As we now get down to the final 20, it was difficult to arrange these 20 moments because these are truly some of the most memorable moments - spaces of time that made history, and memorable moments that Oscar can always call its own. But the decisions were made, and this week, we continue with numbers 20 to 11.
Academy Memorable Moment Number 20
His first hosting assignment was for the 1989 awards, and he continued as host for three more years after that. In 1993, he decided to stop hosting the Oscars for a while, and for three years, two other comedians took the reins, Whoopi Goldberg for two years, and David Letterman for one disastrous year.
So when Billy Crystal agreed to return for the 1996 Oscars to host, everyone was very excited, and the audience gave him a standing ovation, warmly welcoming him back to hosting the Oscars, clearly sending the message that they wanted Billy as their Oscar host, and no others could compare. You could tell he was genuinely moved by the salute.
Academy Memorable Moment Number 19
From 1946 - Harold Russell winning two Oscars for one memorable performance in The Best Years of our Lives. Harold Russell was a real WWII veteran, who had lost both of his arms, and he portrayed a wounded veteran returning from war in that classic film. The ovation given him on Oscar night brought tears to his eyes, as we saw a rare example of reality and Hollywood coming together in such a powerful and profound way.
Academy Memorable Moment Number 18
From 1996 & 1997 - Host Billy Crystal cleverly editing himself into a montage of scenes from the Oscar nominated films of each year. This was an incredible idea. Thanks to wonderful new film technologies, the '96 and '97 Oscars opened with a montage of film putting Billy into all the various Best Picture nominees in one way or the other, and the results were hilarious!
