TVTV Looks at the Oscars

1976, 59 min, color, sound

Made in 1976, TVTV's close-up look at Hollywood's annual awards ritual mixes irreverent documentary with deadpan comedy. TVTV's cameras go behind the scenes to follow major Hollywood figures (including Steven Spielberg, Michael Douglas, Lee Grant, Jack Nicholson, and many others), capturing them in candid moments—inside their limousines, dressing for the ceremony, backstage at the awards. Lily Tomlin appears as a fictional character watching the televised Oscar ceremony in her suburban home. Tomlin, nominated for best supporting actress in Robert Altman's Nashville in 1975, is also seen as she attends the actual awards ceremony. With Tomlin serving as a fulcrum between Hollywood's insiders and outsiders—the adoring fans, the workers who serve the stars, those overlooked by the awards—TVTV records the lead up to and letdown after the ceremony, revealing the vagaries of fame and stardom.

Produced by TVTV, in association with KCET. For TVTV: Wendy Apple, David Axelrod, Paul Goldsmith, Hudson Marquez. With: Lily Tomlin as Judy Beasley. Production: Rich Rosen, Wendy Apple, Calli Cerami, Megan Williams, Susan Martin, Allen Rucker, Paul Goldsmith, Hudson Marquez, Michael Shamberg, Steve Conant, Alison Geballe, Karen Murphy, Ceil Gruessing, Jody Sibert, Michael Weselblatt, Cathy Brickley, Peter Kirby, Howard Campbell, Will Hoover, Mark Brown, Tom Baker, Tom Morey, Lisa Van Der Sluis, Mark Rosner, Eleanor Bingham, Bette Cohen, Harold Ramis, Billy Murray, David Axelrod, L.A. Johnson, Alida Davison, Elon Soltes. Camera: Wendy Apple, Baird Bryant, Steve Christiansen, Steve Conant, Tim Greenfield, Paul Goldsmith, Rich Rosen, Allen Rucker, David Sanderson, Elon Soltes. Sound: Bill Bradbury, Kent Gibson, L.A. Johnson, Hudson Marquez, Susan Martin. Editing: Wendy Apple, Petur Hliddal, Calli Cerami, Michael Shamberg.