WEBVTT - Who Were Oscar, Tony and Emmy? 

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of I Heart Radio. Hey, Brainstuff.

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<v Speaker 1>Floren Vogelbaum here, Oscar, Emmy, Tony. These are familiar names

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<v Speaker 1>in the entertainment industry, especially when it comes to prestigious awards.

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<v Speaker 1>The origin stories behind these names, however, can be uncharted

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<v Speaker 1>territory for even their biggest fans. So today let's look

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<v Speaker 1>at the little known history behind these famous monikers. Oscar

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<v Speaker 1>may be the most recognizable man in the world, but

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<v Speaker 1>no one's really sure where this iconic gold plate statuettes

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<v Speaker 1>name originated. Originally called the Academy Award of Merit, we

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<v Speaker 1>mostly now know them as the Oscars. Oscars have been

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<v Speaker 1>awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

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<v Speaker 1>annually since. And there's an equally persistent story about his nickname. Supposedly,

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<v Speaker 1>not long after the statuette was sculpted Academy Library in

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<v Speaker 1>Margaret Herrick equipped that he reminded her of her uncle Oscar.

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<v Speaker 1>Harrick went on to become the Academy's executive director, carrying

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<v Speaker 1>the nickname with her. By ninety nine, the Academy made

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<v Speaker 1>Oscar's nickname official. Meanwhile, the Tony Award has been presented

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<v Speaker 1>since nineteen forty seven by the American Theater Wing to

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<v Speaker 1>honor excellence in theater, and for nearly as long. Many

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<v Speaker 1>have assumed that Tony is named for a guy, but

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<v Speaker 1>the Tony Award is short for the Antoinette Perry Award

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<v Speaker 1>for Excellence in Theater. In the early twentieth century, American

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<v Speaker 1>theater production was dominated by men with money. Then along

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<v Speaker 1>came Antoinette Perry, a born actress. Perry left finishing school

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<v Speaker 1>in the early nineteen hundreds, rose from bit parts to

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<v Speaker 1>leading lady, and eventually became the American theater industry's first

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<v Speaker 1>notable independent female producer and director. Until the nineteen seventies,

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<v Speaker 1>Perry was the only female director with a track record

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<v Speaker 1>of theatrical successes spanning five hundred or more performances, and

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<v Speaker 1>her name lives on with the Tony Awards. Since nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>forty nine, the Emmy Awards have been an annual tradition

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<v Speaker 1>that recognizes excellence in television and more recently, emerging media.

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<v Speaker 1>The Emmy Awards are symbolized by gilded statuette depicting the

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<v Speaker 1>feminine muse of art uplifting the electron of science that's

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<v Speaker 1>according to the Academy of Television, Arts and Sciences and

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<v Speaker 1>organization behind the awards. Originally, then Academy president Harry Lubka

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<v Speaker 1>proposed Emmy as the award's name as a nod to

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<v Speaker 1>a technical development that made television a household device. The

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<v Speaker 1>image Orthocon camera tube, nicknamed the Emmy, was an integral

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<v Speaker 1>part of TVs at the time. But after seeing the

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<v Speaker 1>spelt statuette, the Academy decided to call the award a

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<v Speaker 1>more feminine Emmy. But what about the Grammys. In the

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<v Speaker 1>late nineteen forties, handful of record company executives took part

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<v Speaker 1>in a Hollywood beautification campaign that included selecting honorees for

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<v Speaker 1>the Hollywood Walk of Fame. As the music executives talked,

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<v Speaker 1>they bemoaned the fact that the Motion Picture Academy and

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<v Speaker 1>Television Academy had Oscar and Emmy Awards, but they had

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<v Speaker 1>nothing to show for their efforts. Soon after, the Grammy

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<v Speaker 1>was born as a way to honor excellence in the

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<v Speaker 1>recording industry. The Grammy Awards is a gold plated replica

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<v Speaker 1>of a gramophone, one of the earliest recording and record

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<v Speaker 1>playing devices, a top of basse affixed with a personalized plate.

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<v Speaker 1>Grammy spent her early years being called Eddie as a

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<v Speaker 1>nod to Thomas Edison, who invented the gramophone. Eventually, however,

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<v Speaker 1>she grew into her own nickname and is still called

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<v Speaker 1>Grammy today. Today's episode is based on the article Who

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<v Speaker 1>were Oscar, Tony and Emmy? The Stories behind Entertainment Award

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<v Speaker 1>Names on how stuff works dot Com written by Laurie l. Do.

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<v Speaker 1>Brainstuff is production of I Heart Radio in partnership with

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<v Speaker 1>how stuff Works dot Com, and it's produced by Tyler Clang.

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