Billy Crystal

In his three-hour interview, Billy Crystal talks about his early life, and becoming interested in comedy at a young age. He describes attending NYU to study film, where he learned from Martin Scorsese, and met Christopher Guest. He recounts getting Buddy Morra to manage him, and his appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and All in the Family. He recalls his disappointment at being bumped off the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live, only to be picked up as a regular cast member on ABC’s Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell. Crystal discusses playing the groundbreaking character of “Jodie Dallas” on Soap, the first regular, gay character on a network series, and the show’s dealing with controversial subject matter on a weekly basis. He details his stint on the 1984-85 season of Saturday Night Live, where he was part of a comedy all-star team selected by producer Dick Ebersol, which also included Martin Short, Christopher Guest, and Harry Shearer. He outlines his popular character “Fernando” from the show, whose catchphrase, “You look marvelous,” swept the nation. He recalls his series of successful HBO stand-up comedy specials, and his huge success as a nine-time host of the Academy Awards. Dan Pasternack conducted the interview in partnership with the American Comedy Archives at Emerson College on October 25, 2018 in North Hollywood, CA.