Q: With all the awards shows going on this time of year, I was wondering what is the origin of the names for the Oscars, the Emmys, the Tony Awards and the Grammy Awards?
— Lance DeLoach, Thomaston
A: The origin of the nickname of "Oscar" for the Academy Awards, which were first presented in 1929, isn't clear. The statuette wasn't officially called "Oscar" until 1939, but it's been reported that actress Bette Davis first dubbed the figurine "Oscar" after her first husband, Harmon Oscar Nelson. Oscars.org, the website for The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, reports that Academy librarian Margaret Herrick said the statuette looked like her Uncle Oscar when she saw it the first time in 1931.
- Emmy Awards: The statuette for the TV awards, which were first held in 1949, was originally called Immy, which was the nickname for the early image orthicon TV camera, according to www.emmys.tv. The name didn't change, but the spelling went from Immy to Emmy, which was more feminine and better suited the statuette of a winged woman.
- Tony Awards: It's named for Denver-born actress Antoinette Perry, who appeared on Broadway from 1906-26 before becoming a producer and director. Fellow producer Brock Pemberton called the award a Tony when he presented one at the first awards show in 1947 in honor of Perry, who died the previous year.
- Grammy Award: It was almost named the Eddie, after Thomas Edison, the inventor of the phonograph, but was changed to Grammy, after the gramophone, which used a disc to record and play sounds. The Grammy Awards were first presented in 1959.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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