Back in the Golden Age of Hollywood, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences thought it would be cute to award child actors and actresses diminutive “Junior Oscars”, officially called Academy Juvenile Awards, to honor their performances. Only a dozen child stars earned a Junior Oscar, beginning with Shirley Temple in 1934 and ending 26 years later after Hayley Mills was awarded her pint-sized statuette in 1960.
Bob Hope presents Margaret O'Brien with the Academy's first "Oscarette" for best performance of a child actress in 1944 in this colorized photograph. (GettyImages)
In between, young actress Margaret O’Brien was awarded her Academy Juvenile Award. The year was 1944 and the six-year-old actress was presented the award for her role as Tootie, the younger sister of Judy Garland’s character in Meet Me in St. Louis. But ten years later, the Junior Oscar was stolen from O’Brien’s house. In this series of colorized photographs, we will look at the career of Margaret O’Brien, the theft of her Junior Oscar, and the happy ending that took place 50 years later.
Who Was Margaret O'Brien?
Actually, the header should read "Who Is Margaret O'Brien?" as the actress is very much alive. (vintag.es.com)
A talented child actress, Margaret O’Brien was just four years old when she made her film debut in the 1941 classic, Babes on Broadway. Her appearance in this movie led to a major role in Journey for Margaret in 1942 when she was five years old. She played the daughter of James Cagney and Ann Sothern in You, John Jones, a war bond short film. The precocious seven-year-old recited the “Gettysburg Address” in this appearance. O’Brien’s most memorable movie role, however, was in Meet Me in St. Louis. She played the part of Tootie, the feisty little sister of Judy Garland’s character. It was for this role that Margaret O’Brien earned her Academy Juvenile Award at the Oscar Ceremony in 1944.
Transitioning to Adult Roles
Margaret O'Brien starred alongside Judy Garland, as seen in this colorized photo. (twitter)
Margaret O’Brien went on to appear in a number of films as a child, including The Canterville Ghost, The Secret Garden, and Little Women. Like many former child stars, O’Brien found it difficult to transition into more grown-up roles. About the time O’Brien was facing this issue, however, a new form of entertainment was taking off … television. She landed roles on television shows that were more appropriate for an actress of her age at the time. She appeared on the cover of Life magazine in 1958 with the headline commenting on how the former child star had matured into a young lady.
The Scene of the Crime: Margaret O’Brien’s Award Room
A colorized photo of the young child star. (guidepost)
Margaret O’Brien earned numerous awards and honors along with her Academy Juvenile Award. O’Brien’s mother kept them all in a designated room in their house. In 1954, the family’s maid asked if she could remove the Junior Oscar, along with a few other trophies, to polish them. O’Brien’s mother granted the maid permission … after all, she had taken the trophies from the room in the past for the same purpose and returned them promptly and well-polished. But this time was different. When three days had passed and the maid failed to return the items, O’Brien’s mother fired her and requested that the items be returned immediately.
Other Distractions
Margaret O'Brien grew into a beautiful young woman, as shown in this colorized photograph. (pinterest)
Not long after firing the sticky-fingered maid, Margaret O’Brien’s mother suffered a health emergency. She died a short time later. In her grief, O’Brien, who was 17 years old at the time, forgot about the Oscar. Several months passed before she could worry about the stolen Oscar again. When she tried to reach out to the maid, she learned that the woman had moved away and left no forwarding address.
A Replacement Oscar
O'Brien worked in TV and radio as well as on films. (oldtimeradiodownloads.com)
A few more years passed, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences learned about Margaret O’Brien’s stolen Oscar. They issued her a replacement trophy, but she still hoped that her original award would turn up one day. She took an active role in searching for her stolen Academy Award by frequenting Hollywood memorabilia swap meets and stopping in random antique stores hoping to find the trophy.
Fast Forward Fifty Years
It took more than fifty years, but Margaret O'Brien's long-lost Oscar was finally returned to her. (yahoo)
Just over fifty years later, in 1995, someone contacted the executive director of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Bruce Davis, who received a call that a diminutive Oscar award with Margaret O’Brien’s name on it was listed among items to be sold in an upcoming memorabilia auction. Davis called O’Brien to informer that, after fifty years, her stolen Oscar award had finally been found. With the stolen Junior Oscar safely recovered, Bruce Davis and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences arranged for a special award presentation to be held in Beverly Hills. At the event, the missing Oscar was once again presented to Margaret O’Brien. O’Brien was quoted in the press as saying, “At last, my Oscar has been returned to me.” A textbook Hollywood happy ending!
