The Critics Choice Assn. has selected Billy Crystal to receive this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s ceremony on March 13.
A Billy Crystal life achievement reel might look a lot like a history of American showbiz. Crystal’s family roots are embedded in the greatness of American music via his father and his uncle Milt Gabler’s Commodore Records, home to recordings by blues and jazz greats such as Bessie Smith, Bix Beiderbecke and, most stunningly, Billie Holiday. How many showbiz family trees include Holiday’s landmark 1939 record, “Strange Fruit,” named by Time magazine as best song of the century?
In his 20s, Crystal worked his share of 1970s comedy club stages, first as part of a comedy trio known as “3’s Company,” then as a solo act. Variety caught the trio in 1973 and it’s clear from the review that Crystal’s trademark skills as the best celebrity impersonator of his time were already vibrantly on display: “A good comedy act, hip and nostalgic … ‘Wide World of Sports’ features Crystal in a good Howard Cosell takeoff.”
Within two years, Crystal had secured a guest spot on another cultural touchstone, Norman Lear’s “All in the Family.” Before he was 30, he was on the dais of the Dean Martin Celebrity Roast lighting up the room with spot-on impressions of Muhammad Ali and the Cosell take that he began working on years earlier.
His work ethic can be seen not only in his myriad credits, seeming to be everywhere at once, on television, in clubs, from fringe comedy venues to Las Vegas mainrooms, but in the grueling grind of winning laughs, as captured by this Variety review of his time as comedy opener for singing star Helen Reddy.
Covering his 20-minute routine at the Sahara in Vegas in 1979, Variety wrote: “Billy Crystal … manages to extricate himself from the jaws of the ravenous monsters who, rather than devour the unknown in their midst, sit quietly and dare the subject in the white spotlight to get a rise out of them is a cause for some cheers. The glowering attitude switches almost abruptly about five minutes after he has worked his rather flip manner around several exploratory one-liners, including mocking the audience for their hostility. ‘15 Rounds with Muhammad Ali’ traces a fight in uncanny mimicry of intonations and gestures from Cassius Clay. Although Crystal has a rather slight figure and has not the remotest resemblance to the fighter, he captures the persona of Ali enough to win extra bowoff plaudits.”
With this brief intro to Crystal’s ability to improvise his one-liners and handle impressions, it wouldn’t hurt the bill one bit if he were to stretch his act 10 or 15 minutes longer to see what other cutles he pops.”
Crystal appeared on the first season of that pillar of American television comedy, “Saturday Night Live” in 1975 and by 1977 he had secured a regular starring role on a hit network sitcom, “Soap” — noteworthy for its socially daring take on contemporary culture, including Crystal’s role as a gay man on an American sitcom at a time when that was a brand-new concept.
After “Soap” wrapped in 1981, Crystal spent the next two decades a part of several major cultural institutions that are either gone or faded. He famously hosted the Oscars nine times, scooping up performing and writing Emmys for his work and the truth is, he’s the last guy to work that gig more than once and come out a winner.
He joined the cast of “Saturday Night Live” for the 1984-85 season. Along with Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams, Crystal made the HBO charity hilarity fests known as “Comic Relief” an American institution for nearly 25 years. He became a top film comedy stars, appearing in blockbusters such as “When Harry Met Sally,” “City Slickers,” “Analyze This” and “Monsters Inc.” Not content with writing and performing, in 2001 Crystal secured an Emmy nomination for directing “61,” about Yankee legend Roger Maris.
Returning to his New York roots in the new century, Crystal took on Broadway and came away with a Tony for his autobiographical production “700 Sundays.” He scored his second Grammy nom in 2014 for the audiobook of his memoir, “Still Foolin’ ’Em.”
So there’s only one problem facing the Critics’ Choice org as it presents the obviously ridiculously well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award to Crystal: have they got an extra few hours to make sure they don’t miss any of the highlights?