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A Few Clouds Hometown hero
Actor Billy Crystal returns to Long Beach for 50th LBHS reunion
Actor and comedian Billy Crystal returned home to Long Beach last weekend and patronized local eateries the Laurel Diner and Billy’s Beach Café. While in town to celebrate Long Beach High School’s 50th reunion, Crystal stopped off for a pastrami sandwich lunch at the recently reopened Laurel on Saturday.
“It was great just talking to him, I’ve been a fan of his ever since I was a child,” owner Peter Loucas said. “He’s a very nice guy, very down to earth.”
Crystal kept the visit low-key, owner Andrew Loucas added. “He was very humble,” he recounted. “There was no commotion, no one bothered him.”
The night before, Crystal stopped by Billy’s Beach Café with a crowd of classmates from the reunion.
“He stopped in for conversation and cocktails,” owner Billy Romm said. “It’s always good to see him.”
Crystal’s comedy special, “Billy Crystal 700 Sundays,” premiered on HBO last year and focuses largely on his upbringing in Long Beach. The Tony Award-winning stage adaptation of “700 Sundays” is based on an autobiography written by Crystal, and the title refers to the number of Sundays he shared with his father, Jack, who died when Crystal was 15.
Crystal, of course, has returned to Long Beach many times after Hurricane Sandy. His brother, former City Council President Joel Crystal, still lives in town and is co-chair of the city’s Community Reconstruction Program Committee.
Billy Crystal supported his hometown after Sandy by raising $1 million for the city’s relief fund, and filmed a commercial on the boardwalk two years ago to help promote Long Beach in the summer. He also funded the construction of new basketball courts — “DreamCourts” — at the Recreation Center with Basketball Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman, which opened in 2013. The two teamed up to fund the project to replace the courts, which were damaged during Sandy, leaving many kids in the community without a place to play.
Crystal also joined local officials to call on FEMA to pay for the replanting of thousands of trees that were destroyed by the storm, among other efforts.
