Lauren Bacall, 2 Others Receive Early Oscars

Without the burden of a live worldwide broadcast, members of the film academy threw themselves a lively yet relaxed dinner party to honor the first Oscar winners of the season.

In this photo taken Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, film producer and director Roger Corman speaks during an...

In this photo taken Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, film producer and director Roger Corman speaks during an interview at his office in Los Angeles. Corman, memorably dubbed the Orson Welles of the Z-Movie and the Pope of Pop Cinema, never expected the words "Academy Award recipient" would accompany his name. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

(AP)

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences broke with tradition and presented its honorary Oscars off-camera Saturday night, months ahead of the televised ceremony in March.

Actress Lauren Bacall, B-movie king Roger Corman and "Godfather" cinematographer Gordon Willis each received Oscar statuettes during the black-tie banquet at the Grand Ballroom above the Kodak Theatre, the same room where the annual post-Academy Awards Governors Ball is held.

In addition, producer John Calley was honored with the Irving J. Thalberg Memorial Award, recognizing career accomplishments that include "Catch-22," "The Remains of the Day" and "The Da Vinci Code."

Each of the recipients was chosen by the academy's Board of Governors.

Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson, Annette Bening, Morgan Freeman and Steven Spielberg were among the 600 invited guests at the inaugural Governors Awards event.

"We're gathered here together, all artists, celebrating excellence without any television cameras — isn't it great?" said veteran producer Norman Jewison.

Warren Beatty agreed: "It's so much better ... that nobody's worrying whether 36.5 million people are watching us or 29.2," he said.

Guests drank Champagne and dined on filet mignon as each honoree was celebrated with tributes, toasts and a generous montage of film clips — leisurely elements not possible in previous years when special-Oscar presentations were built into the already-crowded Oscar broadcast.

Corman, 83, was the first to be honored Saturday night. The longtime producer-director was lauded for being a champion of independent and efficient filmmaking and for promoting women to positions of leadership long before it was popular.

Quentin Tarantino said the man behind films such as "Bloody Mama" and "X: The Man With the X-Ray Eyes," inspired him to become a filmmaker. He praised Corman for his "undeniable impact on the industry, both as a business and as an art form."