Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis (born Joseph or Jerome Levitch, Newark, New Jersey, March 16, 1926-Las Vegas, Nevada; August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, film director, and screenwriter.

Lewis was known for his slapstick humor on film, television, stage, and radio. From 1946 to 1956, Lewis and Dean Martin were partners as the popular comedy duo Martin and Lewis. After that success, he was a solo star in movies, TV shows, concerts, record recordings, and musicals.

Lewis served as national president of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and hosted the live Labor Day weekend broadcast of The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon for 44 years.

He received several lifetime achievement awards from the American Comedy Awards, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the Venice International Film Festival, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Family and youth

Jerry Lewis was born on March 16, 1926, at Newark Beth Israel Hospital, New Jersey, to Russian-Jewish parents. His father, Daniel Levitch (1902-1980), was an emcee and vaudeville entertainer. He used the professional name Danny Lewis. His mother, Rachel Levitch, was a pianist for a radio station. Jerry began acting at the age of five and used to perform with his parents in the Catskill Mountains, New York. He used the professional name Joey Lewis, but soon changed it to Jerry Lewis to avoid confusion with comedian Joe E. Lewis and boxing champion Joe Louis. Jerry later dropped out of Irvington High School in the tenth grade. He was a & # 34; character & # 34; even in his teens, he pulled pranks in his neighborhood, including sneaking into kitchens to steal fried chicken and pies. During World War II, he was refused military service due to a heart murmur.

Career

With Dean Martin in 1950.

Lewis initially gained attention as part of a double act with singer Dean Martin, who served as the straight man to Lewis's antics in the Martin and Lewis comedy team.

The performers were different from most other comedy acts of the time, because they relied on their interaction rather than planned skits. After their formation in 1946, the duo quickly rose to national prominence, first with their popular nightclub act, then as stars of their own show, The Martin and Lewis Show, on NBC Red. Network. The two men made many appearances on early live television, their first on the June 20, 1948 debut episode of Toast of the Town on CBS (later officially renamed The Ed Sullivan Show on September 25, 1955).

This was followed on October 3, 1948 by an appearance on the NBC series Welcome Aboard, then a stint as the first of a series of hosts for The Colgate Comedy Hour. in 1950. Just before appearing on The Colgate Comedy Hour, Lewis hired Norman Lear and Ed Simmons to become regular writers for Martin and Lewis. The duo began their careers in the cinema at Paramount Pictures as supporting actors in My Friend Irma (1949), based on a radio series of the same name. This was followed by a sequel, My Friend Irma Goes West (1950).

Martin and Lewis in 1955.

Beginning with At War with the Army (1950), Martin and Lewis starred in their own films in fourteen additional titles, That's My Boy (1951), What a Pair of Sailors! (1952), Locos of the Air (1952; also appearing that same year in the Bing Crosby and Bob Hope film, Road to Bali in cameos), The Comedian (1952), The Cursed Castle (1953), What a pair of thugs! (1953), The Crazy Horseman (1953), Living His Life (1954), The King of the Circus (1954), A Fresco in Trouble (1955), Artists and Models (1955) and Together in the Face of Danger (1956), ending with Loco by Anita (1956). All sixteen films were produced by Hal B. Wallis. Following the popularity of the comic duo, DC Comics published the comic strips The Adventures of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis from 1952 to 1957. In 1954, the team appeared in episode 191 of What';s My Line? as mystery guests. As Martin's roles in his films became less important over time, the partnership with his colleague came under strain. Martin's reduced involvement became an embarrassment in 1954 when Look magazine published a publicity photo of the duo for the magazine's cover, but cut Martin out. The partnership ended in July 1956.

Both Martin and Lewis went on to resoundingly successful solo careers, and neither commented on the split or considered a rebuilding of the duo (although Martin graciously called Jerry to wish him success in whatever endeavors he undertook). They later had a joint public appearance in 1961, but did not perform on stage together again until a benefit mini-show on the 1976 Muscular Dystrophy Telethon. There, their mutual friend Frank Sinatra brought Martin in as a surprise guest. In an elated mood, Lewis muttered, "I didn't even know why we broke up," to which a smiling Martin whispered, "So we could grow up." Indeed, perhaps as a duo they would have fallen into decline by completing an inevitable cycle. The couple finally revitalized their closeness in the late 1980s after the death of Martin's son, Dean Paul Martin, in 1987. The two talents were last seen on stage together when Martin was doing what would be his last live performance. at Bally's Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas in 1989. Lewis brought out a cake for Martin's 72nd birthday, sang "Happy Birthday" to him, and sang "Happy Birthday" to Martin. and he joked, "Why we broke up, I'll never know," to which a smiling Martin insisted: "To grow up."

Solo Race

After his partnership with Martin ended, he and his wife Patty took a vacation to Las Vegas to consider the direction of his career. He felt that his life was in a state of crisis: "I couldn't put one foot in front of the other with confidence, he was totally nervous to be alone."

While there, he received an urgent request from his friend Sidney Luft, who was Judy Garland's husband and manager, saying that she was unable to perform that night in Las Vegas due to strep throat, and asking Lewis to would cover her However, Lewis had not sung on stage since she was five, twenty-five years earlier. But he appeared before the audience, making jokes, while Garland sat offstage, watching. She then sang a rendition of a song she had learned as a child, "Rock-A-Bye Baby", along with "Come Rain or Come Shine". Lewis recalled, "When I was done the place blew up, I walked off stage knowing I could do it on my own."

Jerry Lewis in different poses (1957).

Capitol Records heard him and insisted on recording an album. The album, Jerry Lewis Just Sings, went to number 3 on the Billboard charts, staying close to the top for four months and selling half a million copies. After being able to sing live shows, he was performing regularly at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas beginning in late 1956, which marked a turning point in his career. life and career. The Sands signed him for five years, to perform six weeks each year, and they paid him the same amount they had paid Martin and Lewis as a team. He appeared on his first solo television show for NBC in January 1957, followed by performances for clubs in Miami, New York, Chicago and Washington. In February he followed Judy Garland at the Palace Theater in New York; his ex-partner Martin called him during this period to wish him the best of luck."I've never been happier," Lewis said. "I have peace of mind for the first time".

Lewis rose to stardom as a solo act on television and in movies beginning with the first of six appearances on What's My Line? from 1956 to 1966, then starring in an episode of Startime. Lewis remained at Paramount and became a comedy star in his own right with his first solo film, The Delicate Delinquent (1957). Meanwhile, DC Comics published a new comic series titled The Adventures of Jerry Lewis, which ran from 1957 to 1971. In collaboration with director Frank Tashlin, whose background as director of the cartoon series Warner Bros. animated Looney Tunes suited Lewis' brand of humor, he starred in five more films: The Sad Sack (1957), Rock-A- Bye Baby (1958), The Geisha Boy (1958), Don't Give Up the Ship (1959) and even appeared uncredited in Li'l Abner (1959). By the end of his contract with producer Hal B. Wallis, Lewis had several productions of his own under his belt. In 1959, a contract was signed between Paramount Pictures and Jerry Lewis Productions, specifying a payment of $10 million plus 60% of profits for 14 films over a seven-year period. In 1960, Lewis ended his contract with Wallis with Visit to a Small Planet (1960) and finished work on his own production Cinderfella, which was postponed for release to Christmas 1960 and Paramount, quickly necessitating a film for their 1960 summer schedule, they held Lewis to his contract to produce one.

Lewis followed with The Bellboy (1960). Using the Fontainebleau Miami Beach hotel in Miami as his set and with a small budget, tight shooting schedule, and no script, Lewis shot the film during the day and appeared at the hotel at night. Bill Richmond collaborated with him in the many visual gags. Lewis later revealed that Paramount was not happy financing the pseudo "silent film"; and removed the backing. Lewis used his own funds to cover the budget of $950,000. During production Lewis pioneered the technique of using video cameras and multiple closed-circuit monitors, which allowed her to review his performance. His video-assisted techniques and methods, documented in his book and in his USC class, allowed him to complete most of his films on time and under budget. He has popularized the practice, although he did not explicitly invent it. Lewis followed The Bellboy by directing several more films that he co-wrote with Tashlin, including The Ladies Man (1961), The Errand Boy (1961), It's Only Money (1962) and The Nutty Professor (1963). Lewis made a cameo appearance in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963). Later, more Lewis films were Who's Minding the Store? (1963), The Patsy (1964) and The Disorderly Orderly (1964). Also in 1961, Lewis starred in an episode of The Garry Moore Show. Lewis hosted two different versions of The Jerry Lewis Show (a big-budget 13-week show for ABC in 1963 and a one-hour variety show for NBC in 1967).

Lewis The Jerry Lewis Show (1973).

Lewis directed and co-wrote The Family Jewels (1965) about a young heiress who must choose between six uncles, one of whom is up to no good and threatens to hurt her beloved bodyguard who practically raised her Lewis played the six guys and her bodyguard. Lewis would later appear in Boeing Boeing (1965). Also in 1965, Lewis made television appearances on Ben Casey and The Andy Williams Show.

By 1966, the 40-year-old Lewis was no longer an angular young man, his routines seemed more laborious, and his box office appeal waned to the point where new executives at Paramount Pictures no longer needed Lewis's comedies and they did not wish to renew their 1959 contract. Undaunted, Lewis went to Columbia Pictures, where he made Three on a Couch (1966); he then appeared in Way...Way Out (1966) for 20th Century Fox. During 1966, Lewis guest-starred in Batman, Password and in a pilot named Sheriff Who. Lewis continued with more films, such as The Big Mouth (1967) and Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River (1968).

Lewis appeared in an episode of Playboy After Dark. She then starred in Hook, Line & amp; Sinker (1969). Lewis taught a film directing class at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles for a number of years, with students like George Lucas, whose friend Steven Spielberg sometimes sat in on classes. In 1968, he screened Spielberg's early film Amblin' and told his students, 'This is what cinema is all about'. In 1970, Lewis appeared in The Red Skelton Show, later he directed an episode of The Bold Ones. Lewis starred in an episode of The Engelbert Humperdinck Show.

He then directed and performed his first offscreen voice acting as a bandleader in One More Time (1970), which starred Sammy Davis Jr. (a friend of Lewis's) and also produced, directed and starred in Which Way to the Front? (1970). Lewis would then make and star in the unpublished The Day the Clown Cried (1972), a drama set in a Nazi concentration camp. Lewis rarely discussed the film, but once suggested that disputes over post-production finances prevented the film from being made and released. However, he also admitted during his Dean and Me book tour that a major factor in burying the film is that he wasn't proud of the effort. In 1973, Lewis was a guest on The Dick Cavett Show and then appeared on Celebrity Sportsman in 1974. Lewis appeared in a revival of the musical Hellzapoppin' with Lynn Redgrave in 1976, but it closed before reaching the Broadway circuit. In 1979, Lewis was a guest host on Circus of the Stars.

Lewis Film Star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 6821 Hollywood Blvd.

After an 11-year absence, Lewis returned to filming in Hardly Working (1981), a film in which he directed and starred. Despite being panned by critics, it ultimately made $50 million. Lewis next appeared in Martin Scorsese's The King of Comedy (1983), in which he played the host of a late night show harassed by two obsessive fans, played by Robert De Niro and Sandra Bernhard.

Lewis appeared as a guest host on Saturday Night Live and also appeared on Cracking Up (1983) and Slapstick of Another Kind (1984). In France, Lewis starred in Retenez moi...ou je fais un malheur (1984) and How Did You Get In? We Didn't See You Leave (1984). Lewis stated that as long as he had control over the distribution of those last two films, they will never get an American release. Meanwhile, a syndicated talk show hosted by Lewis in 1984 was not continued beyond its scheduled five shows.

Lewis starred in the ABC TV movie Fight for Life (1987) with Patty Duke. She starred in five episodes of Wiseguy, then appeared in Cookie (1989). Lewis had a cameo in Mr. Saturday Night (1992) and then in 1993, he guest-starred on an episode of Mad About You as an eccentric billionaire. Lewis made his Broadway debut, as a replacement cast member playing the Devil in a revival of Damn Yankees, choreographed by Rob Marshall, while also starring in the film The Arizona Dream (1994), as a car salesman. Lewis then starred as the father of a young comedian in Funny Bones (1995). In 2003, Lewis provided the voice of Professor Frink's dad in an episode of The Simpsons; then in 2006, he guest-starred on an episode of Law & amp; Order: Special Victims Unit as John Munch's uncle.

Lewis in 2005.

In 2012, Lewis directed a musical stage version of The Nutty Professor at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville from July 31 to August 19 during the summer.

In Brazil, Lewis appeared in Até que a Sorte nos Separe 2 (2013). She then starred in a small role in the crime drama The Trust (2016). Lewis made a return in a lead role in Max Rose (2016).

Popularity in France

Lewis has remained popular in France, evidenced by consistent praise from French critics in the film magazine Cahiers du Cinéma for his absurdist comedy, in part because he had gained a reputation as a i>auteur who had complete control over all aspects of his films, comparable to Howard Hawks and Alfred Hitchcock.

Liking Lewis has long been a common stereotype about French in the minds of many English speakers, and is often the butt of jokes in the English-speaking world's popular culture.

"That Americans cannot see the genius of Jerry Lewis is puzzling," says N.T. Binh, a critic for the French film magazine. Such bewilderment was the basis for the book Why the French Love Jerry Lewis.

Activism

Lewis hosts the MDA teleton in 1981.

Throughout his adult life and career, Lewis was a world-renowned humanitarian who supported fundraising for muscular dystrophy research. Until 2011, he served as national president and spokesperson for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA; & # 34; Muscular Dystrophy Association & # 34; in Spanish).

Lewis began hosting telethons to benefit the association from 1952 to 1959, then every Labor Day weekend from 1966 to 2010, he hosted The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon (also referred to as the Jerry Lewis Extra Special Special, Jerry Lewis Super Show and Jerry Lewis Stars Across America). Over nearly half a century, he has raised more than $2.6 billion in donations for the cause.

On August 3, 2011, it was announced that Lewis would no longer host MDA telethons and would no longer be associated with the Muscular Dystrophy Association. In 2015, it was announced that in view of "the new realities of television viewing and philanthropic giving", the telethon was being discontinued.

Other ventures

Movie theater chain

In 1969, Lewis agreed to lend his name to "Jerry Lewis Cinemas", offered by the National Cinema Corporation as a business opportunity for franchise for those interested in film screening. Jerry Lewis Cinemas stated that its theaters could be operated by a staff of as few as two with the help of automation and support provided by the franchisor in theater booking and other aspects of exhibition cinema.

A precursor to the smaller movie theaters typical of later complexes, a Jerry Lewis Cinema was promoted in advertisements for the franchise as a "mini-theater" with a capacity of 200 to 350. In addition to Lewis's name, each Jerry Lewis Cinema carried a sign with a cartoon logo of Lewis in profile.

Initially franchised to 158 territories, with an initial purchase fee of $10,000 or $15,000 depending on the territory, hence it was called "single exhibitor". For $50,000, Jerry Lewis Cinemas offered an opportunity known as an "area address," in which investors controlled franchise opportunities in a territory, as well as their own movie theaters. The chain's success was hampered by a policy of only reserving already-running, family-oriented movies. Eventually the policy was changed, and the Jerry Lewis Cinemas were allowed to show more competitive films, but after a decade the chain failed and both Lewis and the National Cinema Corporation declared their bankruptcy in 1980.

Jerry's House

In 2010, Lewis met seven-year-old Lochie Graham, who shared his idea for Jerry's House, a place for vulnerable and traumatized children. Lewis and Graham entered into a joint venture for a US-Australian charity and began raising funds to build the facility in Melbourne, Australia.

Personal life

Family

Lewis was married twice:

• Patti Palmer (Name Esther Grace Calonico), an exchantant with Ted Fio Rito; married on October 3, 1944, divorced in September 1980.
• SanDee Pitnick, a dancer from Las Vegas then 32 years old; married on February 13, 1983 in Key Biscayne, Florida.

He had six sons (one adopted) and one daughter (adopted):

With Patti Palmer

• Gary Lewis (born July 31, 1946); known for his 60s pop group, Gary Lewis " the Playboys.
• Ronald Steven "Ronnie" Lewis (born in December 1949 [adopted])
• Scott Anthony Lewis (born 22 February 1956)
• Christopher Lewis (born October 1957)
• Anthony Lewis (born October 1959)
• Joseph Lewis (born in January 1964, deceased on 24 October 2009 [of a drug overdose])

With SanDee Pitnick

• Danielle Sara Lewis (adoptate in March 1992)

Political Views

Lewis kept a low political profile for many years, having taken advice he said he had been given by President John F. Kennedy, who told him: "Don't do anything political, don't do that because they will usurp your energy".

Lewis once said that politics "had no business" at the Oscars In a 2004 interview, Lewis was asked what he was least proud of, to which he responded politics; Not yours, but the world's. He lamented the citizens' lack of pride in his country, stating: "President Bush is my president, I'm not going to say anything negative about the president of the United States, I don't and I don't allow my children to do it.". In the same way, when I come to England, don't make jokes about 'Mum' me. She's the queen of England, idiot".

In a December 2015 interview on EWTN's World Over with Raymond Arroyo, Lewis expressed his opposition to the United States letting in Syrian refugees, saying: "No one has worked harder on the human condition than me, but it's not part of the human condition if 11 kids out of that group of 10,000 are from Islamic State. How can I take that risk?" In the same interview, he criticized President Barack Obama for not being prepared for the Islamic State, while expressing his support for Donald Trump, saying that he would make a good president because he was a good "showman". He also added that he admired Ronald Reagan's presidency.

Health problems

Lewis had a series of aging-related illnesses and addictions and a back injury caused by a comical fall from a piano while performing at the Sands Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip on March 20, 1965. accident nearly left him paralyzed. Consequently, Lewis became addicted to the pain reliever Percodan for thirteen years, he said he had been off the drug since 1978. In April 2002, Lewis had a Medtronic neurostimulator implanted in his back, which helped reduce discomfort. He was one of the main spokespersons for the company.

In the 2011 documentary Method to the Madness of Jerry Lewis, Lewis said he had his first heart attack while filming Cinderfella in 1960. In December 1982, he had another heart attack. On the way to San Diego from New York on a commercial airline flight on June 11, 2006, he had another one, it was discovered that he had pneumonia, as well as a severely damaged heart. He underwent cardiac catheterization and two stents were inserted into one of his coronary arteries, which was 90 percent blocked. The surgery resulted in increased blood flow to his heart and allowed him to continue his recovery from previous lung problems. Having the cardiac catheterization meant canceling several major events from his show, but Lewis made a full recovery in a matter of weeks.

In 1999, Lewis's Australian tour was cut short when he had to be hospitalized in Darwin with viral meningitis. He was sick for more than five months. It was reported in the Australian press that he had not paid his medical bills. However, Lewis maintained that the payment mix-up was the fault of his health insurer. The resulting negative publicity led him to sue his insurer for $100 million.Lewis had prostate cancer, diabetes, pulmonary fibrosis, and a decades-long history of cardiovascular disease. Prednisone treatment (in the late 1990s) for pulmonary fibrosis resulted in weight gain and a marked change in his appearance.

In September 2001, Lewis was unable to appear at a planned London charity event at the London Palladium. It was the main act, and he was introduced, but he didn't show up. He had suddenly become ill, apparently with heart problems. He was later taken to the hospital. Some months later, Lewis began an arduous, months-long course of therapy that weaned him off the prednisone and allowed him to return to work. On June 12, 2012, he was treated and released from a hospital after collapsing from hypoglycemia at a New York Friars Club event in New York. This last health problem forced him to cancel a show in Sydney.

In an interview with Inside Edition in October 2016, Lewis acknowledged that he might not star in another film given his advanced age, admitting through tears that he was afraid to die, as it would leave his wife and daughter alone. In June 2017, Lewis was hospitalized at a Las Vegas hospital with a urinary tract infection.

Death

Lewis died at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, at 9:15 a.m. m. (PDT) on August 20, 2017, at the age of 91. The cause was end-stage heart disease and peripheral vascular disease.

In his will, Lewis left his estate to his second wife, SanDee Pitnick, and intentionally excluded his six children from his first marriage, as well as their descendants.

Filmography

Awards and distinctions

Oscar

Venice International Film Festival

Further reading

• Gehman, Richard (1964). That Kid: The Story of Jerry Lewis. New York: Avon Books.
• Levy, Shawn Anthony (1997). King of Comedy: The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 978-0-312-13248-4.
• Marx, Arthur (1974). Everybody Loves Someone Sometime (Especially Self): The Story of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. New York: Hawthorne Books. ISBN 978-0-8015-2430-1.
• Neibaur, James L.; Okuda, Ted (1994). The Jerry Lewis Films. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. ISBN 0-89950-961-4.
• Young, Jordan R. (1999). The Laugh Crafters: Comedy Writing in Radio & TV's Golden Age. Beverly Hills: Past Times Publishing. ISBN 0-940410-37-0.
• Lamarca, Manuel (2017). Jerry Lewis. The day the comic filmed. Barcelona: Editions Carena. ISBN 9788416843749.