As the man who directed “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up,” and produced “Superbad,” “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and its upcoming spin-off “Get Him to the Greek,” Judd Apatow is the reason why this brand of raunchy comedy has been unavoidable in every theater for the last six years.
As a result of his impact, Apatow will receive the UCLA Jack Benny Award, presented by the Campus Events Commission, followed by a question and answer session with the audience moderated by actor Jason Segel (“Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “How I Met Your Mother”).
The award honors individuals who contribute significantly to the field of comedy, and was established in 1977 after Benny, a popular comedian in radio and television from the ’30s to the ’60s, passed away.
Benny’s family donated many of his documents and his collection of television shows to the university, which then created the award to honor his memory.
Although the award has been in existence for 33 years, the list of honorees is few. Only eight people have received the honor, the first being Johnny Carson. In recent years, the list has included Conan O’Brien and Adam Sandler, and the last person to receive the honor was Kevin Smith in 2006.
Campus Events Commissioner Joanne Lin attributes the gap years to a lack of momentum in the panel’s search for a suitable honoree.
“It’s all about finding the right recipient,” Lin said. “We look for individuals who pioneer the comedy field and who others look up to and want to emulate.”
Apatow’s contributions have had a profound influence on the field of comedy, Lin said, he fit the bill perfectly.
“I was thrilled to hear that I would be presented this award,” Apatow wrote in an e-mail. “Over the years I heard about all of my heroes getting this award and I never considered it was possible I would receive it myself. Now that I am getting it, I now know for sure they ran out of people to give it to. I, like you, no longer respect this award.”
All self-deprecation and joking aside, Apatow’s career is long and storied. After starting out as a stand-up comic, Apatow switched to writing for others, eventually writing and producing “The Ben Stiller Show” and “The Larry Sanders Show” before landing the chance to shape a show of his own as executive producer of “Freaks and Geeks.”
Boasting a then-unknown cast including James Franco, Seth Rogen and Jason Segel, “Freaks and Geeks” realistically chronicled high school in all its gangly, awkward glory. Despite positive critical response, the show was canceled after one season, as was the next Apatow-created series, “Undeclared,” starring Jay Baruchel.
Despite these disappointments, Apatow was able to write, produce and direct “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” Its surprise success gave Apatow the momentum to direct and produce “Knocked Up,” with Seth Rogen in the lead role, and Apatow’s films since have all proved popular.
Apatow’s appeal is such that his possibly polarizing background as a former Trojan, albeit one who did not graduate, is considered a non-issue to some.
“I would rather have Judd Apatow give the commencement speech, even if he had graduated from USC,” said Yancey Holmes, a fourth-year political science and history student.
For others, the appeal of Apatow’s work is its realism.
“I know his movies are trying to be intentionally funny, but there’s a realness to them,” said third-year chemical engineering student David Chlebowski. “It’s something you could see happening on a daily basis.”
Even though Apatow may not be for the prudish, fans enjoy his outrageous view of the average person’s life.
“He takes comedy to a different level,” said first-year nursing student Alyssa Salas. “Even though his humor can be crude, his stories are really relatable and can happen in everyday life.”
To those who wish to follow in Apatow’s footsteps, his advice is simple.
“I always have the same advice to young filmmakers,” Apatow said. “Work harder than everyone else. Read a lot. Attempt to find your unique voice. And drop out after a year and a half of college. Good luck.”