Jane Fonda had a golden opportunity to lash out against the Vietnam War _ and she passed.
"There's a great deal to say, and I'm not going to say it tonight," she said upon reaching the podium in 1972 to accept the Oscar for "Klute."
Don't expect this year's winners to be as restrained.
The only thing more certain than an Emma Stone victory is that Sunday night's broadcast will be jam-packed with political speeches slamming Donald Trump's policies, particularly his push to restrict certain Muslims from reaching American shores and rescinding guidelines that support transgenders' rights to use the public bathrooms of their choice.
Earlier legs of the awards circuit have sent a clear signal that some winners are more likely to thank their immigrant parents than their agents.
Julie Louis-Dreyfus, "Stranger Things" star David K. Harbour and "Moonlight"'s Mahershala Ali, an Oscar frontrunner as best supporting actor, used their Screen Actors Guild victories to make impassioned pleas for religious tolerance. Harbour even promised to punch opponents in the face, a threat that triggered one of several facial convulsions form Winona Ryder.
The most memorable moment from the Golden Globes wasn't "the Moonlight" cast celebrating its upset win but Meryl Streep's six-minute tirade that included a withering attack on the new president.
At the Grammys, presenters and nominees were practically egged on to use the stage to push a political agenda.
"One of the things I've learned from working with artists for 40 years is that they are deep-thinking, vital individuals who have interests that cover a broad spectrum of subjects and passions," executive producer Ken Erhlich told Variety magazine before the Grammy ceremonies. "We should certainly allow for it on the broadcast."
It wasn't this way back in 1972 _ or for decades after that. Vanessa Redgrave's career took a hit after she used her 1978 acceptance speech to rip the Jewish Anti-Defamation League. Oscars producer Gil Cates threatened to slap a lifetime ban on Richard Gere, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon after they used the world-wide pulpit in 1993 to speak on behalf of Haitian and Tibetan refugees. And Michael Moore may still be ringing the boos out of his ears after he lambasted war efforts in 2003, four days after America had started dropping bombs on Iraq.
But, this time around, stars seem unlikely to get much backlash if they rail against the president, at least not within the friendly confines of the Dolby Theater. The Hollywood community seems quite united in their opposition to polices that, in their minds, are more rooted in discrimination than in protecting Americans (Vince Vaughn is among the few big names that may beg to differ).
And then there's the fact that controversial moments make for good TV. Executives can no longer rely on viewers to tune in just to see what their favorite stars are wearing. The ratings for last year's Oscars broadcast hit an eight-year low and was the third least watched program in its long history. A few impassioned moments tailor-made to go viral _ even if they're circulated in anger _ can't hurt.
"Spontaneity helps all these shows," Oscars co-producer Michael De Luca told the Hollywood Reporter. "I don't like this attitude that just because someone's a celebrity, their right of speech is taken away."
With that in mind, De Luca would probably be delighted for a speech like Harbour gave at the SAG Awards
