Everything Everywhere Daily: History, Science, Geography, & More The Greatest Oscar Snubs
Mar 15, 2026
A brisk tour of the biggest Oscar snubs in film history. Stories include backroom influence, aggressive award campaigns, and surprising genre bias. Classic upsets like Citizen Kane, Vertigo, and Saving Private Ryan are highlighted. The segment lists other overlooked films and ponders how voting trends shaped results.
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Host's Personal Best Picture Collection
- Gary Arndt owns nearly every Best Picture winner on Blu-ray or 4K, giving him hindsight for evaluating winners versus snubs.
- He notes the lone exception is Around the World in 80 Days, which exists only on DVD in his collection.
Citizen Kane Lost Because Of Hearst's Influence
- Citizen Kane lost Best Picture in 1941 despite now being widely considered the greatest film ever made.
- Gary Arndt explains William Randolph Hearst used his Hollywood influence to pressure Academy voters against the film, altering the outcome at the time.
Weinstein's Campaign Toppled Saving Private Ryan
- Shakespeare in Love beat Saving Private Ryan at the 1999 Oscars largely due to Harvey Weinstein's aggressive awards campaign.
- Gary Arndt details tactics like sending DVDs to every Academy member and framing narratives to erode support for Ryan.