What do you think?
Rate this book
WHO Won?!?: An Irreverent Look at the Oscars, Volume 1: 1927-1943
Who Should Have Won the Oscars?
If you've ever wondered why the Oscars seem to go to the wrong movies, WHO Won?!? is the book for you. Beginning with the first Oscar ceremony, Robert James looks at all the major categories, slashing and burning his way through the bad, praising the good, and offering the best for your consideration. A comic, biting analysis of hundreds of films, WHO Won?!? is a guide to the wonderful movies you missed - and a warning against the ones you should never have seen in the first place. Volume One, 1927-1943 covers the Golden Age of Hollywood, from the death of the silent picture to the heights of studio Hollywood. Year by year, the author considers and discusses the Academy's choices, as well as those which should have been nominated, finishing each category with those which should have won. He often includes some of the history behind the making of the films, as well as how the movies reflect on America. More than just an examination of the choices the Academy made (or should have made), WHO Won?!? provides a yearbook of American cinema, both glorious and disastrous. Deftly switching from the ridiculous to the sublime and back again, WHO Won?!? will leave you both laughing and thinking.
If you've ever wondered why the Oscars seem to go to the wrong movies, WHO Won?!? is the book for you. Beginning with the first Oscar ceremony, Robert James looks at all the major categories, slashing and burning his way through the bad, praising the good, and offering the best for your consideration. A comic, biting analysis of hundreds of films, WHO Won?!? is a guide to the wonderful movies you missed - and a warning against the ones you should never have seen in the first place. Volume One, 1927-1943 covers the Golden Age of Hollywood, from the death of the silent picture to the heights of studio Hollywood. Year by year, the author considers and discusses the Academy's choices, as well as those which should have been nominated, finishing each category with those which should have won. He often includes some of the history behind the making of the films, as well as how the movies reflect on America. More than just an examination of the choices the Academy made (or should have made), WHO Won?!? provides a yearbook of American cinema, both glorious and disastrous. Deftly switching from the ridiculous to the sublime and back again, WHO Won?!? will leave you both laughing and thinking.
632 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 4, 2012
3 people are currently reading
3 people want to read
About the author
Robert James
5 books10 followersRobert James was born on Skull Island and raised in Freedonia. He played baseball with Gary Cooper, fell in love in Paris with a suspicious Swede, got a pet leopard with a penchant for love songs, raised children in Oz, grew old (slowly) in Shangri-La, was killed by biplanes on the top of the Empire State Building when he was out on a date, and was then brought back from the dead in Dr. Frankenstein's lab, just in time to be chased by an angry mob.
Or so he likes to believe.
In a more fantastic reality, he was born and raised in Santa Ana, California in a blue-collar family. His father and mother, being typical Americans of their generation, believed in the movies in the same way they believed in reading, the Constitution, hard work, family, barbeque, and the greatness of the American Way. They also believed Richard Nixon, but they couldn't get it all right, now could they?
Robert went to public schools at a time when they still worked reasonably well. He wasn't the first person in his family to pursue higher education, but he was the first one who tried to make a career of it. Once he received his Ph.D. from UCLA, he came to the abrupt realization that he had to actually work for a paycheck instead of a report card.
He promptly became a teacher, and he's never recovered from it. Neither have his students. Or his wallet.
Along with his beautiful wife, with whom he has raised six children - some of whom he actually helped make - he enjoys reading, music, talking, traveling, cooking, sleeping, and other nocturnal activities.
Somehow along the way, he has also managed to become a well-known authority on Robert A. Heinlein and other science fiction writers. He's been called the "Indiana Jones" of Heinlein studies, having tracked down numerous artifacts from Heinlein's life which had either been lost or never known. His most famous find was the last remaining copy of Heinlein's first unpublished novel, which Scribners published in 2004, with an afterword by Robert James.
Put him in front of an audience and good things happen. Just ask any number of students, attendees at numerous conventions, and the Naval Academy at Annapolis, where he's been a guest speaker. His students sometimes refer to him as the Voice of God, but he doesn't claim more than his fair share of omnipotence.
Finally, he has enjoyed writing for friends, family, and students for many years, and is very pleased to have finally turned out a book series, which you should all be going to buy and read right now rather than wasting your time reading this author biography.
Or so he likes to believe.
In a more fantastic reality, he was born and raised in Santa Ana, California in a blue-collar family. His father and mother, being typical Americans of their generation, believed in the movies in the same way they believed in reading, the Constitution, hard work, family, barbeque, and the greatness of the American Way. They also believed Richard Nixon, but they couldn't get it all right, now could they?
Robert went to public schools at a time when they still worked reasonably well. He wasn't the first person in his family to pursue higher education, but he was the first one who tried to make a career of it. Once he received his Ph.D. from UCLA, he came to the abrupt realization that he had to actually work for a paycheck instead of a report card.
He promptly became a teacher, and he's never recovered from it. Neither have his students. Or his wallet.
Along with his beautiful wife, with whom he has raised six children - some of whom he actually helped make - he enjoys reading, music, talking, traveling, cooking, sleeping, and other nocturnal activities.
Somehow along the way, he has also managed to become a well-known authority on Robert A. Heinlein and other science fiction writers. He's been called the "Indiana Jones" of Heinlein studies, having tracked down numerous artifacts from Heinlein's life which had either been lost or never known. His most famous find was the last remaining copy of Heinlein's first unpublished novel, which Scribners published in 2004, with an afterword by Robert James.
Put him in front of an audience and good things happen. Just ask any number of students, attendees at numerous conventions, and the Naval Academy at Annapolis, where he's been a guest speaker. His students sometimes refer to him as the Voice of God, but he doesn't claim more than his fair share of omnipotence.
Finally, he has enjoyed writing for friends, family, and students for many years, and is very pleased to have finally turned out a book series, which you should all be going to buy and read right now rather than wasting your time reading this author biography.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 28, 2017
From 1927 to 1943, Robert James looks at the Oscars, closely examining which films should have been nominated, which should have won, and which did win ... and even which films should never have been made. James examines not just the films themselves, but the different categories for which awards were given out. Even categories like the Best Song are examined. Throughout the book, James provides great insights into these choices, also placing things into historical context and throwing in more than a little humor. (Note: Make sure to read the footnotes. The humor continues there.)
Another friend, who knows a lot about film, has complained to me several times that the great Roger Ebert was too kind in his criticism. I never felt that way. And I would say the same thing for Robert James's book. It is not too kind. It gets things right, hands out praise when appropriate and withholds that praise when that is right. If there are failures, James notes them, but he is also fair in his criticism. I learned an incredible amount about the films and the people who made them from this book. I often look back to it when I want to review information about a given film from the past. And after I read what I was looking for, I then find myself browsing its pages to just enjoy re-reading other sections. It is indeed that good.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Another friend, who knows a lot about film, has complained to me several times that the great Roger Ebert was too kind in his criticism. I never felt that way. And I would say the same thing for Robert James's book. It is not too kind. It gets things right, hands out praise when appropriate and withholds that praise when that is right. If there are failures, James notes them, but he is also fair in his criticism. I learned an incredible amount about the films and the people who made them from this book. I often look back to it when I want to review information about a given film from the past. And after I read what I was looking for, I then find myself browsing its pages to just enjoy re-reading other sections. It is indeed that good.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Displaying 1 of 1 review