Oscar wars: a history of Hollywood in gold, sweat, and tears

Introduction: A Little Too Scared To Hope

You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet, 1927-29: The Academy's turbulent birth

Rebels, 1933-39: Frank Capra and the attack of the guilds

War! 1942: The plot against Citizen Kane

The Greatest Star, 1951: All about an extraordinary Best Actress race

Who Is Robert Rich? 1947-60: Three screenwriters and the Hollywood blacklist

X, 1970: The counterculture takes the Oscars

Running the asylum, 1976: The Oscars fly over the cuckoo's nest

Fiasco, 1989: Allan Carr and the "Worst Oscars Ever"

The Harveys, 1999: Shakespeare in Love vs. Saving Private Ryan

Tokens, 1940, 1964, 2002: Hattie McDaniel, Sidney Poitier, and Halle Berry make history

The Envelope, 2017: #OscarsSoWhite and a chaotic night

Afterword: Gettin' Jiggy Wit It.

Introduction. A little too scared to hope --

You ain't heard nothin' yet, 1927-29: the Academy's turbulent birth --

Rebels, 1933-39: Frank Capra and the attack of the guilds --

War! 1942: the plot against Citizen Kane --

The greatest star, 1951: all about an extraordinary Best Actress race --

Who is Robert Rich? 1947-60: three screenwriters and the Hollywood blacklist --

X, 1970: the counterculture takes the Oscars --

Running the asylum, 1976: the Oscars fly over the cuckoo's nest --

Fiasco, 1989: Allan Carr and the "worst Oscars ever" --

The Harveys, 1999: Shakespeare in Love vs. Saving Private Ryan --

Tokens, 1940, 1964, 2002: Hattie McDaniel, Sidney Poitier, and Halle Berry make history --

The envelope, 2017: #OscarsSoWhite and a chaotic night --

Afterword: Gettin' jiggy wit it.