Chevy Chase @ Boulder International Film Festival

Chevy Chase, his wife, and his daughter Cydney were in Boulder on Saturday for Chevy Chase to accept an award for excellence in comedy at the Boulder International Film Festival and take part in a Q+A. He wore a pink shirt with a blue tie with white dogs on it for the occasion.

We learned a few things:

_ He'll be on a few episodes of "Chuck" on NBC in April
_ There might be another "Fletch" (no details)

He had the audience guffawing with his deadpan humor from the time he took the stage to accept his award:

"I can't think of anything more flattering, given that I did maybe four good movies," he said. He said he was glad to make people laugh. "That's what I want to do. That's what I've enjoyed doing over the years." He said he was here with his wife and one of his daughters, Cydney. "The other two hate me," he quipped. "No! They were busy."

"Festivals count so much for younger people who are trying to explore their abilities in filmmaking. I know it helps to have some big shot here," he said. "But. It means a great deal to me. (pause) Because I'm a narcissist." (More laughs from the crowd)
Before he took the stage, the film festival showed a montage of clips from his career. Chase said he rarely looks back at his old clips. "I just keep going. I'll be dead in a year anyway." (audience laughs) But looking at the clips the festival showed, "It reminds me how little I've been paid." (more laughs)

During a rather lengthy Q+A with a moderator and time for questions for the audience, Chase talked about his comedy career.

On what he was like as a kid:

Chase said he was never the class clown but more of the subversive _ the one the teacher never knew was behind the hijinks. He had a very, very funny dad, he said. "His influence on me, his perspective, that had a great effect on me."

On comedy:

He poked fun at President Ford and others on "Saturday Night Live." But he wasn't about so much making fun of people. He said he couldn't look at social taboos without some sense of 'why.'

"That's the easy part, making fun of people who can't defend themselves. I don't think I fell into that category. It was more, can you imagine if this took place within this social taboo."

"I really believe comedy is physical in every sense ... the way you say things, lift an eyebrow. ... Comedy is physical. It's somewhat athletic, and it is a surprise."

On his start:

He went to LA to be a comedy writer and was writing for the Smothers Brothers. One night there was a midnight showing of Monty Python's Holy Grail. There was a long line and Chase was making remarks. At the time, Lorne Michaels was looking for people for "Saturday Night." He asked Rob Reiner somewhere in line who Chase was. Of Lorne, Chase said, "We hit it off like brothers. Afterward he gave me fellatio .." (ah, more deadpan humor!)

On the new 'SNL':

Chase said people's reference points change, the casts change, the early generation gets older. "I've never said anything negative about the next generation of SNL. I've always been very deferential to casts that come up" because of that reason (changing environment). "I can't say I laughed at every year after." But he said the first cast joined the show thinking they'd be the show would be around a year or less. "I was there to parody television. I had done a lot of writing the Smothers Brothers wouldn't touch. We were very relaxed because we didn't think we'd make it a year." Yet somehow, Chase and others went on to become stars after being on the show. He feels today, the cast feels some sort of desperation and more pressure to "make it."

After SNL

He was handed two scripts. One was Animal House and the other was Foul Play. (murmur from the audience) "Yeah, I made a lot of good choices," he said to loud laughter. "Do you think I'd be here if I chose Animal House?" He said he felt like he had lived Animal House, and he really wanted to meet Goldie Hawn, so he chose Foul Play.


Caddyshack:
"I don't play golf. I think golf is kind of boring actually. I'm a tennis player."

Vacation:

We tried to come up with the ugliest station wagon, the ugliest green, ugliest window position. Then get the ugliest guy to sell it _ Eugene Levy. Then the stupidest guy to buy it.

On Al Franken in his senatorial election:

(With a smile) "I just want it to be sooo difficult for him,"

On roles he was offered but turned down

Forrest Gump, American Beauty. But he said he was glad Tom Hanks did the part because he didn't know if he would've been able to do it. Also, scripts that come to him may be quite different than what ends up on screen because it can change with the actor and who's attached to it.

On other comedians:

He said he's a hard person to make laugh. He really likes Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin...

He talked of missing John Belushi, Gilda Radner. Of course, others from his generation also have died. "We smoked pot. We snorted coke. ... I'm a survivor of that,"

"I love the new cast of SNL. They're so different from us. They all drink water." (audience laughs) "And work really hard."

The evening ended with a question from his wife, Jayni. She asked him to play When I Fall in Love, for her, since it was Valentine's Day. So he walked over to the piano and played.