This was broadcast when my daughter was 10 months old.....I actually remember this one, too. What a great talent Billy Crystal is, and was. Being on Johnny Carson on the Tonight show was a big boost for any aspiring talent, almost anyone that got to be on the show was rocketed to fame and fortune. Thanks for the memories, I always enjoyed the Tonight show and miss the days when late night TV wasn't Political jokes that aren't funny anymore like they all are now.
*Billy Crystal's stand-up routine was nothing to write home about--but his impressions of Mohamed Ali and Howard Cossell were spot-on. He's one of the few comedians whom I respect as a person. I remember his saying on "Inside the Actors Studio" that the last time he'd been on a date was during the Johnson Administration! No "scandals" and has been married to the same woman since 1970. You can't say that about most other comics of his generation.*
😃 *Thank you!* I’ve never seen this one. What a maaaavelous and unique routine 😉 from one of my all-time favorites. To this day, I still tape Carson reruns on the tube.
👏👏👏 That was definitely new & refreshing! Billy just got better & better as the years went passing by!! Haven't heard anything from him in awhile, I hope he's doing well!!! 👍👍
@@danerd8978 Thanks for the information, I don't get to the movies & I don't have TV, I do all watching here on CZcams. I'm glad to hear he's still working!
Billy talks about the appearence in his book. He remembers being told by the segment producer to look at him after he was done to see if Billy should take a bow and leave or if he would get the holy of holies...getting called to the couch. Billy was apparently the first since Freddie Prinze to get called to the couch at his first appearence. Also, in the book, he tells about an awkward encounter he had with Orson Welles the night before which made him slightly more nervous about his appearence.
@lonewulf44 Billy approached Orson backstage at the Martin Roast of Ali they both appeared at the night before and Orson, in a funky mood, told Billy to go f#&k himself
And also, Holly crap, Billy was just about taking over the whole show with the close up camera Ali impression I think Johnny had to snap him out of it!
How did these guys look older back then? I remember watching City Slickers, which was my introduction to Billy Crystal. But in this old clip he looked capable and durable. Pretty amazing how young he was here.
As he came on you could see the nerves yes folks a time when Billy Crystal was merely human, but the nerves soon went and he did some wonderful observation comedy which was good but also very brave, and Carson acknowledged that.
Well, I don't know how I missed that appearance. IMHO, very nuanced humor that took a lot of guts to perform on national TV, let alone Carson. But, man, didn't he get the praise? And we ALL know what even a thumbs up from Carson could do for a comedian. How wonderful that these performances have been archived!
Billy really went for high wire audience trust , or he didn't care that much, which for his big shot is really brave in either case.. Or this was his best out of the off kilter , repetition, bits...or all of the above,, of course it was. Thank you so much
For Crystal's first SNL appearance (season 1, episode 17), it appears as though his character from the Carson bit has morphed into an old jazz musician - again it's a character-driven routine with only a few jokes. So again, despite being a mostly unknown comic at the time, Crystal fearlessly abstained from punch lines and stayed with a concept. Reading some of the other comments here, this isn't to everyone's taste (like, where are the one-liners?), but clearly Carson and SNL saw something in his performances.
You had to be pretty damn good for Carson to invite a person back with such kudos. I loved watching Carson... often on the sly. That's back when late nite was good. And good music shows. Sigh.
I think he was invited to visit with Johnny because Johnny had been apprised of Crystal's skill as an impersonator of two well-known and controversial personas as Ali and Cosel. If it was just based on his "routine" that night, they would have bid him adios!
When it comes down to it, crystal wasnt a great standup but he was a good comedic actor. Hes a kid here, and would go on to make a good name for himself. I like the bit but it went on for way too long.
This is 1976. Things weren't as RUSHED. Comedians were allowed to story tell a bit. I can remember when Robin Williams first came on the scene - he was almost TOO FAST !
Hello. Love your channel. Do you have any clips of when Johnny interviewed David Niven please? I have seen a few still photos, but cant find any videos. Many thanks.
strangely enough, the voice (intonation) Billy Crystal is using here is exactly the same as the voice Steve Martin has been using for years. I wonder who copied whom.
Definitely.. WEIRD. Good thing for The Oscars that the sitcom "Soap" got picked up or 'Billy' probably would have been selling insurance a LONG time ago.. 😒
Bill's character of the lounge singer is dead on for what shallow wealthy financialy but poor in Caracter people acted like and thought was cool were and some still are like. The rest of the act including Ali impression are wonderful.
Considering how Billy has makes this appearance sound whenever he talks about it, I expected a lot more. The lounge thing was mildly funny at first, but he shouldn't have made it basically his whole routine. Got stale pretty quickly, imo. Meanwhile his Ali Cosell impressions were absolutely spot on and hilarious and made me think he should've had THOSE in his routine rather than just doing them from the chair. Plus he's also described the reaction to the Ali bit as "Johnny kicked back in hysterics and it was just magical." Didn't see any of that here, but in fairness, maybe he was confusing it with a later appearance. Oh well...
William Edward Crystal (Nueva York; 14 de marzo de 1948), más conocido como Billy Crystal, es un actor, escritor, productor, comediante y director de cine estadounidense.
I love billy, but perhaps I'm dating myself but I just think you should have stuck with the impressions in my opinion. Clearly Johnny thought otherwise, which makes me wrong.
I'm not sure what I'm missing, because I didn't find that bit funny at all. Billy Crystal is a great talent, but I just didn't find this bit funny at all.
I cannot for the life of me make out what he says at 8:54 ... "Mohammad, you did not dance until the 12th round ..." and then gibberish. Can anyone tell me what he says? Sounds like "it leaves this repulitzner feel" but that, of course is nonsense :)
Well Carson didn't think so and if Carson thought you were funny you are funny and we have to remember this was the mid-70s so don't bash on crystal too hard.
Billy Crystal is a product of "who you know" in Hollywood. His skit was terribly boring and even the audience back then didn't laugh at all. Johnny was just being nice and said what he said out of professionalism.
Crystal should try to stop these videos from appearing. He is terrible here. Wish I never saw it as I was kind of loving the job he did on the oscars. The imitations were very good, but his personality was off-putting and the skit was not at all good. Kind of a passive/aggressive personality.
I was 17 when this aired and Carson was often watched before turning in for the night. Good memories.
Indeed, me too.Good memories here, always.
Once again, Mr Carson paving the way for another great talent who obviously went onto many successes!
Great talent?? Who? Billy Crystal?? Ok..Ill bite. How? Where? In what? Hes mediocre at best...nothing great about him.
This was broadcast when my daughter was 10 months old.....I actually remember this one, too. What a great talent Billy Crystal is, and was.
Being on Johnny Carson on the Tonight show was a big boost for any aspiring talent, almost anyone that got to be on the show was rocketed to fame and fortune. Thanks for the memories, I always enjoyed the Tonight show and miss the days when late night TV wasn't Political jokes that aren't funny anymore like they all are now.
That was a shocking routine.
I was 27 or 28 at this point and Billy Crystal became one of my all time favorites along with Steve Martin.
*Billy Crystal's stand-up routine was nothing to write home about--but his impressions of Mohamed Ali and Howard Cossell were spot-on. He's one of the few comedians whom I respect as a person. I remember his saying on "Inside the Actors Studio" that the last time he'd been on a date was during the Johnson Administration! No "scandals" and has been married to the same woman since 1970. You can't say that about most other comics of his generation.*
I do a better impression of Ali and Cosell. Nothing special with Crystal's versions.
@@jamesanthony5681 Yes - getting remarried is a scandal. 😀
I most likely watched this originally.. I,💯❤️hardly missed a show. Johnny STILL is THE BEST..I miss him😪
I needed this.💓
How do we miss Johnny
My all time favorite Billy Crystal movie is Running Scared. If you haven't seen it.. Please do. It's amazing.
He stood up and did the eulogy for Mohammed Ali . it was really beautiful
Yes it was.
Jodie Dallas from "Soap."
Congratulations on a very long and great career.
THANKYOU and amen
😃 *Thank you!* I’ve never seen this one. What a maaaavelous and unique routine 😉 from one of my all-time favorites.
To this day, I still tape Carson reruns on the tube.
Where do the rerun?
@angelthman - Correction: OR it might be under search word “Tonight Show,” I don’t recall how it’s displayed in syndication.
👏👏👏 That was definitely new & refreshing! Billy just got better & better as the years went passing by!! Haven't heard anything from him in awhile, I hope he's doing well!!! 👍👍
Monsters at Work and he's been in a movie with Tiffany Hadadish recently as an out of touch writer.
@@danerd8978
Thanks for the information, I don't get to the movies & I don't have TV, I do all watching here on CZcams. I'm glad to hear he's still working!
He's starring on Broadway in a musical adaptation of his movie "Mr. Saturday Night".
@@kenhenderson1762
Thank you! That I would love to see!!! 🌼
@@kenhenderson1762 It was nominated for a Tony
Awesome. Thanks.
Love ❤ Billy ...cool beans guy 👦
Billy talks about the appearence in his book. He remembers being told by the segment producer to look at him after he was done to see if Billy should take a bow and leave or if he would get the holy of holies...getting called to the couch. Billy was apparently the first since Freddie Prinze to get called to the couch at his first appearence.
Also, in the book, he tells about an awkward encounter he had with Orson Welles the night before which made him slightly more nervous about his appearence.
What was the encounter?
@lonewulf44 Billy approached Orson backstage at the Martin Roast of Ali they both appeared at the night before and Orson, in a funky mood, told Billy to go f#&k himself
Yeah, what was the encounter?
What was the encounter? I love myself an Orson story.
Encounter what was the?
I had to fast forward… but I’m a fan of Billy.
Me too.
And also, Holly crap, Billy was just about taking over the whole show with the close up camera Ali impression I think Johnny had to snap him out of it!
Between the 2 of them, they hosted the Oscars 14 times. I'm sure Johnny had no idea that was gonna happen.
Johnny had an ability to get true brilliance in front of us for the first time.
Billy was my favorite Oscar host ever!
Brilliant!!!
❤genius and wonderful all his life!!!
I have to politely and strongly disagree. If you feel that way about Billy Crystal, Id hate to see who you dont think is funny..
Mahvelous! Simply mahvelous!
It is better to look good than to feel good!
How did these guys look older back then?
I remember watching City Slickers, which was my introduction to Billy Crystal. But in this old clip he looked capable and durable. Pretty amazing how young he was here.
That freakin laugh! 🤣🤣
4:14
The greatest comedian at the Academy Awards.
Can't duplicate shows like this anymore,
As he came on you could see the nerves yes folks a time when Billy Crystal was merely human, but the nerves soon went and he did some wonderful observation comedy which was good but also very brave, and Carson acknowledged that.
Classic👏👏👏👏👏
A wonderful talent
Billy Crystal is funny
Was funny
@@mistermusturd6402 tomato\tomato...
What a cool looking dude in his younger days and funny as well
Good imitator, but not funny, IMO. Carson was struggling to find a way to compliment Crystal and Billy was flat as to his persosnality.
@@marymagdalene3004 generally... He made me laugh more often then not.
Fun fact: Billy Chrystal played the first openly gay character on network television, a show called Soap
It's a good thing he got called to the couch...very good
Great !
great.
Well, I don't know how I missed that appearance. IMHO, very nuanced humor that took a lot of guts to perform on national TV, let alone Carson. But, man, didn't he get the praise? And we ALL know what even a thumbs up from Carson could do for a comedian. How wonderful that these performances have been archived!
Billy really went for high wire audience trust , or he didn't care that much, which for his big shot is really brave in either case.. Or this was his best out of the off kilter , repetition, bits...or all of the above,, of course it was. Thank you so much
For Crystal's first SNL appearance (season 1, episode 17), it appears as though his character from the Carson bit has morphed into an old jazz musician - again it's a character-driven routine with only a few jokes. So again, despite being a mostly unknown comic at the time, Crystal fearlessly abstained from punch lines and stayed with a concept. Reading some of the other comments here, this isn't to everyone's taste (like, where are the one-liners?), but clearly Carson and SNL saw something in his performances.
@@zanti4132 I'll have to locate the SNL appearance thanks
You had to be pretty damn good for Carson to invite a person back with such kudos. I loved watching Carson... often on the sly. That's back when late nite was good. And good music shows. Sigh.
I think he was invited to visit with Johnny because Johnny had been apprised of Crystal's skill as an impersonator of two well-known and controversial personas as Ali and Cosel. If it was just based on his "routine" that night, they would have bid him adios!
Love this 👍
I love Calcifer! 🔥😀👏
a genius at work!
When he goes to the couch and they show who was sitting there watching I almost yelled.
Most Unusual !!!🎉😂🙏🏼🎃🎶🎭✨🎈🌾
When it comes down to it, crystal wasnt a great standup but he was a good comedic actor. Hes a kid here, and would go on to make a good name for himself. I like the bit but it went on for way too long.
This is 1976. Things weren't as RUSHED. Comedians were allowed to story tell a bit.
I can remember when Robin Williams first came on the scene - he was almost TOO FAST !
I had to look it up. This was January of 1977, and BC was born in 1948. So it looks like he was 29 years old here.
Billy Crystal was 29 during this appearance on Johnny Carson
Yeah, a glacial pace. Zzzzzz...
The point of the bit was its length and discomfort. It was more improvisation than stand-up. He nailed every aspect of it.
That's good
Brilliant. But it's the only time I've seen Billy Chrystal ever nervous.
He had a terrible routine and banked on his impersonations.
Billy had good stuff...
Hello. Love your channel. Do you have any clips of when Johnny interviewed David Niven please? I have seen a few still photos, but cant find any videos. Many thanks.
Goodnight, swamp 😄
It was worth waiting for Cosell/Ali.
January 22 1976 listed on Wikipedia
strangely enough, the voice (intonation) Billy Crystal is using here is exactly the same as the voice Steve Martin has been using for years. I wonder who copied whom.
The first time is usually baptism by fire and Billy got burned.
Johnny went to break so he could set up the Ali impression for him. Wry cool
Definitely.. WEIRD. Good thing for The Oscars that the sitcom "Soap" got picked up or 'Billy' probably would have been selling insurance a LONG time ago.. 😒
Bill's character of the lounge singer is dead on for what shallow wealthy financialy but poor in Caracter people acted like and thought was cool were and some still are like. The rest of the act including Ali impression are wonderful.
True. I thought BC's impression of Howard Cosell interviewing Mohammad Ali was spot on.
Considering how Billy has makes this appearance sound whenever he talks about it, I expected a lot more. The lounge thing was mildly funny at first, but he shouldn't have made it basically his whole routine. Got stale pretty quickly, imo.
Meanwhile his Ali Cosell impressions were absolutely spot on and hilarious and made me think he should've had THOSE in his routine rather than just doing them from the chair.
Plus he's also described the reaction to the Ali bit as "Johnny kicked back in hysterics and it was just magical." Didn't see any of that here, but in fairness, maybe he was confusing it with a later appearance.
Oh well...
Prob is, you don't appreciate what you have until you dont have it anymore.
By the way this is not just comedy there is acting involved too.
He wasn’t that bad as people say. Certainly a lot better stand up comedien than Seinfeld.
Eventually yes. But I think Seinfeld was funnier early in his career than Billy was earlier in his.
Not bad at all, the worst you could say is that it is sort of of it's time, no one under 30 has a clue of what these lounge room singers were like.
what a bomb
Looking down from the heart ❤️ and and the heavens
JOHNNY CARSON
23 DE OCTUBRE DE 1925
23 DE ENERO DE 2005
97 AÑOS
79 AÑOS
18 AÑOS
William Edward Crystal (Nueva York; 14 de marzo de 1948), más conocido como Billy Crystal, es un actor, escritor, productor, comediante y director de cine estadounidense.
I have to admit, the start of this sketch was a little rough-it didn’t pick up until 3 minutes in-but Billy recovered beautifully.
Never picked up.
Billie Crisco could not achieve talent above his ego. Rest in peace if you are still alive.
I love billy, but perhaps I'm dating myself but I just think you should have stuck with the impressions in my opinion. Clearly Johnny thought otherwise, which makes me wrong.
Completely agree
Johnny Carson should of interviewed Tyra j moore aka true freeman
Who?
What's up with JC's hair?
The interview saved him because this monologue was boring.
It's as if he's impersonating a mixture of Trump and Tom Cruise
Rent free
really talented jewish guy. lot of average ones made it too but billy is the real deal
This is a great impression of Donald Trump....
🤓🤪😤 He’s a little baby 😤😩😣
How'd he ever get anywhere with that act?
Amen!
Likely he had pull in the business because of his father's music business in NYC.
I'm not sure what I'm missing, because I didn't find that bit funny at all. Billy Crystal is a great talent, but I just didn't find this bit funny at all.
Same
his cadence in the routine reminds me of Donald Trump.
I love Billy Crystal but this is awful.
Donnie
So that's what bombing is.
Billy is genius great time before all the PC nonsense took over!
Holy crap this guy's horrible! He'll never amount to anything.
I cannot for the life of me make out what he says at 8:54 ... "Mohammad, you did not dance until the 12th round ..." and then gibberish. Can anyone tell me what he says? Sounds like "it leaves this repulitzner feel" but that, of course is nonsense :)
"At least this reporter feels" maybe? Idk
So boring had to fast forward ⏩
meta
Awful but thank God he didn't give up.
He was too long..overplayed
Yeah that wasn’t funny. 😬
Excellent example of Robin Williams
stealing a bit however, he had Fred Astaire stepping in poo.
Not funny at all but good impressions
I was never one for Billy’s arrogant humor.
I like Billy but this was terrible.
Pathetic first showing on Johnny Carson. Not funny at all.
Sounds like it went over your head.
I agree.
Yeah he could of done so much better than this crap. This was terrible 🤣
Well Carson didn't think so and if Carson thought you were funny you are funny and we have to remember this was the mid-70s so don't bash on crystal too hard.
Yeah seriously, I’m really trying hard to laugh at this skit but coming up empty handed
Billy Crystal is a product of "who you know" in Hollywood. His skit was terribly boring and even the audience back then didn't laugh at all. Johnny was just being nice and said what he said out of professionalism.
Agreed
insufferable
Terrible
Crystal wasn't funny.
He was and still is funny...
Everyone has their own style of comedy
This is NOT good
Crystal should try to stop these videos from appearing. He is terrible here. Wish I never saw it as I was kind of loving the job he did on the oscars. The imitations were very good, but his personality was off-putting and the skit was not at all good. Kind of a passive/aggressive personality.
Not funny here.
More annoying than funny.