Knight--the first female president of Pudding Theatricals--received a standing ovation from the audience after Curtis praised her accomplishment.

Despite its female leadership, the Pudding cast, opening next week in their 152nd show The Jewel of Denial, does not permit women to act in their shows.

After Curtis received her pudding pot, the Pudding cast staged a preview of the show, which will open next Thursday when Billy Crystal is in town to accept his Man of the Year award.

Curtis raved about the preview.

"There's discernable talent up there, I had no clue they were so great," she said.

Curtis said she was likely to put her pudding pot on her bookshelf at home, "next to my self-help books and books about mothering," she said.

The daughter of silver screen legends Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, Curtis said she appreciated an award coming from Harvard, with its rich history and intellectual prestige.

"This is a place of history. I was raised by movie stars," she said. "I'm not proud I didn't go to college, and I respect education now more than ever. This [award] might even encourage me to go back to school. Who knows?"