The Star
Billy Crystal: In praise of funny women
June 20, 2013
Billy Crystal has a (funny) bone to pick with Jerry Lewis, who has repeatedly insisted women comics can’t bring the laughs.
“What, Lucille Ball’s not funny?” asked Crystal in an exclusive interview with the Star while in Toronto to promote Monsters University, where he reprises his voice role of one-eyed Mike Wazowski in a prequel to the 2001 hit Monsters, Inc. The movie opens June 21.
Crystal, who started out doing standup and went on to become a cast member on Saturday Night Live before making movies like When Harry Met Sally … and City Slickers, said women have been making people laugh at the movies for decades.
“Margaret Dumont, (the Marx Brothers’ long-suffering straight woman), Judy Holliday, Doris Day was cute and funny,” he said, ticking off names, including his Parental Guidance co-star, Bette Midler.
Crystal recently shared a podium with Sarah Silverman at the American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement tribute to Mel Brooks, said she’s one of his favourite funny women.
“Sarah Silverman is really smart,” he said “She a real combination of edgy, nutty, dark, and really pretty. It’s a really interesting combination. I think she’s great. Roseanne Barr is hilarious. There’s a lot of funny women. Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Veep) is hilarious on her show.”
Related articles
