Jerry Lewis
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Portrait of Jerry Lewis, 1966. |
Jerry Lewis (born
Joseph Levitch on
March 16,
1926), is an
American comedian,
actor,
film producer,
writer and
film director known for his
slapstick humor and his charity fund-raising
telethons for the
Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Lewis was originally paired up in 1946 with
Dean Martin, and formed the comedy team of
Martin and Lewis. Aside from popular nightclub work, they starred in an extremely successful series of
comedy films for
Paramount Pictures. The team broke up ten years later (to the day) on reportedly bad terms.
Lewis was born in
Newark, New Jersey to a
Jewish American family. His father was a
vaudeville performer. He began in
burlesque in
1942 at age 16 (if the birth year of 1926 is correct) and married two years later in 1944 at age 18. He gained initial fame with singer
Dean Martin, who served as a straight man to Lewis's manic, zany antics as the
Martin and Lewis comedy team. They distinguished themselves from the majority of comedy acts of the
1940s by relying on the interaction of the two comics instead of pre-planned skits. In the late 1940s, they quickly rose to national prominence, first with their popular
nightclub act and then as
film stars. Critics often found it difficult to describe their chaotic act beyond the laconic "Martin sings and Lewis clowns". They continued to perform in film and on
television until their partnership ended in
1956. Following their split, the two became involved in a well-publicized and long-running
feud that never truly ended; the next time they were seen together in public would be a surprise appearance by Martin on Lewis's telethon in
1976, arranged by
Frank Sinatra. Lewis wrote of his kinship with Martin in the 2005 book
Dean and Me (A Love Story). When Sinatra tried to bring Lewis back to Martin, Lewis was quoted as saying, "I'll never work with that drunk ever again". Although the pair eventually reconciled in the late-
1980s after Martin's son died, there was never any reunion.
Lewis returned as a solo act with his debut film
The Delicate Delinquent in
1957. Teaming with director
Frank Tashlin, whose background as a cartoonist suited Lewis's brand of humor, he starred in five more films, and even appeared uncredited as Itchy McRabbitt in
Li'l Abner (1959) before he produced, directed, co-wrote with Bill Richmond, and starred in his own movie entitled
The Bellboy in
1960. Using the
Fontainebleau Hotel in
Miami as his setting, on a small budget, a very tight shooting schedule and no script, Lewis shot the film by day and performed at the hotel in the evenings. During production, Lewis developed the technique of using video cameras and multiple closed circuit monitors to allow him to view scenes at the same time as he was filming them. This allowed him to review his performance instantly. Later, he incorporated video tape, and as more portable and affordable equipment became available, this technique would become an industry standard known as
video assist.
Lewis directed several more films which he co-wrote with Richmond including
The Ladies Man,
The Errand Boy, and the iconic film,
The Nutty Professor. During this period he was consistently praised by some highbrow
French critics in the influential
Cahiers du Cinéma for his absurd comedy, in part because he had gained respect as an
auteur who had total control over all aspects of his films, comparable to
Howard Hawks and
Alfred Hitchcock. In March 2006 the French Minister of Culture awarded Lewis the 'Legion of Honor' calling him the 'French people's favorite clown.'[
1] As a result, liking Jerry Lewis has long been a common stereotype about the French in the minds of many Americans, and is often the object of jokes in U.S. pop culture.
Lewis's box office appeal waned by the mid-
1960s. In 1966, he began hosting an annual
Labor Day Telethon for the
Muscular Dystrophy Association, a charity with which he had been publicly associated since
1950. He remained popular in Europe until the
1980s.
Later, Lewis starred in and directed the unreleased
The Day The Clown Cried in
1972. The film was a drama set in a
Nazi concentration camp. Lewis has explained why the film hasn't been released by suggesting litigation over post-production financial difficulties. More importantly, however, he recently admitted during his book tour for
Dean and Me that a major factor for the film's burial is that he is not proud of the effort. It has been seen by very few select individuals, but those who have reportedly seen it (all unconfirmed), decry it as the utmost in bad taste (as
Spy Magazine did in
1992).
After an eight-year absence from movies, Lewis returned in the early
1980s with
Hardly Working, a film he both directed and starred in. Despite being panned by the critics, the film did eventually earn $50 million. He followed this up with a critically acclaimed performance in
Martin Scorsese's
1983 film
The King of Comedy in which Lewis plays a late night TV host plagued by obsessive fans (played by
Robert de Niro and
Sandra Bernhard). Ironically, the role had been offered to, and turned down by, Dean Martin. Lewis continued doing interesting work in small films in the 1990s, most notably his supporting role in the dark comedy
Funny Bones (1995), and also in
Arizona Dream (1992).
Jerry and his popular movie characters were animated in the cartoon series
Will The Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down? which premiered on ABC in 1970 and then ended in 1972. The show was produced at
Filmation Studios, and starred
David Lander (later of
Laverne and Shirley fame) as the voice of Jerry Lewis. Lewis was the show's partner.
Lewis suffered a minor heart attack on
June 11,
2006 at the end of a cross-country commercial airline flight en route home from New York City. [
2] It was later found that he also had
pneumonia. While it meant canceling several major events for Lewis, he recuperated in a matter of weeks.
Lewis currently resides in
Las Vegas,
Nevada.
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Jerry Lewis opens the 2005 MDA telethon. |
Lewis has organized a
Labor Day telethon to help raise money for the
Muscular Dystrophy Association (
MDA) since
1966. His efforts have helped raise approximately
US$2 billion. [
3] Lewis is one of few fundraisers who brings in more than is actually pledged. This is because many donors as they write a check add extra money to help "Jerry's Kids" given his generosity and no pressure appeal. In
1977, he was nominated for a
Nobel Peace Prize and in
1985, he received a US
Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service. In September
2005 Lewis was slated to receive the Governor's Award from the
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, honoring his long-running telethons.
The telethons are typically star-studded: among Lewis's co-hosts through the years were
Ed McMahon and
Casey Kasem. A frequent performer in the
1970s and
1980s was the late
Frank Sinatra, who famously surprised Lewis by reuniting him with
Dean Martin on the telethon in
1976.
On his 40th
Labor Day telethon in 2005, Lewis added
Salvation Army fundraising (for
Hurricane Katrina) to his usual
MDA fundraising, though he also encouraged viewers to give to the
American Red Cross.
Criticisms
The MDA and Jerry Lewis have been criticized by some
disability rights activists for their tendency to paint disabled people as "pitiable victims who want and need nothing more than a big charity to take care of or cure them."[
4] Critics argue that focusing the public's attention on medical cures to "normalize" disabled people fails to address issues like providing accessible buildings, transportation, employment opportunities and other civil rights for the disabled.
Jerry Lewis has also made some remarks that have been regarded as insensitive towards the disabled:
* In
1990, he wrote a first-person essay entitled "If I Had Muscular Dystrophy" for
Parade magazine magazine, in which he characterized those with muscular dystrophy as "being half a person."[
5] Many in the disabled community viewed his remarks as prejudicial, contributing to the idea that disabled people are "childlike, helpless, hopeless, non-functioning and noncontributing members of society."[
6]
* On
May 20 2001, he responded to his critics in an interview on
CBS News Sunday Morning: "If you don't want to be pitied for being a cripple in a wheelchair, don't come out of the house." Again, disability rights activists blasted him for characterizing disabled people as helpless and home-bound.
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One of Jerry Lewis' stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame |
*Jerry Lewis has won many prestigious Lifetime Achievement Awards from The American Comedy Awards, The Golden Camera, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, The Venice Film Festival and he has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
*Lewis has battled
prostate cancer,
diabetes and
pulmonary fibrosis. Medical treatment for the fibrosis in the early 2000s caused the comedian to experience weight gain and bloating that noticeably changed his appearance.
*Lewis has suffered years of back pain due to a failed slapstick stunt that almost left him paralyzed. An electronic device developed by
Medtronic recently implanted in his back has helped reduce the discomfort. He is now one of Medtronic's leading spokesmen.
*Lewis tried his hand at singing in the
1950s, having a chart hit with the song "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" (a song originated by
Al Jolson and popularized by
Judy Garland) as well as the song, "It All Depends On You" in 1958.
The Simpsons' voice actor
Hank Azaria based the voice of
Professor Frink on Lewis'
Nutty Professor character Julius Kelp. Lewis was eventually invited to guest as Frink's father.
* The
Animaniacs character of "Mr. Director" is inspired by Lewis
*He is a supporter of the
Brisbane Lions Football Club in the
Australian Football League.
*In 1984, he was nominated for the
Golden Raspberry for Worst Actor for his role in
Slapstick of Another Kind.
*Lewis is the father of 1960s pop musician
Gary Lewis, who had several hits during the mid-1960's with his group
Gary Lewis and the Playboys.
*He has been roasted by The Friars Club on three separate occasions, and now holds the position of abbot.
*In a radio interview associated with his 2005 book, he said that his IQ has been measured at 169.
Screen Snapshots: Thirtieth Anniversary Special (1950) (short subject)
The Jazz Singer (1958) TV Appearance
Raymine (1960) (Sings the Title Song Only)
Ben Casey (1964) (TV Episode, "A Little Fun to Match the Sorrow")
Batman (1966) (TV episode, "The Bookworm Turns")
Silent Treatment (1968) (unfinished)
One More Time (1970) (director only & voice of the bandleader)
The Day the Clown Cried (1972) (unfinished)
Rascal Dazzle (1980) (documentary on the Little Rascals; narrator only)
Wiseguy (1988) (TV series, four episodes 'Garment Trade Arc')
Mad About You (1993) (TV episode, "The Billionaire")
*
The Total Film-Maker. New York: Random House, 1971, ISBN 0394467574
*
Jerry Lewis: In Person with
Herb Gluck. New York: Atheneum, 1982, ISBN 0689112904
*
Dean & Me (A Love Story) with
James Kaplan. New York: Doubleday, 2005, ISBN 0767920864
*
Official Jerry Lewis Website*
Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical Database
