Chapter 76

 Oscar Night Revelations and the Road to DreamWorks' Success

The Best Picture Award at the Oscars went to Seventh Heaven, while the Academy's choice was Wings. No one has made it clear if there were any hidden rules that determined these selections.

At the first Academy Awards, the biggest winners were undoubtedly the Seventh Heaven team, who bagged three prestigious awards: Best Picture, Best Actor, and Best Editor.

Two Arabian Knights won the Best Director Award, while Captain Willie took home the Best Animated Feature Award. Other awards were not as significant, with lesser attention given to them by media mogul Charlie Lee, who preferred not to focus on the less important details.

The Best Actress Award was in line with the Academy's selection, going to Jennie Gino, a result that garnered a lot of attention for her that evening. You could almost imagine the frenzy in the newspapers the next day, eagerly seizing such an opportunity for publicity. If Fox's PR team were to miss this golden chance, it would likely call for a complete overhaul.

Regarding the newly introduced Star Awards, which involved placing stars on the Avenue of Stars, the winners were informed beforehand to come and have their names engraved mid-month. Although the public was unaware of the list of winners, Charlie Lee already knew as the judging panel's decisions for next year were already set. The commercial enterprises were working hard to prepare for the star ceremony.

Unlike the traditional star paths, the new Star Awards would not only feature engraved names but also include an iron plate on the back of each star tile. The winners' achievements and honors would be carved into the plate, a decision that the jury greatly approved of.

"Miss Garbo, might I have the pleasure of inviting you to dinner?" Before the night ended, Charlie Lee made a move to approach the beautiful actress.

"Sorry, I'm on a diet," Gretel replied curtly, not giving him much of a chance. Seeing Frank bow on stage, she turned and walked away.

Charlie Lee was left awkwardly standing in the same place, cursing inwardly.

"Next, I'll leave it to you. I'm heading back to the hotel." With that, he dismissed Aimo and walked out of the theater.

As he made his way outside, Charlie unexpectedly bumped into someone. He quickly stopped himself from colliding with a woman, a near-miss that could have led to an unfortunate scenario.

"No worries. Goodbye," the woman said, giving him a quick glance as she passed by. Afterward, Charlie stepped into the cool night air, releasing a long sigh. "My mother must be a fake protagonist," he muttered under his breath in frustration.

"Mr. Lee," a voice called from behind.

Charlie turned around to see Annie Shirley, the actress he had a prior appointment with. If she hadn't caught up with him, he would have forgotten about her.

"Do you have time? Want to grab a drink at Roosevelt?" Annie's voice, laced with subtle charm, caught his attention.

"It's my pleasure," Charlie replied, flashing a smile. He couldn't resist her. He had made up his mind to embrace his playboy ways, and why not enjoy himself?

Once they arrived at the Roosevelt Hotel, Charlie wrapped his arm around Annie's slender waist, guiding her inside. They went straight to the elevator, both aware of what would likely happen next.

Just as the elevator doors were closing, they were interrupted by the arrival of none other than Gretel, who had also chosen the same hotel. As the doors slid open, Charlie quickly withdrew his hand from Annie's waist, an awkward moment passing between them.

Annie, not wanting Gretel to notice anything, greeted her cheerfully, "Hi, Gretel."

"Hello, Annie," Gretel responded with a polite but somewhat cold smile.

"Are you alone? Want to join us?" Annie casually asked, pulling her hand toward the elevator button.

Charlie, now visibly interested in the idea of spending more time with these women, felt a wave of excitement. "Live together?" he thought, the idea already sparking his imagination.

"I'm good, thanks," Gretel responded, her politeness thinly veiling her indifference. She stepped out of the elevator without another word, leaving the two of them behind.

As the doors closed and the elevator ascended, Annie stopped smiling, a sharp edge to her tone. "You don't seem to like her much, do you?"

Charlie, with a nonchalant shrug, replied, "Not really, but why?"

"Well, every woman in Hollywood dislikes her. Anyone who sees her tends to go crazy over her," Annie said, a hint of jealousy creeping into her voice. "Her salary skyrocketed in just four years, from $100 to $1200 per week. I mean, who wouldn't be jealous of that?"

"Well, you're beautiful too," Charlie said, his hand resting on her waist once again, hoping to keep her interest piqued.

Annie smiled, her eyes turning seductive. "You're a smooth talker. I think I might fall for you."

Charlie could feel his pulse quicken, his attraction to her escalating.

Suddenly, the door to their suite closed, and what followed could only be described as an intense moment of passion. Charlie, however, had to quickly cool himself down with cold water in the bathroom to regain control over his overactive thoughts.

The next morning, Charlie walked out of his office, neatly dressed and ready for the day. Aimo, his assistant, handed him a folder with a document about Gretel.

"Here's the information you needed, Boss," Aimo said.

Charlie took the document and nodded. "I want to give Annie some more opportunities, especially a leading role or at least a supporting one. Make it happen."

Charlie was someone who adhered to the unspoken rules of the game. If someone was willing to pay for opportunities, he would ensure they got a reasonable return. He didn't believe in cutting corners; it was all about playing by the rules.

"Also, take care of Gretel. She's been climbing the ranks quickly, but I'll keep an eye on her," Charlie added.

Aimo, ever the loyal assistant, placed a business card on the table. As long as the women were savvy enough to understand the significance of DreamWorks in Hollywood, everything would fall into place. Charlie was confident that DreamWorks would rise swiftly, especially with the backing of the Lianmei line.

"It's all going well, Boss. The Oscar night was a huge success, and it brought in great networking opportunities. Many companies and independent producers exchanged business cards with me. Even MGM welcomed DreamWorks, and with Douglas owning 5% of the company, it's a solid foundation," Aimo explained.

Charlie smiled, acknowledging the progress being made. "I'm sure DreamWorks will do well. Let's keep pushing forward."

"By the way, you're meeting with Mr. Walter later today. Also, Miss Bergman's part is completed and she will be in Los Angeles at 2 PM. Governor Edward's party is at 6 PM, and everything's ready at Pommel's Hotel. We're expecting guests like Senator Disland, Mayor Carl, and Governor White of Illinois."

Charlie looked over at Aimo. "The new governor? How did he get invited?"

"Yevich knows you're hosting a party in Los Angeles," Aimo replied.

Charlie's curiosity grew. "Anyone else?"

"Mr. Roosevelt, Governor of New York, will also be in Los Angeles tonight. Do you want to invite him?" Aimo asked.

"Yes," Charlie said, after considering the opportunity. He had a decent impression of Roosevelt, even though his political alliances had been unclear. "Invite him and tell him I want to be friends."

Later, after dealing with some business matters, Charlie finally made it to his meeting with Walter.

"Charlie, last night's Oscar night was fantastic! Take a look at this!" Walter greeted him with enthusiasm as he handed over the newspaper.

"Hollywood, Oscar Night," the headline read, a massive title that made Charlie smile. "Just doing my part, Walter. And congratulations on Willie winning Best Animated Feature."

"Thanks," Walter responded, though his expression was a bit strange. "But using pure gold to make it was a bit over the top, don't you think? The safe might be running out of stock soon."

"Well, it's worth celebrating, right?" Charlie responded with a grin.

"Of course," Walter agreed, though he couldn't help but wonder about the unusual amount of gold involved. Each Oscar statuette weighed about six pounds, with 106 ounces of gold in each one—valuing the gold alone at around $2,650. Add in the craftsmanship and prestige, and each trophy was worth at least $3,000, with no real market for selling them.

"By the way, Charlie, you mentioned last time that you had your own ideas about cartoons. Maybe you can enlighten me now," Walter said, a bit curious.

Charlie smiled mysteriously, pulling out a document from his bag. "Maybe you should take a look at this first."

The document was the culmination of a long night of brainstorming, filled with sketches and ideas for a new, ambitious animated project—one that would fuel Disney's next big leap.

Walter opened the cover, his eyes widening as he flipped through the pages. "Oh my god," he gasped. He couldn't believe his eyes as he saw character sketches and storylines for well-known figures like Snow White, Cinderella, and Mickey Mouse, along with new concepts for characters like Toy Story's Woody and Bugs Bunny.

The future of animation was unfolding right before his eyes.