Golden Globes - All That Glitters Helps Others

Ordinary people, people who are not celebrities, like to see famous people they ‘know’ from movies and television getting together at award shows because it shows them in a more ‘normal’ light – yes, they are all glamed up, but it’s nice to see a celebrity outside of their originally caste show. The Golden Globes allows ordinary people to view their favorite celebrities sharing drinks an d a meal while awards take place.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association – HFPA is known for its philanthropic donations to further education in the arts among many other charities in addition to their annual Golden Globes award show held every January.

HFPA began as a group of journalists whose only aspiration was to report – precisely and proficiently – all aspects of the world of entertainment – they felt people wanted to know how they (the journalists) felt about movies and all things entertainment. These young journalists, mostly from the Los Angels area, started out as war correspondents overseas during World War II when audiences were clamoring for some type of diversion from the relentless and depressing war coverage. People began turning to the motion pictures which offered them not only a structure for entertainment, but inspiration and a form of escape – much as it still delivers today only on a more technically advanced stage.

The idea for a foreign journalist’s organization was not a new one in the 1940s. During 1928 the Hollywood Association of Foreign Correspondents (HAFCO) was created and in 1935 came the Foreign Press Society however both ran out of financial support early on.

It was 1943 when the journalists first formed the Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association in which their motto became “Unity without Discrimination of Religion or Race” but it was a tough sell for the organization because the film industry had not realized the importance of foreign markets.

The HFCA first official gathering was an informal luncheon in 1947 where they gave a plague to Warner Bro. president for commendable humanitarian work in Hollywood.

Distinguished achievement awards were not handed out until a 20th Century Fox ‘gala’ in which the “Song of Bernadette” and the late Jennifer Jones received an award for Best Actress and the movie for Best Film. Paul Lukas received a parchment paper scroll – the award at the time – for Best Actor for his role in “Watch the Rhine.” It wasn't until the following year that the Golden Globe statue was created after a ‘best design contest’ to find the associations new award design.

Between 1950 and 1955, the original Hollywood Foreign Correspondents Association split into two groups with different philosophies. Part of the group split off to form the Foreign Press Association of Hollywood. When the two separate groups finally decided to combined again, they agreed upon the requirements and guidelines for all members.

Today, HFPA is charged with watching nearly 300 movies and interviewing over 400 writers, directors, producers and actors for write ups in leading publications all over the world. The group has more than 55 countries it represents and the Golden Globes are the third most watched award show on television.