Oscar bait success of summer blockbusters like "Jaws" and "Star Wars" (both of which had also been nominated for Best Picture), independent filmmakers refined Carr's methods of exploiting the Oscars. Merchant Ivory, who produced lavish costume dramas, often based on novels by Henry James or E. M. Forster, began to time their releases to align with the awards season. Their 1985 adaptation of Forster's "A Room with a View" won three of the eight Oscars it was nominated for. By 1991 the modern film-release calendar, in which studios released the movies they had the highest Oscar hopes for in autumn and December,
Oscar speech during a speech overrun. In 1973, Marlon Brando famously refused an Oscar due to his support of Native Americans. A part of his speech was read on stage by Sacheen Littlefeather. There are certain recurring themes in Oscar speeches, particularly in the people thanked. These can range from an actor's agent to the film's director, to their co-stars, to their God, to their idols and to their parents. The longest Oscar speech was given by Greer Garson at the 15th Academy Awards after she was named Best Actress for 1942 for "Mrs. Miniver". Her speech ran for nearly six minutes.