Despite earning critical praise for last year 's ceremony , actress and comedian Whoopi Goldberg announced that she would not host the ceremony for a second consecutive year saying , " I 've had a great time , but I 've done it . " She added that her role in the upcoming movie '' Bogus '' would jeopardize her busy schedule . In addition , her Comic Relief co-host and veteran Oscar emcee Billy Crystal also declined to host the show citing his commitment to his film '' Forget Paris '' which he directed , written , starred , and produced . Producer Gil Cates hired actor , comedian , and '' Late Show '' host David Letterman as host of the 1995 ceremony . Cates explained his decision to hire the late night talk show host saying , " He 's punctual , he 's well groomed , and he knows how to keep an audience awake . " ABC entertainment president Ted Harbert also approved of the choice stating , " If Dave likes the experience , this could be a great answer for the show , just the way Johnny Carson did the show for many years . " As with previous ceremonies he produced , Cates centered the show around a theme . This year , he christened the show with the theme " Comedy and the Movies " commenting " This year , because of the earthquakes and floods and Bosnia and Rwanda , it was a ( terrible ) year , and therefore seemed a great year to celebrate what movies can really give us , which is an opportunity to go for two hours in the dark and laugh together . Even with television , it 's not a community experience unless you have a very big family . So it 's unique to movies and theater , and it 's this very human thing . " In tandem with the theme , the ceremony 's opening number featured a montage produced by Chuck Workman featuring scenes of humorous moments from a variety of both comedic and non-comedic films . During that segment , actors Tim Curry , Kathy Najimy , and Mara Wilson performing a modified version of the song " Make 'Em Laugh " from the film '' Singin ' in the Rain '' . Several collections of film clips were shown throughout the broadcast highlighting various aspects of comedy such as troupes and dialogue
last year 's ceremony
66th Academy Awards
67th Academy Awards