 |
|
ACCEPTANCE SPEECH
Thank you so much. Marty, thank you, for your kind introduction. And Jon Bloom
for that wonderful film, by the way. As many of you know, Marty's film
foundation has been a leader in the film preservation movement. Just as Jean
Hersholt was a leader in the Motion Picture and Television Fund and
interestingly enough, he contributed the land on which our hospital, retirement
community and Alzheimer's unit were built. So, there's a real connection
there.
As for film preservation, I must give credit to the six board
chairmen, seven production heads during my 25 years at MGM, who either backed
our endeavors or weren't quite sure what we were doing, so let it happen anyway.
And then came Ted Turner and his cohorts in Atlanta, who understood the
importance of all this and kept it going when funds were pretty short.
Preservation and restoration are now led by the studios. And organizations
nationwide such as the Museum of Modern Art and Eastman House in New York, UCLA,
and our own Academy Archives here in Los Angeles, and most particularly, the
Library of Congress.
As I thank the Academy's Board of Governors for this
great honor, I want to remind all of you that the Academy itself, namely you,
supports film preservation and health care through both the Motion Picture and
Television Fund, and the National Film Preservation Foundation. So, we sincerely
thank you. And of course, most importantly, thanks to my family, all of whom are
here tonight.
My children Patty and Larry, daughter-in-law Jennifer,
sister Florence, granddaughters Natasha and Anna, and most especially my wife of
52 and a half years, Pauline. 52 and a half years. And they say nothing lasts in
Hollywood. Well, love really does. "Taking Care of Our Own" does. And the art of
film does, if we properly preserve it. So, I'm going to keep at it and hope you
will continue your support. Thank you very, very much. |
