Pudding Pot Is Crystal Clear

Comedian Billy Crystal was named Harvard's Hasty Pudding Man of the Year, and he joined in the accompanying hijinks with gusto and good spirit, Joyce Kulhawik reports for CBS station WBZ in Boston.

He did not even object to donning a wig and a brassiere, pointing out that there have been occasions in his acting career when he has been called upon to dress in women's clothes.

When he finally did get the little brass pudding pot, he told the audience, "I'm so happy to be the guy holding the pot and not getting arrested for it."

In a nod to his starring role in the comedy City Slickers, Crystal was asked at the award ceremony Thursday to lasso a student dressed as a cow.

After hog-tying the "cow" (Harvard senior Bryan Leach), Crystal was presented with a live baby pig and asked to address the piglet as perhaps his most famous character, the talk-show personality Fernando from Saturday Night Live.

"Dahhhling, you look mahhhvelous!" Crystal said.

Crystal, 51, was honored with the award by members of the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the nation's oldest undergraduate dramatic organization.

The ceremony coincided with the opening night of the comedy troupe's annual production, The Jewel of Denial.

Crystal also has starred in such movies as When Harry Met Sally and Analyze This. He is scheduled to host the Academy Awards for the seventh time in March.

The Hasty Pudding Award goes to performers who have made a "lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment."

Previous recipients include Jodie Foster, Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts, Steven Spielberg, Tom Cruise and Harrison Ford. Actress Jamie Lee Curtis was awarded the Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year last week.