The Oscar(1966)- User Reviews

Tawdry retelling of a vain "Movie Star" hammily played by Stephen Boyd as Frankie Fane (get the symbolism?), who retraces his rise to fame and fortune, using and stepping on anyone and everyone in sight to reach his goal. The cast is kooky, from the "luscious ladies" like Jill St. John and Elke Sommer, to his narrating sidekick Tony Bennett (as Hymie Kelly--no lie!) and Milton Berle actually playing it straight as agent "Kappy Kapsetter". And there're loads of cameos by a bevy of former Oscar winners (I guess to add to the authenticity!) like Walter Brennan, Broderick Crawford, and Ernest Borgnine--perhaps they should all have given 'em back after the shoot!
On the redemptive side, there's a touching bit by Peter Lawford as a former star reduced to waiting tables, foreshadowing in sledgehammer style what could happen to our hero. Oh, and the ending is memorably inane. I'm reminded of the old Bob Hope line relating to the annual ceremony taking place around a certain Jewish Holiday: "The Oscar definitely 'Passed Over' this house"!