The Annual presentation of Oscars at the Hollywood Academy Awards, featuring the Stars and Personalities who've been acclaimed with the highest honour the industry can award.

Disclaimer: British Movietone is an historical collection. Any views and expressions within either the video or metadata of the collection are reproduced for historical accuracy and do not represent the opinions or editorial policies of the Associated Press.

SHOTLIST:

GV exterior sign "40th Academy Awards". CU exterior Oscar in front of building. MS exterior audience. MCU exterior Gregory Peck with his wife being interviewed. MCU exterior Troy Donahue signing autographs. GV interior audience. MS Bob Hope walks onto stage. MS Dame Edith Evans onto stage to receive Oscar for her part in the "Whisperers". MLS audience clapping. MS Barbra Streisand presents Oscar to Sammy Davis Junior on behalf of Leslie Bricusse for "Talk to the Animals" in "Dr Dolittle". BS audience clapping. MS Sidney Poitier presents Best Actress Oscar accepted on behalf of Katherine Hepburn by George Cukor. MS George Cukor onto stage and receives Oscar. MS audience clapping. MS Audrey Hepburn presented Oscar for Best Actor to Rod Steiger. MS Rod Steiger walks onto stage and receives Oscar for "In the Heat of the Night". MS audience clapping. MS Rod Steiger walks off stage with Audrey Hepburn.

Britain sweeps the board at the 39th Academy Awards in Hollywood. Five Oscars for "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf" - six Oscars for "A Man for all Seasons".

Disclaimer: British Movietone is an historical collection. Any views and expressions within either the video or metadata of the collection are reproduced for historical accuracy and do not represent the opinions or editorial policies of the Associated Press.

SHOTLIST:

Key scene. GV Santa Monica Civic Auditorium. MS press photographers outside auditorium. MS James Stewart arriving. MS press photographers. MCU Gregory Peck arriving. GV interior Auditorium. MS Bob Hope acting as Master of Ceremonies. GV audience. MLS Bob Hope escorting Patricia Neale who presents one of five Oscars for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf". MS Fred Zimmerman receives Oscar from Audrey Hepburn. Pan as they walk off-stage. GV audience. MS Wendy Hiller receives award on behalf of Paul Schofield from Julie Christie. Paul Schofield not present. SEE STORY NUMBER 92251/2, 92251/3 FOR CUTS

EDDIE MURPHY WITHDRAWS AS OSCAR HOST

Eddie Murphy has bowed out of his gig as host of the Academy Awards, following pal Brett Ratner's decision to leave the show as producer because of an uproar over a gay slur.

The news of Murphy's departure came Wednesday, a day after Ratner quit as producer of the Feb. 26 show.

Ratner left amid criticism of his use of a pejorative term for gay men in a question-and-answer session at a screening of his action comedy "Tower Heist," which opened last weekend and stars Murphy and Ben Stiller.

Murphy's exit deprives Oscar organizers of a top star for an often thankless job that's tough to fill, since some past hosts have found little to gain from the gig and plenty to lose if they do a poor job as emcee of Hollywood's biggest party.

The two sides departed with cordial words, though.

"I completely understand and support each party's decision with regard to a change of producers for this year's Academy Awards ceremony," Murphy said in a news release from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. "I was truly looking forward to being a part of the show that our production team and writers were just starting to develop, but I'm sure that the new production team and host will do an equally great job."

Academy President Tom Sherak bid Murphy farewell graciously.

"I appreciate how Eddie feels about losing his creative partner, Brett Ratner, and we all wish him well," Sherak said.

Still, losing Murphy is a blow to a ceremony that has struggled to pep up its image amid a general decline in its TV ratings over the last couple of decades and a rush of hipper awards shows that appeal to younger crowds, such as the MTV Movie Awards.

Oscar planners have sought to shorten the sometimes interminably long show and have tried new ways to present awards in hopes of livening things up.

They also have experimented with unexpected choices as hosts, which worked nicely with the song-and-dance talents of Hugh Jackman three years ago but backfired at last season's show, when perky Anne Hathaway was paired with lackluster co-host James Franco.

When the academy picked Murphy in September, it marked a return to the traditional funnyman as host, a formula that delivered some of the best-remembered Oscar pageants when Bob Hope, Johnny Carson and Billy Crystal ran the show.

Academy officials would not discuss the personnel changes or plans to replace Ratner and Murphy. Ratner's producing partner for the upcoming ceremony - Don Mischer, who co-produced last year's Oscars - remains on board for the show.

Any decision on who will replace Murphy as host likely will not come until Oscar planners make a decision on whether to bring in another producer to work with Mischer.

Organizers still have plenty of time. The show is more than three months away, and much of the work in staging it has to wait until Oscar nominations are announced Jan. 24, anyway.

There's also no great rush to name a new host. The academy did not announce Hathaway and Franco as hosts until the end of November last year, while the announcement on Jackman three years ago did not come until mid-December.

SHOTLIST (including transcript):-

AP Entertainment

New York, 24 October 2011

1. Wide of Eddie Murphy on red carpet

2. Wide shot Murphy speaking to reporters

3. SOUNDBITE (English) Eddie Murphy, actor (on his oscar preparations): "I haven't done anything yet. I've got to see what movies get nominated. Right now I'm just waiting to see what's gonna happen next. I've never hosted...I haven't seen anything yet. What's the front runner there? Who knows?"

Reporter: "What are you most excited about?"

Eddie Murphy: "I've never had the experience. I'm looking forward to seeing what the whole experience is. I'm excited about that, yeah and hoping not to drop the ball. We'll see."

4. Wide Brett Ratner on red carpet

5. Wide Brett Ratner on red carpet

Academy Awards Night

Top acting Oscars go to Lee Marvin and Julie Christis "The Sound of Music" wins Best Picture and Bob Hope gets a special gold medal.

Shooting The Rapids

On craft ranging from inner tubes and rubber rafts to orthodox rowboats some 500 courageous college lads and teenagers brave 19 miles of boiling white rapids of the McKenzie River in Oregon's White Water Parade.