Sacheen Littlefeather Reflects on 1973 Oscars: 'I Did Not Do This Totally for Marlon ... I Did This fo
Sacheen Littlefeather made Oscars history in 1973 when she became the first Native woman to stand on stage at the awards ceremony. When Marlon Brando was named best actor for “The Godfather,” Littlefeather declined the prize on behalf of him, as he had boycotted the Oscars in protest of Hollywood’s portrayal of Native Americans. Met with both boos and cheers, she was escorted off the stage.
But her 60-second Oscar speech was life-changing for her, as well as others. “He very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award,” Littlefeather said to an audience of millions in her 1973 speech. “And the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry… and on television in movie re-runs, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee.”
Now, 50 years later, Littlefeather has received a letter of apology from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. And this weekend, the Academy will host “An Evening With Sacheen Littlefeather,” billed as a “very special program of conversation, reflection, healing and celebration.”
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In the documentary “Sacheen Breaking the Silence,” you talk about people trying to get on stage and you mention the often-repeated story about John Wayne being restrained. What do you remember about that moment?
I heard a disturbance from behind me as I was speaking up at the podium. I found out that he had been restrained by six security men from assaulting me while I was on that stage. That was the most violent moment that had ever taken place at the Academy Awards.
I read your link and apparently there is no actual proof that John Wayne or anybody else actually did that. But,don't let the facts get in the way of your outrage.
Did John Wayne Try To Pull Sacheen Littlefeather Offstage at 1973 Oscars?
John Wayne, a Hollywood actor best known for his starring roles in westerns, reportedly had to be restrained by security guards as he tried to pull Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather off the Oscars stage in 1973. The half-century-old story of Littlefeather’s controversial appearance at the awards show and Wayne’s violent reaction to it began making the rounds again as the “slap heard around the world,” involving an onstage altercation between actor Will Smith and comedian Chris Rock, went viral in March 2022.
Some observers claimed that the moment Smith slapped Rock for joking about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, was one of the “ugliest” in the history of the awards. This characterization was criticized by people who cited other alarming moments in Oscar history, including the time convicted rapist Roman Polanski was awarded an Oscar in 2003.
