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67th Academy Awards

The 67th Academy Awards ceremony, organized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) took place on March 27, 1995, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles beginning at 6:00 p.m. PST / 9:00 p.m. EST. During the ceremony, AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly referred to as the Oscars) in 23 categories honoring the films released in 1994. The ceremony, televised in the United States by ABC, was produced by Gilbert Cates and directed by Jeff Margolis.[2] Comedian David Letterman hosted the show for the first time.[3] Three weeks earlier in a ceremony held at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on March 4, the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement were presented by host Jamie Lee Curtis.[4]

67th Academy Awards
Official poster
DateMarch 27, 1995
SiteShrine Auditorium
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Hosted byDavid Letterman
Produced byGil Cates
Directed byJeff Margolis
Highlights
Best PictureForrest Gump
Most awardsForrest Gump (6)
Most nominationsForrest Gump (13)
TV in the United States
NetworkABC
Duration3 hours, 32 minutes[1]
Ratings48.28 million
32.5% (Nielsen ratings)

Forrest Gump won six awards, including Best Picture.[5] Other winners included Ed Wood, The Lion King, and Speed with two awards and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert; Blue Sky, Bob's Birthday, Bullets Over Broadway, Burnt by the Sun, Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life, Legends of the Fall, The Madness of King George, Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision, Pulp Fiction, A Time for Justice, and Trevor with one. The telecast garnered more than 48 million viewers in the United States, making it the most watched Oscars telecast since the 55th Academy Awards in 1983.

Winners and nominees

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The nominees for the 67th Academy Awards were announced on February 14, 1995, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California, by Arthur Hiller, the then-president of the Academy, and actress Angela Bassett.[6] Forrest Gump earned the most nominations with thirteen. It was the most nominated film since 1966's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and the fifth film to earn that many nominations.[7] Bullets Over Broadway, Pulp Fiction, and The Shawshank Redemption tied for second with seven each.[8]

The winners were announced during the awards ceremony on March 27, 1995. For only the second time in Oscar history, three of the four acting winners were previous winners. The 11th ceremony held in 1939 previously accomplished this feat.[9] Best Actor winner Tom Hanks became the fifth performer to win consecutive acting Oscars and the second person to do so in the aforementioned category since Spencer Tracy won for his performances in Captains Courageous (1937) and Boys Town (1938).[10][11] He also was the sixth person to win Best Actor twice.[12] Best Supporting Actress winner Dianne Wiest became the first person to win two acting Oscars for performances in films directed by the same person.[a] She first won in that same category for her role in Woody Allen's 1986 film Hannah and Her Sisters.[13] Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life and Trevor's joint win in the Best Live Action Short category marked the fifth occurrence of a tie in Oscar history; the next tie would occur at the 85th Academy Awards in 2013.[14]

Awards

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Steve Tisch, Best Picture co-winner
 
Robert Zemeckis, Best Director winner
 
Tom Hanks, Best Actor winner
 
Jessica Lange, Best Actress winner
 
Martin Landau, Best Supporting Actor winner
 
Dianne Wiest, Best Supporting Actress winner
 
Quentin Tarantino, Best Original Screenplay co-winner
 
Roger Avary, Best Original Screenplay co-winner
 
Peter Capaldi, Best Live Action Short Film co-winner
 
Hans Zimmer, Best Original Score winner
 
Elton John, Best Original Song co-winner
 
Tim Rice, Best Original Song co-winner
 
Ken Adam, Best Art Direction co-winner
 
Rick Baker, Best Makeup co-winner

Winners are listed first, highlighted in boldface, and indicated with a double dagger (‡).[15]

Academy Honorary Award

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Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award

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Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award

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Multiple nominations and awards

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Presenters and performers

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The following individuals, in order of appearance, presented awards or performed musical numbers.[19]

Presenters

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Name(s) Role
Randi Thomas Announcer for the 67th annual Academy Awards
Arthur Hiller (AMPAS President) Gave opening remarks welcoming guests to the awards ceremony
Tommy Lee Jones Presenter of the award for Best Supporting Actress
Sharon Stone Presenter of the award for Best Costume Design
Keanu Reeves Presenter of the film Pulp Fiction on the Best Picture segment
Rene Russo Introducer of the performance of Best Original Song nominee "Make Up Your Mind"
Uma Thurman Presenter of the award for Best Makeup
Sarah Jessica Parker Presenter of the award for Best Sound Effects Editing
Steve Martin Presenter of the award for Best Film Editing
Sally Field Presenter of the film Forrest Gump on the Best Picture segment
Anna Paquin Presenter of the award for Best Supporting Actor
Matt Dillon Introducer of the performance of Best Original Song nominee "Look What Love Has Done"
Oprah Winfrey Presenter of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award to Quincy Jones
Paul Newman Presenter of the award for Best Cinematography
Jamie Lee Curtis Presenter of the segment of the Academy Awards for Technical Achievement and the Gordon E. Sawyer Award
Tim Allen Presenter of the award for Best Live Action Short Film
Bugs Bunny
Daffy Duck		 Presenters of the award for Best Animated Short Film
Gregory Peck Presenter of the film Quiz Show on the Best Picture segment
Tim Robbins
Susan Sarandon		 Presenters of the award for Best Art Direction
Steven Seagal Presenter of the award for Best Visual Effects
Angela Bassett Introducer of the performance of the Best Original Song nominees "Circle of Life" and "Hakuna Matata"
Samuel L. Jackson
John Travolta		 Presenters of the awards for Best Documentary Short Subject and Best Documentary Feature
Ellen Barkin Presenter of the award for Best Sound
Jack Nicholson Presenter of the Honorary Academy Award to Michelangelo Antonioni
Hugh Grant
Andie MacDowell		 Presenters of the award for Best Original Score
Jeremy Irons Presenter of the award for Best Foreign Language Film
Julia Ormond Introducer of the performance of Best Original Song nominee "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"
Sylvester Stallone Presenter of the award for Best Original Song
Annette Bening Presenter of the film Four Weddings and a Funeral on the Best Picture segment
Anthony Hopkins Presenter of the awards for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen and Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Sigourney Weaver Presenter of the In Memoriam tribute
Arnold Schwarzenegger Presenter of the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award to Clint Eastwood
Tom Hanks Presenter of the award for Best Actress
Denzel Washington Presenter of the film The Shawshank Redemption on the Best Picture segment
Holly Hunter Presenter of the award for Best Actor
Steven Spielberg Presenter of the award for Best Director
Robert De Niro
Al Pacino		 Presenters of the award for Best Picture

Performers

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Name(s) Role Performed
Bill Conti Musical arranger and Conductor Orchestral
Tim Curry
Kathy Najimy
Mara Wilson		 Performers "Make 'Em Laugh" from Singin' in the Rain during the opening number
Randy Newman Performer "Make Up Your Mind" from The Paper
Patty Smyth Performer "Look What Love Has Done" from Junior
Hinton Battle
Lebo M		 Performers "Circle of Life" from The Lion King
David Alan Grier
Ernie Sabella		 Performers "Hakuna Matata" from The Lion King
Elton John Performer "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King

Ceremony information

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Despite earning critical praise for the previous 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."[20] She added that her role in the upcoming movie Bogus would jeopardize her busy schedule.[21] In addition, her Comic Relief co-host and veteran Oscar emcee Billy Crystal declined to host the show citing his commitment to his film Forget Paris which he directed, wrote, starred in, and produced.[21] Producer Gil Cates hired actor, comedian, and Late Show host David Letterman as host of the 1995 ceremony.[22] 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."[23] 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."[24]

As with previous ceremonies he produced, Cates centered the show on 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."[23][25] 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 projected on a large screen on the stage. During that segment, actors Tim Curry, Kathy Najimy, and Mara Wilson performed a modified version of the song "Make 'Em Laugh" from the film Singin' in the Rain, using blue screen technology to make it appear that they were jumping in and out of the montage on the screen.[26][27] Several collections of film clips were shown throughout the broadcast highlighting various aspects of comedy such as troupes and dialogue.[28]

Several other people were also involved with the production of the ceremony. Bill Conti served as musical director and conductor for the event.[29] Production designer Roy Christopher designed a new stage for the ceremony which prominently featured a proscenium which was designed to resemble the iris of a camera.[30] Moreover, Christopher commented that the iris motif was inspired by the iris shot prominently featured in several comedic films and shorts.[25] Dancer Debbie Allen choreographed The Lion King musical number.[31] Actors Alec Baldwin, Jack Lemmon, Steve Martin, and Rosie O'Donnell participated in a pre-taped comedic sketch lampooning auditions for a role in Cabin Boy, the film in which Letterman made his film acting debut.[32]

Box office performance of nominees

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At the time of the nominations announcement on February 14, the combined gross of the five Best Picture nominees at the US box office was $468 million, with an average of $93.6 million per film.[33] Forrest Gump was the highest earner among the Best Picture nominees with $300 million in domestic box office receipts. The film was followed by Pulp Fiction ($76 million), Four Weddings and a Funeral ($52 million), Quiz Show ($21 million) and The Shawshank Redemption ($16 million).[33]

Of the top 50 grossing movies of the year, 44 nominations went to 14 films on the list. Only Forrest Gump (2nd), The Client (12th), Pulp Fiction (14th), Four Weddings and a Funeral (20th), and Nell (41st) were nominated for directing, acting, screenwriting, or Best Picture. The other top 50 box office hits that earned nominations were The Lion King (1st), True Lies (3rd), Clear and Present Danger (6th), Speed (7th), The Mask (8th), Interview with the Vampire (10th), Maverick (11th), Legends of the Fall (27th) and Little Women (31st).[34]

Critical reception

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The show received a negative reception from most media publications. John J. O'Connor of The New York Times wrote, "Instead of keeping things moving smartly, Mr. Letterman stuck with his late-night shtick, too often leaving the show's pacing in shambles." He also added, "Within the show's first half-hour, with no strong hand at the helm, the audience simply sagged. Applause died long before most winners even reached the podium."[35] Television critic John Carman of the San Francisco Chronicle commented, "Last night on ABC, no one got it. Hollywood's big event was wonderfully littered by technical errors, bad taste, low comedy and lower necklines." Moreover, he remarked, "Letterman, the rookie host, was off his game in his opening monologue. Maybe it was the big auditorium. Or a billion people in the television audience."[36] Film critic Andrew Sarris of The New York Observer quipped, "Not only was he not witty or funny, he never knew when to let bad enough alone." He concluded, "As the evening dragged on, it became obvious that Mr. Letterman had no gift for ad-libbing through the few unpredictable opportunities in a 'live' event like the Oscars."[37] People named the ceremony as one of the worst television broadcasts of 1995, summarizing it as follows: "a cranky skeptic visits the high temple of show business, mocks the gold-plated statuary and displays insufficient reverence for the gods. (Tom Hanks assisting with a stupid pet trick?!) We know who the winner wasn't."[38]

Some media outlets received the broadcast more positively. Television critic Joyce Millman of The San Francisco Examiner noted, "In his first stint as host of the Oscar telecast, David Letterman did the impossible—he made something entertaining from what is traditionally the most boring three hours of TV this side of a test pattern."[39] The Buffalo News columnist Alan Pergament praised Letterman's performance as host writing "David Letterman was a box full of chocolates on an Oscar night that was empty of much emotion until the expected Forrest Gump sweep in the final 15 minutes." He also added that despite a lack of surprises amongst the awards, the emotional and unexpected humorous moments provided depth and entertainment throughout the evening.[40] Hal Boedeker of the Orlando Sentinel gave an average review of the ceremony but singled out Letterman noting that he "proved Monday night that he's among Oscar's Top 10 Hosts. He's definitely at the top of the list with Johnny Carson, Billy Crystal and Bob Hope."[41]

Ratings and reception

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The American telecast on ABC drew an average of 48.28 million people over its length, which was a 7% increase from the previous year's ceremony.[42][43] An estimated 81 million total viewers watched all or part of the awards.[44] The show also drew higher Nielsen ratings compared to the previous ceremony with 32.5% of households watching over a 53 share.[43][45] It also drew a higher 18–49 demographic rating with a 21.7 rating among viewers in that demographic.[45] It was the most watched Oscars telecast since the 55th ceremony held in 1983.[46]

In July 1995, the ceremony presentation received six nominations at the 47th Primetime Emmys.[47] Two months later, the ceremony won one of those nominations for Jeff Margolis's direction of the telecast.[48][49]

"In Memoriam"

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The annual "In Memoriam" tribute, presented by actress Sigourney Weaver, honored the following people:[32]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 987
  2. ^ Pond 2005, p. 87
  3. ^ Archerd, Army (January 12, 1995). "Letterman to skip bowling, host Oscars". Variety. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  4. ^ "Past Scientific & Technical Awards Ceremonies". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. AMPAS. Archived from the original on February 13, 2014. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  5. ^ Grimes, William (March 28, 1995). "'Forrest Gump' Triumphs With 6 Academy Awards". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  6. ^ Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 963
  7. ^ "Acad Sees The 'Forrest' For The Oscars". Variety. February 15, 1995. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  8. ^ Boyar, Jay (February 15, 1995). "The Oscar Nominations". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  9. ^ Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 986
  10. ^ Osborne 2013, p. 423
  11. ^ Eller, Claudia (March 28, 1995). "It's a Sweet Evening for 'Gump' With 6 Awards : Movies: Film earns best director for Zemeckis and another best actor honor for Hanks. Lange also wins". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  12. ^ O'Neil, Tom (February 24, 2008). "Day-Lewis is 8th double Oscar lead actor". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved April 11, 2014.
  13. ^ Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 1181
  14. ^ Warner, Denise (February 24, 2013). "Best Sound Editing Oscar tie is sixth in Academy Awards history". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 31, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  15. ^ "The 67th Academy Awards (1995) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. AMPAS. Archived from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  16. ^ Snow, Shauna (January 21, 1995). "Morning Report". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  17. ^ "Golden Globes, prelude to Oscars, given tonight Awards..." Orlando Sentinel. January 19, 1995. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  18. ^ "Eastwood to be honored with Thalberg Award". San Francisco Examiner. January 19, 1995.
  19. ^ Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 972
  20. ^ Broeske, Pat H. (December 23, 1994). "Leader of the Pack". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  21. ^ a b Dutka, Elaine (January 7, 1995). "No Crystal Ball at Oscars Again". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  22. ^ Carter, Bill (January 13, 1995). "Letterman to Be Oscars Show Host". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 16, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  23. ^ a b Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 967
  24. ^ Carroll, Jerry (March 26, 1995). "The Dave and Oscar Show: Will Letterman's acid humor take the mush out of the Academy Awards?". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  25. ^ a b Willman, Chris (March 27, 1995). "Oscar Show Promises Lots of Funny Business : Awards: Comedy's the theme, from Letterman to Stupid Pet Tricks to film clips loaded with historic laughs. But will it come in under the time limit?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  26. ^ Cagle, Jess (April 7, 1995). "Chatty Kathy". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 30, 2022. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  27. ^ Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 975
  28. ^ Wiley & Bona 1996, pp. 978–984
  29. ^ Pond 2005, p. 79
  30. ^ Pond 2005, p. 967
  31. ^ Pond 2005, p. 76
  32. ^ a b Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 982
  33. ^ a b "1994 Academy Award Nominations and Winner for Best Picture". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on July 5, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  34. ^ "1989 Box Office Grosses (as of February 13, 1995)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  35. ^ O'Connor, John J (March 29, 1995). "Critic's Notebook: The Winner Isn't David Letterman". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013.
  36. ^ Carman, John (March 28, 1995). "Telecast Was A Delicious Mess". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  37. ^ Wiley & Bona 1996, p. 991
  38. ^ "Worst of Tube : People.com". May 17, 2012. Archived from the original on May 17, 2012.
  39. ^ Millman, Joyce (March 28, 1995). "Late Show' star makes it fun". The San Francisco Examiner. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  40. ^ Pergament, Alan (March 28, 1995). "Best Thing About TV Oscarcast was Letterman's Biting Humour". The Buffalo News. Berkshire Hathaway.
  41. ^ Boedeker, Hal (March 28, 1995). "After Slow Start, Letterman Brings Oscars To Life". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  42. ^ Gorman, Bill (February 17, 2009). "Academy Awards Show Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Company. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved September 5, 2013.
  43. ^ a b Johnson, Greg (March 18, 1999). "Call It the Glamour Bowl". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved August 26, 2013.
  44. ^ Rickey, Carey (March 29, 1995). "A Miscast Oscar Emcee? No Best-host Prize For Letterman". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  45. ^ a b "Academy Awards ratings" (PDF). Television Bureau of Advertising. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 15, 2013. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
  46. ^ Braxton, Greg (March 29, 1995). "One Day Later, Bouquets and Bricks for Dave : Letterman draws praise and criticism for his Oscar role, which helped show to its best rating in 12 years. But will the 'Late Show' star return next year?". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  47. ^ "Primetime Emmy Award database". Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. ATAS. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  48. ^ "Who Won What: The Winners on TV's Annual Weekend of Awards". Los Angeles Times. September 11, 1995. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  49. ^ "1995 Emmy Award Winners". The New York Times. September 12, 1995. Archived from the original on February 3, 2015. Retrieved December 29, 2014.

Bibliography

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Notes

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  1. ^ Walter Brennan's first Oscar-winning role in Come and Get It (1936) was partially directed by William Wyler, the same director who helmed his third winning role in The Westerner (1940). (Brennan's second win for Kentucky (1938) had no connection to Wyler.) However, Wyler was coerced into finishing Come and Get It after producer Samuel Goldwyn fired original director, Howard Hawks—who completed two-thirds of the film, albeit after significantly modifying the adaptation of Edna Ferber's original story. Wyler reluctantly allowed his name to have shared credit, but later disowned the film from his filmography. Otherwise, Brennan would have been the first to claim this laurel, technically.
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Official websites

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