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The predecessor of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association introduced the Golden Globe Awards as recognition of landmark achievements in the film industry.
The Beginnings
It was a humble informal ceremony at 20th Century Fox in early 1944 that saw the awards being given out for the very first time. Jenniffer Jones bagged the award for the best actress for her role in The Song of Bernadette and Paul Lukas was honored with the Best Actor award for Watch on the Rhine. Incidentally, The Song of Bernadette was also adjudged the best film. The winners received scrolls as their awards.
The association members held a contest to decide on an appropriate design for a statuette that would be a proper representation of the organization’s aims and objectives the very next year. It was the group president, Marina Cisternas who mooted the idea of a shiny globe sitting on a cylindrical pedestal representing the world in 1945-46.
The first gala social event, a formal banquet was held in 1945 at the Beverly Hills Hotel by the Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association. Ingrid Bergman won the award for the best actress for her role in The Bells of St. Mary while Alexander Knox bagged the best actor award for President Wilson. Going My Way bagged the honors for best picture.
Milestones along the Way
The Golden Globes has seen other important landmarks as well. The best film actor and actress nominees were divided into two categories—drama, and musical or comedy in 1951. This was done to ensure that no genre was slighted. 1952 saw the creation of the Cecil B. deMille Award which was intended to be a recognition for making an “outstanding contribution” to the field of entertainment. Incidentally, deMille himself was the first recipient of the award.
1956 saw the introduction of some unique categories—the Trailblazer Award went to Walt Disney (American story-telling), Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz (American Comedy), and Dinah Shore (American song). This marked the inclusion of awards for television shows, a tradition that continues. The current award for the foreign-language category can be traced back to the Samuel Goldwyn International Award which recognized excellence in non-US pictures from 1959 to 64.
Making Way for the New
Some categories are however no more a part of the awards as they exist today. Achievements in cinematography were recognized only from 1948 to 1963. Another category was active only for a brief period of five years (1973-77), the Golden Globe for best documentary. 2007 saw the introduction of a new category, the Best Animated Feature Film. The nominees for the first edition were Cars, Happy Feet, and Monster House. Pixar’s Cars was the first winner.
Conclusion
After its humble beginnings, the Golden Globe is today a household name across the world. It has established itself as a symbol of excellence on the silver screen and the small screen as well. It is a recognition of excellence on screen that spans 25 categories, 14 for films and 11 for television. We eagerly await the 79th edition of the Golden Globe Awards.
