♪ ♪ ♪ >> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY.
WE'RE BACK WITH BILLY CRYSTAL.
YOU'RE STARRING IN THE FILM "STANDING UP, FALLING DOWN," AND
WHO DO YOU PLAY?
AND WE HAVE A CLIP HERE WITH YOU-- WHAT'S THE YOUNG ACTOR
PLAYING THE LEAD?
>> HE'S GREAT.
HIS NAME IS BEN SCHWARTZ.
HE'S A WONDERFUL ACTOR.
>> Stephen: IT'S YOU AND BEN SCHWARTZ IN A CHURCH.
WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE?
>> WE'RE GOING TO A FUNERAL.
I AM HIS DERMATOLOGIST.
I'M A HARD-DRINKING, POT-SMOKING DERMATOLOGIST, WHICH WAS HARD
FOR ME BECAUSE I'M NOT A DERMATOLOGIST.
AND THEY MEET AT THIS FUNERAL.
THEY GO FOR DIFFERENT REASONS.
BEN'S CHARACTER, SCOTT, GOES TO, THINKING HIS EX-GIRLFRIEND WILL
BE THERE.
AND I GO THINKING THAT MY SON, WHO I'M ESTRANGED FROM, WILL BE
THERE, AND WE SEE EACH OTHER IN THE BACK OF THE CHURCH.
>> Stephen: JIM.
♪ ♪ ♪ >> HEY, ROLLINS, RIGHT.
ROLLINS, HEY, HOW ARE YOU DOING?
>> ARE YOU EVERYWHERE?
>> I GET AROUND.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?
>> HONESTLY, I DON'T EVEN KNOW.
WOW.
YOU KILLED RORY.
>> I DIDN'T KILL RORY.
>> THAT'S WHY YOU WERE STRESSED.
>> WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
>> YOU HAD YOUR HANDS ON HIS SHOULDER RIGHT BEFORE YOU
STRANGLED HIM!
>> HE DIED OF LEUKEMIA.
>> ARE YOU HIGH?
>> YEAH ( LAUGHS )
>> WOW.
>> Stephen: NOW, YOU KNOW ME, YOU KNOW I KEEP MY FINGER ON THE
PULSE OF THE ORCHAR BUZZ OUT THERE, AND THIS THING-- THIS
OSCAR BUZZ IS HUMMING LIKE A REFRIGERATOR COIL AROUND YOU.
WHAT-- WHAT-- WHO WAS YOUR ACTING HERO GROWING UP?
WAS THERE SOMEBODY YOU WANTED TO MODEL YOURSELF AFTER?
>> THERE WAS A LOT, BUT JACK LEMMON.
>> Stephen: OF COURSE "THE APARTMENT" THE GREATEST OF ALL
TIME.
>> YEAH, BECAUSE WHAT I LOVED ABOUT MR. LEMON WAS HE COULD BE
OUTRAGEOUSLY FUNNY "MR. ROBERTS," "SOME LIKE IT
HOT," AND THEN HE COULD BREAK YOUR HEART, "THE APARTMENT,"
"DAYS OF WINE AND ROSES" "SAVE THE TIGER"
WHEN I GOT THE SCRIPT, A SMALL MOVIE, "MY NAME IS MARTY," I
DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A LAST NAME.
TO ME IT WAS A JACK LEMMON KIND OF PART.
AND THERE WAS ANOTHER GREAT ACTOR WHO I REALLY LOVED.
HIS NAME WAS MIKIE ROONEY.
>> Stephen: OF COURSE.
PEOPLE FORGET ABOUT MIKIE ROONEY, HE WAS, AT ONE TIME, THE
BIGGEST BOX OFFICE STAR IN THE WORLD.
>> I THINK SEVEN YEARS IN A ROW HE WAS NUMBER ONE IN THE "ANDY
HARDY" MOVIES.
HE COULD DO EVERYTHING.
HE COULD SING.
HEBD DANCE.
HE COULD PLAY INSTRUMENTS.
HE WAS AN AMAZING TALENT AND AS HE GOT OLD ETHE PARTS GOT MORE
INTERESTING FOR HIM.
AND SO THE MOVIE I LOVE WAS "THE BLACK STALLION."
>> Stephen: INCREDIBLE, THROWING IT AWAY, THROWING IT
AWAY.
>> EXACTLY, THREW IT AWAY, THREW IT AWAY.
HE PLAYED AN AGING JOCKEY, AND I GOT TO INTERVIEW HIM AT AN
"EVENING AT THE ACADEMY" WHERE THEY WERE CELEBRATING THE
50th ANNIVERSARY OF "IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD."
AND ON STAGE WAS CARL REINER, JONATHAN WINTERS, AND MICKY, AND
OTHER PEOPLE FROM THE MOVIE UPON I INTRODUCED HIM.
HONESTLY, HE WAS IN A WHEELCHAIR.
HE WAS 5'1", 5'2".
I INTRODUCED HIM.
HE ROLLED OUT, THEN GOT OUT OF THE CHAIR AND DID AN AMAZING
TIME STEP, AND THEN SAT BACK DOWN.
AND AFORESAID WE WERE TALKING, AND I TOLD HIM HOW MUCH I LOVED
"THE BLACK STALLION."
AND HE SAID, "YEAH, I WAITED A LONG TIME FOR THAT."
HE SAID TO ME, "YOU WAIT AROUND, THOSE PARTS COME TO YOU.
SO WAIT.
YOU'RE GOING TO FIND AN AGING JOCKEY ROLE.
IT WILL HAPPEN.
IT WILL HAPPEN."
SO THIS GUY MARTY WAS NOT A JOCKEY, BUT IT WAS A ROLE-- IT
WAS A BLESSING TO GET A PART THAT I COULD JUST BE AND NOT,
YOU KNOW, NOT REALLY HAVE TO DO TOO MUCH.
I JUST LOVED THIS GUY.
THAT WAS REALLY GOOD ADVICE.
BECAUSE I THINK THE LONGER, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE AROUND, THE MORE IT
INFORMS YOUR WORK.
AND THEN IT-- I DON'T KNOW, I JUST FELT REALLY AT EASE PLAYING
THIS GUY.
>> Stephen: I HAVE TO ASK YOU--
>> IT'S NICE AFTER ALL THESE YEARS TO JUST FEEL LIKE, HEY,
I'M GETTING-- I'M GETTING IT."
>> Stephen: YOU'RE GOING-- YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE IT SOME
DAY.
I HAVE FAITH IN YOU.
BUT I HAVE TO ASK ABOUT CARL REINER.
OF ALL THAT GENERATION OF COMEDIANS OR COMIC WRITERS OR
COMIC PRODUCERS, HE, TO ME-- I DON'T WANT TO SAY THE MOST
ADMIRABLE, BUT HE WAS THE ONE I LOVED THE MOST.
UNFORTUNATELY, I NEVER GOT A CHANCE TO MEET HIM.
I MET MEL BUT I NEVER GOT TO MEET CARL.
HOW THAT MAN DIED WITHOUT A KENNEDY CENTER HONOR, I DON'T
KNOW.
BUT WHAT DID HE MEAN TO YOU?
BECAUSE HE WAS THE GREAT.
>> HE WAS.
HE WAS-- IF THERE WAS A CAREER TO ASPIRE TO FOR ME, IT WAS HIS.
BECAUSE HE DID SO MANY THINGS.
HE WAS A GREAT SKETCH■ç PLAYER.
HE WAS A WONDERFUL WRITER, RIGHT UP UNTIL THE DAY HE PASSED AWAY
HE WAS STILL WRITING.
HE PRODUCED.
CREATED "THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW," WAS HILARIOUS IN IT.
AND WHEN I FIRST SAW HIM, I WAS FIVE OR SIX YEARS OLD, AND HE
MADE ME LAUGH WITH SID ON THAT AMAZING SHOW OF SHOWS, AND LATER
ON "CAESAR'S HOUR."
AND THEN WHEN HE WAS 98, AND I WAS WITH HIM ON HIS BIRTHDAY, HE
MADE ME LAUGH.
AND IN BETWEEN ALL THAT TIME, HE MADE EVERYBODY LAUGH.
AND-- AND-- HE WAS AN UNCLE TO ME.
AND MEL HAS BEEN THE SAME WAY.
THAT'S ONE OF THE GREAT BLESSINGS.
ROB IS MY DEAREST FRIEND, AND THEN CARL AND I HAD A WHOLE
SEPARATE, WONDERFUL RELATIONSHIP WHERE WE WOULD SPEAK AND TALK
AND-- HE WAS JUST A GIANT.
I MEAN, REALLY A GIANT.
MY FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPH OF US TOGETHER, I MEAN "SHOW OF SHOWS"
REALLY MADE ME WANT TO BE FUNNY.
I MEAN, THERE WAS NOBODY FUNNIER ON SCREEN THAN SID.
AND LOOK WHO WROTE THAT SHOW.
THAT HUMOR WAS IN THERE.
MEL AND NEIL SIMON AND LATER WOODY ALLEN AND LARRY GELBARTON.
THIS IS A PICTURE BACKSTAGE AT THE VERY FIRST "COMIC RELIEF"
THAT I DID WITH ROBYN AND WHOOPI AND ALL OF OUR FELLOW COMEDIANS.
AND WE HONORED "SHOW OF SHOWS."
>> Stephen: I GOT IT.
WE SEE IT.
>> THERE'S EMMA JEAN COKE ASID, ME HUGGING SID'S LEG.
AND THERE'S CARL.
THE REASON I'M HUGGING SID'S LEG WAS THEY DID A ROUTINE THAT YOU
MAY REMEMBER, A SKETCH ON "THIS IS YOUR LIFE," THE RALPH EDWARDS
"THIS IS YOUR LIFE."
AND SID PLAYED A GUY WHO DIDN'T WANT HIS LIFE TO BE TOLD.
SO HE WAS IN■ç A MISERABLE MOOD AND THEY PLAYED OUT UNCLE GOOPY
AND HE CAN'T STOP CRYING, AND EVERY TIME HE SEES SID HE CRIED.
AND HE JUMPED ON HIM.
AND SID WAS SO STRONG, AND HE WAS ONID SID'S LEG AND HE
DRAGGED HIM AROUND THE SET.
I WAS FOUR OR FIVE.
IT WAS BEDTIME, AND MY DAD WOULD COME IN FROM WORK AND I WOULD
GRAB ON HIS LEG AND HE WOULD DRAG ME AROUND THE HOUSE AND PUT
ME TO BED.
WHEN I SAW THEM AND MET THEM ALL FOR THE FIRST TIME I JUST
GRABBED SID'S LEG LIKE THAT.
AND, YOU KNOW, IT WAS A CHANCE TO BE UNCLE GOOPY.
THEY MEANT EVERYTHING TO ME.
AND SID, SID WAS A GIANT.
AND I GOT TO TALK WITH HIM SEVERAL TIMES.
AND WHEN HE CAME TO SEE ME IN MY SHOW, IT WAS THE GREATEST, LIKE,
REVERSAL.
I MEAN, HE WAS THERE WATCHING ME, AND I WAS ON STAGE, YOU
KNOW, REALLY BECAUSE OF HIM.
IT WAS-- AND THE SAME WITH CARL.
IT WAS-- I WAS VERY BLESSED.
I WAS AT CARL'S BIRTHDAY, THE LAST ONE HE COULD HAVE BECAUSE
OF THE PANDEMIC.
IT WAS 98.
AND HE BLOWS OUT HIS CANDLES AND HE MAKES A WISH, AND ROB SAID,
"WHAT DID YOU WISH FOR, POP."
AND HE SAID, ALL RIGHT, TRUMP, YOU'RE OUT OF HERE."
AND IT WAS SO-- YOU KNOW, JUST AMAZING.
I'VE JUST BEEN VERY BLESSED TO HAVE KNOWN HIM.
>> Stephen: WELL, BILLY, THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
I MEAN, IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO HAVE YOU ON.
IT'S LIKE A VACATION BECAUSE YOU'RE-- YOU'RE THE BEST KIND OF
GUEST.
YOU'VE GOT A LOT TO SAY, AND WE LOVE HEARING YOU SAY IT.
AND I HOPE YOU KNOW THAT WHAT THOSE PEOPLE, LIKE CARL AND
MELAMINE TO YOU, YOU MEAN TO AN ENTIRE GENERATION OF COMEDIANS,
LIKE ME, AND I WISH I COULD BE THERE TO GRAB YOUR LEG
"STANDING UP, FALLING DOWN" IS AVAILABLE ON DEMAND NOW.
BILLY CRYSTAL, EVERYBODY!
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH CONGRESSWOMAN JACKIE SPEIER.
♪♪