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Carol Channing, Verne Troyer, and More Left Out of Oscars 2019 ‘In Memoriam’ Tribute

Tiffany Meier
By Tiffany Meier
February 26, 2019Entertainment
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Carol Channing, Verne Troyer, and More Left Out of Oscars 2019 ‘In Memoriam’ Tribute
Actress Carol Channing on the set of "Hollywood Squares 2" game show at the CBS Television Studios, in Los Angeles, on Oct. 4, 2003. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

Notable names were missing from this year’s Academy Award’s “In Memoriam,” and fans are upset, taking to various social media platforms to vent their frustration.

Every year the Academy Awards pays tribute to the actors and people in the industry who died during the preceding year with a heartfelt montage sequence. However, quite a few notable names were missing.

While Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President John Bailey acknowledged to viewers that not everyone could be included in this year’s “In Memoriam” segment, some omissions left viewers outraged.

Carol Channing, best known for her work on sitcoms and variety shows, who was also an accomplished film actress, getting an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress for her 1967 breakout role “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” was left out. The legendary Broadway actress died in January of this year. She was 97.

Channing’s publicist, Harlan Boll, took to Facebook to react to the omission.

“I am inconsolably heartsick that the Motion Picture Academy would ignore one of its own members and an Academy Award nominee, Carol Channing, in the memoriam,” he wrote. “I texted a colleague of mine over at the Academy, to inquire how this could happen. In what may have been a miss guided attempt to soften the blow, I received the response that …’Well, she really wasn’t that important to our industry and no one in Hollywood really knows who she was.'”

I am inconsolably heartsick that the Motion Picture Academy would ignore one of its own members and an Academy award…

由 B Harlan Boll 发布于 2019年2月24日周日

“It’s inexcusable,” he continued. “I’m sitting here talking to Michael Learned, Loretta Swit, George Chakiris, Margaret O’Brien, Roslyn Kind, and numerous other Academy members who are all simply stunned that Carol Channing would be ignored by the industry that she dedicated her life, and she fervently fought for and believed in.”

Dick Miller, whose career spanned six decades and who appeared in over 100 films across his career, including “Gremlins,” “The Little Shop of Horrors,” and “The Terminator” was also missing from the tribute.

Director Joe Dante who worked with Miller in several films, commented on his omission from the tribute segment on Twitter, writing, “Disappointing to see that #DickMiller was left off the In Memoriam segment of tonite’s Oscars, but he’s in good company with Stanley Donen, Julie Adams and others who have made more of an impact than the unknown publicists and ex-studio execs who seem to dominate these tributes.”

Stanley Donen, filmmaker of several iconic films such as “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Two for the Road,” and “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” was also noticeably absent from the In Memoriam tribute.

In 1998, Donen received an honorary Oscar for his celebrated contributions to film, including being recognized as the “master of the musical.” Donen, who died Saturday at the age of 94, was also missing.

Sondra Locke, who died in late December at age 74, was also left out. Locke was nominated for an Academy Award for her film debut in the 1968 “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” and went on to co-star in six films with Clint Eastwood.

“Sondra Locke was nominated for an #Oscar for “The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter” and wasn’t included “In Memoriam,” one user wrote.

Users expressed particular outrage on social media over the Oscars failing to honor Verne Troyer, who played an essential part in the “Austin Powers” movie franchise as Mini-Me.

The academy may have forgotten you, but we never will,” one user wrote.

“Can’t believe the ‘In Memoriam’ snubbed Verne Troyer,” another wrote. “Not one mentioned of him during it. #Oscars.”

Other notable names left out included Golden Globe nominee R. Lee Ermey, who made his grand film debut in Francis Ford Coppola’s “Apocalypse Now” in 1979. He went on to star in several films, including “Full Metal Jacket,” and “Se7en.” He also voiced the character Sarge in the “Toy Story” films. He passed away in April 2018 at the age of 74.

“Leaving R. Lee Ermey off in the In Memoriam segment is an embarrassing moment in an already-bad Oscars,” one user wrote. “He was one of the most iconic and recognizable actors of the last 3 decades. Toy Story, Full Metal Jacket, Seven. This is rock bottom, @TheAcademy. Shameful.”

Other snubs included “Frasier” star John Mahoney, Emmy-nominated Reg E. Cathey, independent film icon Mark Urman, and more.

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