It was the first Golden Globe Gala, held at the Beverly Hilton to honor Viola Davis and Ted Danson’s amazing careers. Both stars’ acceptance talks were clearly moving to the crowd.
Meryl Streep presented Viola Davis with the coveted Cecil B. DeMille Award. Streep talked about the first time she saw Davis’s talent, at a table read for the 2008 movie Doubt, which won Davis her first Oscar nomination.
As Davis took the stage, tears ran down her face. “I feel like someone just set me on fire,” she said. To make her laugh, she told Streep in jest, “You’re just a great broad. ” You forgot that I went with you to the bathroom on the first day of practice. “I just wanted to smell you.”
Davis then talked about her amazing rise from poverty to fame in Hollywood. She was honest about her background, talking about a home where there was alcoholism and other problems. “I just wanted to be somebody,” she said, describing how acting helped her escape her bad situation.
At the gala, Ted Danson was also given the Carol Burnett Award for his important services to television. His wife, Mary Steenburgen, presented the award with warmth and humor, highlighting Danson’s commitment to environmental issues through his work with Oceana.
In her acceptance speech, Danson dedicated the award to Glen and Les Charles, the writers of “Cheers,” who were present. “Everything I have in life as an actor comes from you all,” he said. In his speech, he showed clips from his career, including the famous part he played as Sam Malone on “Cheers” and his recent hits in “The Good Place” and “A Man on the Inside.”
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At the end of his speech, he used a famous line from the last episode of “Cheers” in 1993: “I truly am the luckiest son of a bitch on earth.”
The Golden Gala was an important event in history because it honored two artists whose impact went beyond their performances. Davis’s moving story of finding value in art and Danson’s humble recognition of his teachers highlighted the transformative power of television and film.
