Famed comedian Jack Benny was known for his notoriously
self-deprecating humor. It’s appropriate, then, that a
recipient of an award named after Benny might resort to similar
strategies.
“This takes the place of the Oscar I’ll never
get,” said Kevin Smith, writer and director of such films as
“Clerks,” “Dogma” and “Chasing
Amy,” and winner of this year’s UCLA Jack Benny
Award.
Smith was presented with the award at Royce Hall on Wednesday in
a ceremony put on by the Campus Events Commission. According to the
commission’s Web site, the award “recognizes
individuals for their unique contributions to comedy.” Smith
is the latest in a line of winners that includes John Belushi,
Robin Williams and, most recently, Mike Myers.
Smith was thrilled to receive what he calls “the awesome
Jack Benny Award.”
“I was astounded and amazed just to hear that someone
wanted to give me an award, period,” Smith said. “Then,
when I saw what it was, I was even more flattered. Then, when I saw
who received it before me, I was even more flabbergasted. I’m
stunned.
“Jack Benny was always funny. Some people say he was the
first stand-up comedian, and they’re not far off the
mark,” Smith added. “For anyone to feel like I am a
distant approximate is just insane.”
Before the event, Smith mentioned that he was fearful of
arriving at Royce to find not an award, but rather, Ashton Kutcher
and his “Punk’d” crew. Thankfully for Smith and
the many students in the audience, this was not the case.
After a brief introduction to Benny’s career by Campus
Events and Benny’s daughter, Joan, clips from Smith’s
films (including the upcoming “Clerks II”) were shown.
Set to Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” the
retrospective was, in Smith’s words, “a best-of if you
were looking for the most vulgar lines in the movies we’ve
done.” Following the clips, Joan Benny presented the award to
Smith amid a standing ovation.
In his short acceptance speech, Smith maintained the
self-minimizing mode that Benny made famous. “Getting an
award for comedy makes me feel thin,” said the portly Smith,
who also stars in his films as the mute half of the Jay and Silent
Bob duo.
Smith went on to thank colleagues and family, including his
daughter “for being proof that I’ve gotten
laid.”
Following his remarks, Smith held a question-and-answer session.
Between addressing requests for a job at his comic-book store in
Westwood (Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash) and the
occasional mild heckler, Smith touched on topics as diverse as
cutting down movies to make them funnier (“You can’t
hack out all the unfunny parts, or you wouldn’t have had
“Jersey Girl”); Catholicism (“It doesn’t
make sense, but it works for me”); and the staying power of
“Clerks” (“Aside from the acid-washed jeans,
it’s kind of timeless”).
Also, as any Smith fan knows, no Smith appearance would be
complete without a mention of “Star Wars.”
“After “˜The Phantom Menace,’ I wasn’t
one of the people who went to the Web and said, “˜George Lucas
raped my childhood!'” Smith said. “I said to
myself, “˜I know this is stupid, but kids think it’s
funny, so I’ll think it’s funny.'”
One audience member even asked Smith if he could join him for a
cigarette after the event. With all the amiability of Silent Bob,
Smith agreed.
Students in attendance had rave reviews for Smith.
“He was funny and intelligent,” said fourth-year
film and television student Jesse Grce. “He kept on point and
handled himself well even when he was being heckled. I got more out
of (the event) than I get out of most of my classes.”
For Special Events Coordinator Nish Chari, bringing Smith to
campus was important on a number of levels. First, Chari said, it
reaffirms the prominence of the Jack Benny Award (which had not
been handed out since Mike Myers received it in 2003) in a
particularly special way by having Joan Benny present it, a
first-time occurrence.
Additionally, the re-emergence of the Jack Benny Award is part
of a general return trend being put into effect by Campus
Events.
“This year has been about not just re-establishing old
traditions like the Bruin Bash and the Spencer Tracy Award, but
also about creating new ones,” said Chari. “This is a
way to show what’s going on at UCLA.”
Ultimately, though, the award is about paying tribute not just
to great comedians, but also to great commentators.
“Smith is one person who especially speaks to the college
audience and our generation,” Chari said. “Jack Benny
was what was cool at the time for kids our age. Kevin Smith is that
for us.”
To Smith, who has become somewhat of a man-about-Westwood
recently, the fact that UCLA had something to do with rewarding him
makes a difference. In fact, it may even explain why he was
rewarded in the first place.
“There’s a certain poignancy about getting an award
from the school down the street,” Smith said. “Maybe
they were thinking, “˜Who should we give this to?’ and
thought, “˜Hey, how about the guy down the street with the
store? He’ll show up!'”