Billy Crystal Remembers Making Fun Of Jack Nicholson At The Oscars | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

media entertainment has changed so much. one of the ways it's changed is that. people used to all be on the same page. for better or worse when you were early. on hosting the Oscars was maybe one of. the last. times when you've got the right guy. doing the job but it's not just that you. got the right person doing the job but. you also have everybody's on the same. page it's tougher now I think. because I watch a lot of movies and.

often times when I'm watching and I'm in. entertainment yeah and I haven't seen. seven of the things they're talking. about whereas when I think about the. shows when you were hosting you had. amazing great material you're very. comfortable you're in charge of the room. but also. everybody's gathered around the campfire. and it felt like a time that might not. come back I agree because people were. going to movies mhm and there were movie. stars.

movie stars we didn't have streaming we. didn't have anything else you went you. went to the movie theater yeah and when. I started doing the show I was now part. of the of the movie world I had hosted. the Grammys three years prior to. that and then. now one after the other had a couple of. really good you know movie hits. that I earned my way yeah to the to the. show you don't have to have movie hits. anymore.

no that was you put a pressure on. yourself that I mean God bless you for. having those and for doing that but uh. it's it's I mean also when Carson was. hosting the Oscars which he did many. times you know he had never had a had a. movie hit before so you put a pressure. on yourself that was unnecessary right I. wish I had been there to tell you I was. way too young and you wouldn't have. known who I was. but you that kid from Universal.

right you don't have to do it Billy the. coffee coffee was. cold that first time was um really. special I had I had been a presenter the. year. before uh in the terrible show uh that. this was the non-host Rob low singing I. was I was a presenter he's still hiding. out from that one yeah I was a presenter. on that show yeah and did and went went.

pretty well and then they asked me to do. it um but I remember feeling not. nervous I I was actually excited to go. out there because we had good stuff yeah. and I had one. writer Robert wall oh yeah Bob wall. who's a very good actor too he's. actually in the SNL movie He plays Davey. Wilson okay it was just he and I and we. had done the three Grammys together and. we had a we had we had a great way waed.

you know to work together and it was. just us and it was just like let's get. out there cuz we felt really confident. you know when you would do your show and. you do a monologue you knew your jokes. are really good no I don't you never. felt that I think you forgot who you're. talking to but no I know I I do know the. feeling of I think this stuff is really. good and I'm excited to go out yeah and. I'm prepared yeah and uh I remember. walking out there and Nicholson was. right there in the front who would later. become like my partner on the show yeah.

yeah and um we wrote jokes about him uh. because he had made that huge deal for. bat the Batman thing and he made uh he. The Joker and he made like a five 4050. millionar something right it was one of. those pay me later things and we did. jokes about him you know Jack is so Jack. is so wealthy Morgan Freeman drove him. here tonight.

and the great thing is he's laughing oh. Big Time see that's the thing too is. that. uh knowing having the great joke and. going after an icon of that status but. then they're. laughing that's magic oh yeah and I did. because they don't always laugh no I. said you know Jack so I remember this. the sequence Jack is so rich he bought. land in Japan Jack is so rich Morgan fre. Dr and the last one was and I said to. the audience I got one more if you want.

and he was just and that was relaxing me. yeah yeah I said Jack is a rich John. Peters still cuts his hair now John. Peters was the head of the studio who. who had been a hairdresser a. guy and and um and it was just it was. going just. great and uh there's an 18-minute Gap we. call the Rosemary Woods Gap in the show. where I'm it's sound effects editing and. there's no host so I had I'm in my. dressing room and I'm getting a sandwich. fix my makeup and all that stuff and.

then who is it it's Jack and. Warren so I go Jack and Warren who yeah. so open it it's Warren batty and Jack. mhm and I said did you upset are you. kidding me thanks for talking about my. money kid and he said I just want to say. one thing it's great you're doing this. keep doing it and we just it's just so. important that you're here and we love. you both both of us just want you to. have a great rest of the show and we're.

gonna have a little thing later at the. Henda if you want to come by I he's got. a Henda yeah I never knew anyone had. aanda I thought only in in that in in. zaro did somebody have a. Henda and but that was the most it was. the most selfless wonderful feeling that. it that it it had connected with him it. was great you've had a lot of these fun. crazy moments that you sometimes must.

wake up and think wait a minute did that. happen did that really I know did that. really happen I um here's another one. I'm introducing uh Bob Hope is in the. audience. M and Bob at that point could not hear. very well I did not know that um and. he's sitting next to his his wife and I. said you know this is my whatever time. it was sixth or seventh I've done nine. something and I said uh Bob I'm just. renting your house for a while you know.

just ladies and gentlemen the great Bob. Hope and he's he knows the cameras on. you they're roving through the o with. the with the the mini cam on them and he. take he knows and knows and then the. camera goes away and he looks at me and. he slips me the finger just fooling just. like thank you thank you thank you like. that and I just cracked it was just so. great the next day I get it a. handwritten note delivered to my house. yeah which I have framed at home from. Bob.

Pope very nice things he said um you. could do this you can do that and that. and he said but why didn't you call me. to play your brother in Mr Saturday. night I would have saved you a fortune. on. makeup keep keep doing it Bob it was. that's great great things.