Susan Sarandon presented the Oscar Family Album, the curtain opened and there were 70 Oscar winners on stage. The audience was surprised and reacted with a standing ovation. As the camera panned over each winner, you could see the tremendous pride they felt in being a part of this moment.
Of course I cried for the entire 13 minutes. Colleagues said it was from exhaustion. Maybe, but it was truly memorable and a great honor to have been a part of it.
Gil framed the family album photo from the Oscars for some of us. On mine, he wrote: “Danetsky, you did it!” (Gil gave us all nicknames, that was mine.) And the day after the show, Gregory Peck called Gil and me to tell us how wonderful the reunion had been.
75 Academy Awards
March 23, 2003
kodak theater
Produced by Gil Cates
After the success of the 70th anniversary, Gil wanted to do it again for the 75th.
This time we were at the Kodak Theater. Steve Martin was the host. Many of the procedures used in the 1970s were still viable, with the addition of communicating via email. There were many new confirmed attendees, along with some who had also shown up on the 70th.
We got in touch with Olivia de Havilland to host what we call the Past Oscar Winners Reunion. TCM’s Robert Osborne was a great friend of Ms. de Havilland, who lived in Paris, and spoke very well. Gil also spoke with her and I followed up with my own calls to discuss her travel arrangements, rehearsal schedule and other details about her. She was very organized and appreciated her information, and it was great to talk to her.
Days before the show, everyone was confirmed and rehearsals were scheduled to begin. Then “Shock and Awe”: America went to war against Iraq!
We all saw it on monitors in our Kodak backstage offices. Music Director Bill Conti and the orchestra were on stage rehearsing the songs that would be used as the opening music for our presenters. One of the songs was “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” which was pretty tongue-in-cheek.
The show was not postponed, but the red carpet was removed and other changes were made. The phones wouldn’t stop ringing and Gil and I cheered participants to “stay with us”. After having exactly 70 previous winners onstage at the 70th anniversary show, we really wanted 75 for 75. We didn’t get there, but it was a stellar group and I’ve always been a firm believer that whoever’s on the show is meant to be there. .
Among those who attended were five strong and courageous women who traveled long distances to honor their commitment. One was Mrs. de Havilland, who would be traveling from Paris. I called her after the war started and she recognized my voice immediately. “Danette, I know why you’re calling me,” she said. “I have been through the war. Nothing will stop me from being there. I’ll be looking forward to giving you a hug when I see you.” (She did.)
Luise Rainer traveled from London, alone. Nothing was going to stop her either. (This time she was sitting on stage next to Julia Roberts, who was very nice to her.) Celeste Holm, Patricia Neal and Teresa Wright also traveled solo from various points in the US.
When Mrs de Havilland returned to Paris, she sent me a beautiful letter typed on very thin blue paper, thanking me. I still have it.
Looking back on those shows, I think about how much has changed over the years. I was very fortunate to work with two women who played important roles in that change: Lili Fini Zanuck, who co-produced the 72nd Academy Awards with Richard D. Zanuck on March 26, 2000, and Laura Ziskin, the first woman to produce the solo show. She produced the 74th Academy Awards on March 24, 2002, the first year the show was at the Kodak Theatre, and the 79th Academy Awards on February 25, 2007.
They paved the way. I’d like to think I was a part of that too.
The story matters.
