Oscars bump American icon to honor convicted Nazi sympathizer during memorium segment
 

Leni Riefenstahl who's film Triumph of the Will is considered by many as the best propaganda film ever (and an intricate part of the Third Reich's propaganda machine), will be honored in the memorium segment of the Oscars next month.

The passing of Penny Singleton who's career spanned 87 years will not be mentioned at the telecast.

Before she was the voice of Jane Jetson her portrayal of Blondie in the movies was so popular it spawned 27 sequels! Name another performer who can match that (besides of course, her costar in those 28 films, Arthur Lake:))

The Academy can officially go fuck itself:321GFY if it does not change this before the telecast. I know a lot of people died this year, including some biggies who will get their own segments, but I can wait an extra 5 seconds for my already late news to come on for them to slap a quick pic of one of Americas most beloved movie characters ever up on the screen. Gee Penny, maybe if you die a better death next year you'll make it.

You get convicted for being a nazi sympathizer?

Can't find exactly what the charges were that she got 4 years for in Nuremberg, I got that from a review of a documentary about her:

"This glittering, silent realm appears to be Riefenstahl?s final escape from her pariah status in social and artistic circles since her indictment as a Nazi sympathizer (and subsequent four years in prison) at the end of World War II."

Hmmm, another bio suggests she was held for 4 years but not convicted:
"She was not convicted in the trials, but was labelled as a Nazi sympathiser."

My point is, I don't really care if they want to honor Hitler's chosen propoganda filmographer, she was part of history, but I feel Penny Singleton made a bigger blip on most of our radar screens and certainly should be included... truly tacky decision, jeeze, cut 5 seconds off of a Billy Crystal production number or Robin William's crackhead sound effects.

what channel is this on?? i would guess CBS!

Oscars will be on ABC a week from Sunday (29th).

Leni Riefenstahl's work is superb. It's well worth getting the dvd of Triumph Of The Will.

She was a German in Hitlers era, and remember befor ethe second world war Hitler was hero worshipped as a man that brought prosperity to a nation on the breadline.

Many millions of Germans thought him a good man.

Now we have Bush, who invades countries that are of no threat to the USA, kidnaps hundreds of people and holds them at Guantanamo bay, without being charged and withholding them any type of legal help. He has killed hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis, and yet american people think him a good man!

Leni Riefenstahl deserves to be honored at the Oscars, no matter what party she supported.

Sure Leni Riefenstahl deserves to be honored at the Oscars, but so does Penny Singleton. Maybe not so many people these days familiar with her but during the time they both impacted audiences in different ways.

These days we have thousands of channels, the internet, and a million other entertainment opportunities. Movies are simply another option. During WWII most people had a few clear radio stations if they were lucky and usually a single screen theater in town. "Going to the pictures" as some of the older folks call it was a big part of American social life. It was their TV. People often went several times a week to watch serials, cartoons, features and it's where they got to "see" the news. The movie theater shaped the American public opinion as the more efficient TV & internet systems do today. Kazaa is full of facinating bits of America's own propoganda during WWII that was piped through the movie theater system.

Heck, Penny was involved in a little reverse propoganda with Blondie For Victory (1942) where she joins the Housewives of America for the war effort :)

Blondie was our grandparent's version of a hit sitcom. As we look to our sitcoms to provide comic relief from nasty world events, so did they. She brought comic relief to millions.

I still think it's tremendously tacky of them not to include her.

cruel trick they played on your grandmother.

Where can I get this "Triumph of the Will" DVD?

DVD Description

This documentary of the Sixth Nazi Party Congress at, ironically enough, Nuremberg, is a frightening example of powerful film propaganda. It helped launch Hitler into power and its sweeping style was later used by American director Frank Capra for his war documentaries.

lol, the stupid things Americans waste their time worrying about is unreal. Yes, the world will be a much worse place if the Oscars talk about a dead Nazi sympathizer for 2 minutes, let's riot. lol, don't bother to research or even accept the fact that your President is a 3rd generation Nazi supporter who's now in bed with the Saudi royal family and the Bin Ladens. It's not on TV so it must not matter, let's get outraged about Janet's tit and the oscars. :1orglaugh

You'd probably love this guy, if we were in the 30's everyone here knows you'd be the biggest Hitler supporter around. I've never seen anyone believe 100% of the propaganda the US spews out, most braindeads usually have at least 1 or 2 questions.

LOL, hardly worried or outraged, just throwing something different out there for discussion:)

I do think it's tacky for the Oscars to not include someone that well known. They better not include that Keiko the whale!:1orglaugh

people forget they gave an award to a pedophile/child rapist...Roman Polanski.

Sure the pianist was a good movie..but the guy's been running from the law on that charge for over 25 years now...and Holllywood honored him.

Haha, does anyone see the connection between the two. I think we are all a little bit obsessed with Hitler, WW2 and such. Fuck, it's going on almost 60 years now. I can't believe this is still such a sore spot.

Leni Riefenstahl also had a huge impact on cinematography and a lot of visuals we see in movies to this day. She was more than just the woman who made Hitler famous, she created a whole new way of making films.

I've also seen "Triumph Of The Will" and, content aside, it's amazing piece of filmmaking.