Host History, B.D. (Before Dave)

In the beginning -- 1929 -- there was DeMille. (That’s writer-director William C., not his younger brother, directing legend Cecil B.) He was co-host of the first Oscar ceremonies. Tonight, David Letterman follows in the footsteps of 119 hosts and co-hosts before him. Highs and lows from the first 66 years of hostdom, compiled by Susan King:

May 16, 1929: Douglas Fairbanks and William C. DeMille led a brisk evening -- every award was handed out in just five minutes. DeMille on the difficulty in picking winners: “It’s a bit like asking, ‘Does this man play checkers better than that man plays chess?’ ”

April 30, 1930: William C. DeMille again. The ceremony began at 10:30 p.m. at the Cocoanut Grove. L.A. station KNX provided the first radio broadcast of the event.

March 16, 1934: Will Rogers, right. Not only did the beloved humorist serve as host, he presented all the awards. His unique presentation -- announcing the winner first, then giving the list of nominees after the winner’s speech -- caused confusion in the best director category. Frank Capra and Frank Lloyd were both nominated. In announcing Lloyd as the winner, Rogers said: “I’ve watched this young man for a long time. Saw him come up from the bottom, and I mean the bottom. It couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Come up and get it, Frank!” Capra, thinking he was the winner, shouted, “Over here!” But Capra would have to wait to win the next year for “It Happened One Night.”

March 10, 1938: Comedian-actor Bob “Bazooka” Burns (“Waikiki Wedding”) on why he was selected to host: “I probably know less about motion pictures than anyone present and if anything goes wrong it can be blamed on my ignorance.”

Feb. 29, 1940: Bob Hope (right, with 1938 best actor Spencer Tracy) makes the first of his 20 appearances as host or co-host.

March 24, 1949: Robert Montgomery. The actor, who was a decorated war vet, wore his medals on his tuxedo and introduced documentary awards presenter Ava Gardner with these not-so-delicate words: “When you speak of Ava Gardner, you must admit that Mother Nature lingered over the job.”

March 23, 1950: Paul Douglas. Even then, long speeches were problematic. The burly actor advised: “I’ll thank all the writers, grips, hairdressers, cameramen, front office and producers. And we’ll also assume that without your mother the whole thing might not have been possible. Just thank your lucky stars, the voters and no one else.”

March 19, 1953: Bob Hope in Hollywood; Conrad Nagel in New York. With NBC televising the Oscars for the first time, Hope commented on the medium that was threatening the movies: “Television -- that’s where movies go when they die.”

March 25, 1954: Donald O’Connor in Hollywood; Fredric March in New York. O’Connor purportedly practiced his speech with Francis, the Talking Mule.

March 30, 1955: Bob Hope in Hollywood; Thelma Ritter in New York. Ritter is the first female host.

April 6, 1959: Bob Hope, David Niven, Tony Randall, Mort Sahl, Laurence Olivier, Jerry Lewis. Olivier said of his Oscar-hosting chores: “I’m a change of pace from the previous hosts. The academy wanted someone completely devoid of humor.”

April 8, 1963: Frank Sinatra. In his opening speech, the Chairman of the Board chatted about DaVinci’s “Mona Lisa,” which was on display in Washington, D.C.: “The chick just sits there and smiles. Maybe that picture represents one man’s personal vision. A picture he had to make so bad his brushes hurt.”

April 10, 1972: Helen Hayes, Alan King, Sammy Davis, Jr., Jack Lemmon. Davis said: “Tonight, the academy is honoring two films about my people, ‘Shaft’ and ‘Fiddler on the Roof.”’ Lemmon gave honorary award winner Charlie Chaplin his Little Tramp’s hat and cane and invited the audience to sing Chaplin’s tune, “Smile.”

April 2, 1974: John Huston, Diana Ross, Burt Reynolds, David Niven. As Niven was introducing Elizabeth Taylor, 33-year-old Robert Opal streaked nude across the stage and flashed a peace sign. Conductor Henry Mancini led the orchestra in “Sunny Side of the Street.” The ever-debonair Niven quipped: “Ladies and gentlemen, that was bound to happen. Just think, the only laugh that man will probably ever get is for stripping and showing off his shortcomings.”

March 29, 1977: Richard Pryor, Jane Fonda, Ellen Burstyn, Warren Beatty. Pryor said: “I’m here to explain why black people will never be nominated for anything. This show is going out to 75 million people -- none of them black. We don’t even know how to vote. There’s 3,349 black people in the voting thing and only two black people -- Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte. We’re quitting. You’ll have to listen to Lawrence Welk.”

April 9, 1979: Johnny Carson, the first of five times. “Welcome to the 51st Academy Awards, two hours of sparkling entertainment spread over a four-hour show,” Carson joked in his opening remarks. “I see a lot of new faces, especially on the old faces.”

March 24, 1986: Robin Williams, Alan Alda and Jane Fonda. The ever-political actress, hosting for her third time, offered a “special hello and congratulations to the Philippines” for the recent ouster of dictator Ferdinand Marcos. She then signaled a show of support to President Corazon Aquino.

April 11, 1988: Chevy Chase. The former “Saturday Night Live” star greeted the audience with: “Good evening, Hollywood phonies.”

March 29, 1989: No hosts. Just presenters, and the infamous Rob Lowe-Snow White production number.

March 30, 1992: Billy Crystal for his third time. In honor of multiple nominee “The Silence of the Lambs,” Crystal was rolled out on a stretcher dressed like Hannibal Lecter.

March 29, 1993: Billy Crystal arrived riding atop a giant Oscar pulled by the 1991 best supporting actor winner Jack Palance.

March 21, 1994: Whoopi Goldberg, the first solo female host. She told the crowd: “There haven’t been this many show-biz executives so nervous sweating over one woman since Heidi Fleiss, honey.”

Sources: “Sixty-five Years of the Oscar” by Robert Osborne and “Inside Oscar” by Mason Wiley & Damien Bona.