Oscars In Memoriam Omissions: Why Were Carol Channing, Stanley Donen, Sondra Locke & Others Left Out?

Many viewers of the 91st Academy Awards noticed that some notable names and faces were missing from the annual “In Memoriam” segment on Sunday, which displayed photos of famous people in the film industry who died over the previous year.

Before introducing this year’s segment during the live show on Sunday, Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President John Bailey noted that not everyone could make the cut, leaving many viewers unsettled.

Among the most notable stars not included was Academy Award nominee Carol Channing, best known for her work on variety shows and sitcoms.

Other performers left off of what many on social media noticed was the beloved character Dick Miller, who appeared in more than 100 films during his career, including Gremlins, The Little Shop of Horrors, and The Terminator. Sondra Locke, who received an Oscar nomination for her role in The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, was also left out. 

Stanley Donen, the filmmaker behind several iconic films including Singin’ in the Rain, Funny Face, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, was also noticeably absent in the Memoriam tribute on Sunday.

Others that were left out include American Graffiti and Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz, Aretha Franklin, actress Julie Adams, actor R. Lee Ermey, Spongebob Squarepants creator Stephen Hillenburg, actor John Mahoney, actor Al Matthews, comedian Brody Stevens, and actor Verne Troyer.

Many viewers noticed this and took to social media to express their disappointment, including Channing’s publicist, Harlan Boll.

“I am inconsolably heartsick that the Motion Picture Academy would ignore one of its own members and an Academy Award nominee, Carol Channing, in the in memoriam,” he wrote in a Facebook post. “I texted a colleague of mine over at the Academy to inquire how this could happen. In what may have been a miss guided (sic) attempt to soften the blow, I received the response that … ‘Well, she really wasn’t that important to our industry and no one in Hollywood really knows who she was.’ WTF?!?!?!?!?”

“It’s inexcusable,” he continued. “I’m sitting here talking to Michael Learned, Loretta Swit, George Chakiris, Margaret O’Brien, Roslyn Kind, and numerous other Academy members who are all simply stunned that Carol Channing would be ignored by the industry that she dedicated her life, and she fervently fought for and believed in. It’s inexcusable.”

Others also chimed in on the matter over Twitter.

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“This year #InMemoriam was the worst of my lifetime. Mentioning people not that important in the large scheme of things and ignoring the largest amount of very important people who deserved to be there a lot more than any year I remember,” one user wrote.

“Journalists covering tonight’s ceremony are literally editing their pieces as they write, but the Academy can’t cut a single Stanley Donen clip into their in-memoriam montage in 24 hours? #oscars,” another wrote.