Steve Harvey must have been smirking as he watched the biggest flub in Academy history during the Oscar ceremony Sunday night.
Why? Because Harvey’s announcement of the wrong Miss Universe winner back in 2015 will no longer be remembered as the most viral mistake in awards show history.
That honor now belongs to the 89th Academy Awards and presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. The two took the stage and announced “La La Land” as the winner of the night’s highest honor: Best Picture. Multiple people connected to “La La Land” had come up on stage and started giving victory speeches when it became clear something was wrong — people were shuffling around on stage. Finally, “La La Land” producer Jordan Horowitz took the microphone and announced, “I’m sorry, there’s a mistake. ‘Moonlight’ — you guys won Best Picture.”
Related: Kimmel Goes Political; ‘Moonlight’ Wins Best Picture
He had to clarify the confusion with, “This is not a joke.” Turns out that Warren Beatty had been handed the wrong card and when he was stalling, Dunaway assumed he was joking — and announced the winner prematurely.
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It was by far the biggest mistake in Oscar history, but it’s not the first time human error has taken center stage. It wasn’t even the first time a major mistake had been made in production that night. During the In Memoriam section of the show – where respect is paid to deceased artists – a photo of a living woman was shown.
Australian costume designer Janet Patterson passed away in October of 2016, but her photo was nowhere to be found. Instead a photo of living film producer Jan Chapman was displayed for the audience. “I was devastated by the use of my image in place of my great friend and long-time collaborator Janet Patterson. I had urged her agency to check any photograph which might be used and understand that they were told that the Academy had it covered. Janet was a great beauty and four-time Oscar nominee and it is very disappointing that the error was not picked up,” Chapman told Variety about the mix-up. “I am alive and well and an active producer.”
Considering the politically preachy tone the night took on, the movers and shakers behind the Oscars may have been benefitted by a better planned ceremony that ran just a tad more smoothly.
This year was unfortunately not the first time mistakes have dominated Oscar night. Here’s a look a few other big blunders in the annals of the Oscars.
The Wrong Frank.
At the 1933 Academy Awards, presenter Will Rogers made an interesting choice. Instead of saying the winner’s full name for Best Director, he merely stated, “Come on up and get it, Frank.” Unfortunately, there were two directors named Frank who were up for the award: Frank Capra (“Lady for a Day”) and Frank Lloyd (“Cavalcade”). Capra started making his way toward the stage — but it was Lloyd who was the real winner.
The Streaking Man.
For proof that the ’70s were a wild time, just look at the 1974 Academy Award ceremony. Photographer and gay rights activist Robert Opel came streaking up on stage, flashing a peace sign to a cheering audience. The moment was not planned and certainly led to tighter security at the Academy Awards in its wake. Host David Niven stood in confusion before joking, “Well, ladies and gentlemen, that was almost bound to happen. But isn’t it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?”
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The Wrong Assumption.
Actress Rosalind Russell walked into the 1947 Academy Awards assuming the Best Actress Oscar was hers. She’d lost the award twice before, so she was likely told, “Third time’s a charm!” by many friends and family. She was nominated for “Mourning Becomes Electra.”
The actress stood up out of her seat before the winner was even announced, only to have her dreams crushed — when the true victor turned out to be Loretta Young for “The Farmer’s Daughter.”
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