Great (and Not So Great) Moments in Philly Oscars History

Sylvester Stallone, Tom Hanks and Grace Kelly all made memorable moments in Philadelphia Oscars history / Photographs via Getty Images

The 96th edition of the Oscars happens on Sunday, March 10th at 7 p.m. And this could be a big year for Philadelphia. Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers), Bradley Cooper (Maestro), and Colman Domingo (Rustin) are all strong contenders. But this isn’t the first time that Philadelphia was represented at the Oscars. Here, a brief look back.

1955

It’s easy to forget that the elegant woman who eventually became known as Princess Grace was from right here in gritty old Philadelphia.

Many have probably also forgotten The Country Girl. That’s Grace Kelly’s 1954 film in which her thoroughly unglamorous role was that of an alcoholic’s wife. She made the movie just seven years after departing Philadelphia.

Philadelphia native Grace Kelly with her Oscars award (Getty Images)

For Best Actress, Kelly beat out Dorothy Dandridge, Judy Garland, Audrey Hepburn, and Jane Wyman. So, some heavy hitters.

This was Kelly’s only Oscar win. And she accepted it with all the dignity and poise one would expect. She’s probably rolled over in her Monaco grave more than a few time watching some of the Oscars antics that go on these days.

1977

One of the biggest surprises of all time at the Oscars came courtesy of the biggest Philly movie of all time: Rocky. The small-budget film that turned Sylvester Stallone into a Hollywood legend and our Art Museum steps into a tourist destination knocked out Taxi Driver, All the President’s Men, Network, and the Woody Guthrie biopic Bound for Glory in the battle for Best Picture.

Sylvester Stallone (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

That award technically goes to the producers. They oh-so-graciously invited Stallone — who conceived the whole damn thing — onstage to accept with them. His contribution was one of the shortest speeches in Oscars history: “To all the Rockys in the world, I love ya.”

1994

If you weren’t around in the AIDS-devastated 1980s, it’s hard to imagine how impactful Jonathan Demme’s Philadelphia was when it debuted. AIDS was still viewed by many people as a “gay plague,” and homosexuality wasn’t yet mainstream.

Tom Hanks delivering his Oscars speech for Philadelphia at the Academy Awards (image courtesy the Academy Awards)

With scenes shot all over the city, the film starred Tom Hanks as a gay man with HIV and Denzel Washington as his initially homophobic lawyer. Just as we can’t hold back tears when we watch Philadelphia, Hanks couldn’t when accepting the award for Best Actor. “The streets of heaven are too crowded with angels,” he said of AIDS victims. “They number a thousand for each one of the red ribbons that we wear here tonight.” Not a dry eye in the house.

2022

who can forget the 2022 Academy Awards? To be honest, we have no idea who was nominated or who won what. But we do know it was one of the most scandalous ceremonies ever thanks to a slap heard around the world, courtesy of Philly’s own Will Smith.

At first, most of us thought his assault on Chris Rock was just part of the show. It wasn’t. And the Pride of Overbrook High’s life and reputation were upended as a result. Smith can still be nominated for Oscars (despite his extensive filmography, he’s only been nominated thrice and won once), but due to a ban by the Academy, he’s not allowed to attend the ceremonies until 2032.

Published as “Philly at the Oscars” in the March 2024 issue of Philadelphia magazine.