They Said It at the Oscars

"There are no atheists on Academy Award night."

– Bob Hope, from his opening monologue on the 38th Academy Awards telecast, April 18, 1966

Watch Hope's opening monologue

They Said It at the Oscars

The Oscars are "two hours of sparkling entertainment spread over four hours"

– Johnny Carson, 1979 telecast

"This is the shortest Oscar show of this century."

– Billy Crystal, concluding 2000's four-hour, eight-minute telecast

Watch Sammy Davis, Jr. and Steve Lawrence's musical number from the 1979 Oscar show.

They Said It at the Oscars

"By the way, be sure to stay tuned for the whole show, because at the end of the night we are going to vote somebody out of show business.''

– Host Steve Martin, when the 2001 broadcast reached the 2 1/2 hour point

They Said It at the Oscars

"Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, ladies and gentlemen. I don't actually have a joke for them. I'm just contractually obligated to mention their names five times during the show."

– Hugh Jackman, 2009 Academy Awards broadcast

They Said It at the Oscars

"I won and I get to scream and jump a little. But I got to go back to work tomorrow."

– Benicio del Toro, accepting his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for "Traffic" at the 2001 show

They Said It at the Oscars

"I guess this proves there are as many nuts in the Academy as anywhere else."

–Jack Nicholson on receiving the Best Actor Oscar (his first) for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," 1975