Oscar wars: a history of Hollywood in gold, sweat, and tears

Introduction: A little too scared to hope

You ain't heard nothin' yet, 1927-29 : the Academy's turbulent birth

Rebels, 1933-39 : Frank Capra and the attack of the guilds

War! 1942 : the plot against Citizen Kane

The greatest star, 1951 : all about an extraordinary Best Actress race

Who is Robert Rich? 1947-60 : three screenwriters and the Hollywood blacklist

X, 1970 : the counterculture takes the Oscars

Running the asylum, 1976 : the Oscars fly over the cuckoo's nest

Fiasco, 1989 : Allan Carr and the "worst Oscars ever"

The Harveys, 1999 : Shakespeare in Love vs. Saving Private Ryan

Tokens, 1940, 1964, 2002 : Hattie McDaniel, Sidney Poitier, and Halle Berry make history

The envelope, 2017 : #OscarsSoWhite and a chaotic night

Afterword: Gettin' jiggy wit it.