The Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s annual
Golden Globe Awards have enabled the non-profit
organization to donate more than $10.5 million
in the past fifteen years to
entertainment-related charities, as well as
funding scholarships and other programs for
future film and television professionals. In the
year 2009 the donation was more than 1.2 million
dollars, the largest tally ever distributed in
the organization's history.
Known
worldwide for its glittering Golden Globe Awards
ceremony held every January and its
multi-million dollar donations to charity, the
Hollywood Foreign Press Association had humble
origins that stemmed solely from a group of
journalists' desire to efficiently and
accurately cover all aspects of the world of
entertainment.
Today's
organization has its roots in the early 1940s
when Pearl Harbor had drawn America into World
War II. Audiences, hungry for diversion, were
seeking out films offering escape, inspiration
and entertainment; and filmmakers such as Orson
Welles, Preston Sturges, Darryl Zanuck and
Michael Curtiz were working hard to fulfill the
need. Amid the turmoil of war and the
difficulties with communications, a handful of
Los Angeles-based overseas journalists banded
together to share contacts, information and
material. The idea was not a new one:
previously, in 1928 the Hollywood Association of
Foreign Correspondents (HAFCO) had been formed
and, in 1935, the Foreign Press Society
appeared. Both were short-lived, although the
HAFCO had a brief moment in the spotlight when
Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and other
celebrities showed up at an International Ball
the group organized at the Hollywood Roosevelt
Hotel.
In 1943 the journalists, led by the
correspondent for Britain's Daily Mail, formed
the Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association
and conceived the motto “Unity Without
Discrimination of Religion or Race.” It was an
uphill struggle at first as the film industry
had not yet realized the importance of foreign
markets. At first the members held informal
gatherings in private homes. As the membership
grew, HFPA meetings were held in larger
quarters, with the association selecting the
Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel as the location for
group functions.
The group’s first special event was a luncheon
in December 1947, at which a meritorious plaque
was awarded to Harry M. Warner, president of
Warner Bros., in recognition of his humanitarian
work as the principal sponsor of the “Friendship
Train,” which left Hollywood with food, clothing
and medical supplies for the needy of Europe.
As representatives of the world press, the
group’s members felt it was incumbent upon them
to give their audience their judgments as to
Hollywood’s finest productions. The
organization’s first awards presentation for
distinguished achievements in the film industry
took place in early 1944 with an informal
ceremony at 20th Century Fox. There, Jennifer
Jones was awarded Best Actress honors for “The
Song of Bernadette,” which also won for Best
Film, while Paul Lukas took home Best Actor
laurels for “Watch on the Rhine.” Awards were
presented in the form of scrolls.
The following year, the members of the
association held a contest to find a design for
a statuette that would best represent the
overall aims of the organization. Marina
Cisternas, president of the group in 1945-46,
presented the idea for a golden globe encircled
with a strip of motion picture film, and mounted
on a pedestal.
In conjunction with the Golden Globes
presentation, the Hollywood Foreign
Correspondents Association held its first gala
social event in 1945 with a formal banquet at
the Beverly Hills Hotel. “Going My Way” won for
Best Picture, while Ingrid Bergman and Alexander
Knox were named Best Actress and Best Actor for
their performances in “The Bells of St. Mary”
and “President Wilson,” respectively.
In 1950 differing philosophies among members
created a schism within the organization,
resulting in a split into two separate groups --
The Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association
and the Foreign Press Association of Hollywood.
For a time, the two organizations existed side
by side, with one group handing out Golden
Globes while the other awarded Henriettas, named
for their president, Henry Gris. The separation
ended in 1955 when the journalists reunited
under the collective title “The Hollywood
Foreign Press Association” with firm guidelines
and requirements for membership.
During
its early years the HFPA established itself with
the studios by innovations such as its World
Favorites awards, which it came up with by
polling more than 900 newspapers, magazines and
radio stations around the world. Among those
honored were Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe and
Leslie Caron. The group also came up with the
idea of "bon voyage" interview lunches with
actors and actresses who were leaving to make
films in countries represented by the members.
There have been other important landmarks in the
history of the Golden Globes. In 1951 the
association decided to divide the best film,
actor and actress nominees into two categories
-- drama, and musical or comedy -- so that no
genre would be slighted. In 1952, the HFPA
created the Cecil B. DeMille Award to recognize
“outstanding contribution to the entertainment
field.” The award’s first recipient was DeMille
himself.
In 1955 the Golden Globes began honoring
achievements in television as well as in
film. The first honorees in the Best Television
Show category that year were “Dinah Shore,”
“Lucy & Desi,” “The American Comedy” and “Davy
Crockett.” In 2007, The Golden Globes initiated
the category “Best Animated Feature Film” and
the first year nominees were “Cars,” “Happy
Feet” and “Monster House.”
Today, the Golden Globes recognize achievements
in 25 categories; 14 in motion pictures and 11
in television. dick clark productions has
produced the Golden Globes ceremony since 1983.
A continuing tradition of the Hollywood Foreign
Press Association is the group’s annual
selection of Miss and/or Mr. Golden Globe, the
daughter and/or son of a well-known performer
who assists in the Golden Globe
ceremony. Previous Miss Golden Globe honorees
include Laura Dern (daughter of Diane Ladd and
Bruce Dern), Joely Fisher (daughter of Connie
Stevens and Eddie Fisher), Melanie Griffith
(daughter of Tippi Hedren) and last year’s
honoree Lorraine Nicholson (daughter of Jack
Nicholson). Previous Mr. Golden Globes include
John Clark Gable and Freddie Prinze, Jr.
The HFPA
is currently celebrating its 66th anniversary in
Hollywood. Today the members of the Hollywood
Foreign Press Association represent some 55
countries with a combined readership of more
than 250 million. Their publications include
leading newspapers and magazines in Europe,
Asia, Australasia and Latin America, ranging
from the Daily Telegraph in England to Le Figaro
in France, L'Espresso in Italy and Vogue in
Germany as well as the China Times and the
pan-Arabic magazine Kul Al Osra.
Each year HFPA members interview more than 400
actors, directors, writers and producers, as
well as reporting from film sets and seeing more
than 300 films. Members also attend film
festivals in other countries in order to seek
out interesting and innovative foreign language
films and establish cultural bonds with
directors, actors, jurors and fellow journalists
around the world.
Membership meetings are held monthly and the
officers and directors are elected annually. A
maximum of five journalists are admitted to the
organization each year. All members are
accredited by the Motion Picture Association of
America.
As the
international box office has dramatically
expanded in recent years, so the Globes’
prestige has increased. The awards now have the
distinction of being one of the three
most-watched award shows on television.
Mission Statement
The
mission of the HFPA is:
To
establish favorable relations and cultural ties
between foreign countries and the United States
of America by the dissemination of information
concerning the American culture and traditions
as depicted in motion pictures and television
through news media in various foreign countries;
To
recognize outstanding achievements by conferring
annual Awards of Merit, (Golden Globe® Awards),
serving as a constant incentive within the
entertainment industry, both domestic and
foreign, and to focus wide public attention upon
the best in motion pictures and television;
To
contribute to other nonprofit organizations
connected with the entertainment industry and
involved in educational, cultural, and
humanitarian activities;
To
promote interest in the study of the arts,
including the development of talent in the
entertainment field through scholarships given
to major learning institutions.