Hollywood is a man's world
Meryl Streep will receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award during the 74th Golden Globe Awards on January 8, 2017. She will be the 64th recipient of this honorary award, the 14th woman as well. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) bestows this award on the artist who has "outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment". In this regard, Streep should have been recognized two decades earlier after being nominated for an Academy Award during most of the 1980s. Hollywood doesn't favor older actresses, where most of them lost their A-list status upon reaching the age of 40. Streep's talent is hard to pass up, and Hollywood tends to keep an eye on exceptional artists. Streep, a native of Summit, New Jersey, would set a precedent for a small group of actresses. They are the lucky ones.
The Cecil B. DeMille Award was named after a filmmaker who was considered the Founding Father of Hollywood. Cecil B. DeMille was a prolific director during the silent film era, as he was notable for the Biblical trilogy. "The Ten Commandments" (1923), "The King of Kings" (1927), and "The Sign of the Cross" (1932) might seem unusual subjects in showbiz, but the likes of DeMille saw Biblical references to the Holy Land. Hollywood would be the mecca of the entertainment industry, which already produced a string of classic silent films. It happened that Europe was stacked with creative, if not innovative, filmmakers. The rise of Nazism forced most of them to migrate to America. It was Hollywood's gain, which didn't affect DeMille's fortune at all.
DeMille made a successful transition to talkies, turning several silent film personalities into stars (of the early years of the talkies). Gloria Swanson, for instance, would be remembered for the iconic role of Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard" (1950). In DeMille's case, he would direct big-budget spectacles featuring some of the biggest names in Hollywood. He could be credited with the concept of an all-star cast, as his big-budget remake of "The Ten Commandments" (1956) would show. And the members of the HFPA saw it fitting to name DeMille as the first recipient of the Cecil B. DeMille Award.
Judy Garland was the first female recipient of the award, which happened seven years before her untimely death. She was 39 years of age, the youngest to receive it. Some might be surprised at it, wondering why Bette Davis wasn't the first to do so. Perhaps the former Warner Bros. star was still playing leads during her middle age. She did receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1975. HFPA passed up several actresses, notably the ones who shone in screwball comedies. Doris Day was the exception, if not for her contribution to the recording industry. (This could be the factor that decided in her favor.) Let's have a look at some of them:
Katharine Hepburn. She may be the actress with the most Oscars, but Miss Hepburn didn't win a Golden Globe during her illustrious career. It wasn't difficult to figure out the reasons. The actress seldom attended such gatherings. She was an intensely private person, opting to keep a distance between her and the media. And there was her long relationship with Spencer Tracy. It was a shame, as Miss Hepburn was the undisputed queen of screwball comedies.
Deborah Kerr. Her case shouldn't be a matter of debate, as she appeared in every genre that moviegoers could imagine. There was no doubt about her screen presence, if not her talent.
Jane Fonda. The daughter of Henry Fonda, a Hollywood legend, will turn 80 next year. She can also be considered a legend in her own right if the accolades and her pedigree are concerned, but she came into the spotlight during the tumultuous years in America. It was a time for picking sides, and Jane Fonda found herself on the wrong side of the fence. It could be several years before the HFPA will consider another actress to receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award, and Fonda might kick the bucket by then.
As for the current crop of actresses, only a few are likely to receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award. Cate Blanchett, which can be a certainty if she wins her third Academy Award. Helen Mirren who seems to be a long shot. (But she is truly a lucky one.) And Jennifer Lawrence. What do you think?
