Michael Schulman on Oscars History, and a Visit with “Annie” Composer Charles Strouse

The New Yorker Radio Hour

WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

Politics, Arts, News, Wnyc, Books, David, Storytelling, Society & Culture, Yorker, New, Remnick

4.2 • 6.2K Ratings

🗓️ 24 January 2023

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Despite years of controversy, the Academy Awards and the other awards shows remain must-watch television for many Americans. The awards may be “unreliable as a pure measure of cinematic worth,” Schulman tells David Remnick. “But I would argue that the Oscars are sort of a decoder ring for cultural conflict and where the industry is headed,” Schulman says. “They are a way to understand where pop culture is.” With theatre attendance in continuing decline, the Academy is looking for solutions, Schulman believes, and that could result in a higher-grossing outlier winner for the coveted Best Picture award. Plus, a visit with the Broadway composer Charles Strouse, who is ninety-four and compiling his archives to donate to the Library of Congress. He reflects on his work with Jay-Z and his “friendly enemy” relationship with Stephen Sondheim: “He didn’t like me much. I didn’t like him less.” Still nimble at the piano, Strouse plays a rendition of his classic, “Tomorrow.”

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is The New Yorker Radio Hour, a co-production of WNYC Studios and The New Yorker.
0:10.8	This is the New Yorker Radio Hour. I'm David Remnick. The Oscars and the other award shows remain must watch television.
0:18.5	For at least many of us, we watch, first of all, waiting for something to go
0:22.0	horribly wrong, like the Moonlight Envelope episode, or Will Smith's infamous slap that was
0:28.6	heard around the world. And we watch for the pleasure of arguing about the nominations and shouting
0:34.3	at the TV when the Academy picks the wrong films again and again. Green Book, Crash,
0:41.6	ordinary people, and on and on. There's, of course, this vast cottage industry of strategists and
0:48.4	PR people, and Hollywood has its own reasons for voting for certain things, whether they want to back a hit or an actress who's been at it forever and it's her turn or what have you, you know.
1:02.9	Michael Shulman is a staff writer at The New Yorker, and his new book is called Oscar Wars, A History of Hollywood in gold, sweat, and tears.
1:12.6	It's unreliable as a pure measure of, you know, cinematic worth.
1:19.0	But I would argue that the Oscars have a lot of value for another reason,
1:23.6	which is that they are sort of a decoder ring for cultural conflict and where the
1:29.7	industry is headed. There are a way to understand where pop culture is.
1:35.9	Now, but you got interested in the Oscars way, way before you could have figured out that it
1:40.0	was a cultural decoder ring. You were, as a kid, obsessed with the Oscars. Why was that?
1:44.6	Well, I remember pretty clearly the first time I watched the Oscars.
1:48.4	I was 12.
1:49.6	It was 1993.
1:51.3	So this was the era of the incredible Billy Crystal opening medleys.
1:56.7	I'm sure you recall.
1:58.0	I do.
1:58.4	A few good men is celebrated.
	...

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