I can’t recall the very first time I ever saw Jerry Lewis. I know I knew him from somewhere by the time I started seeing his comic book in 1966, with Jerry living with his obnoxious little nephew Renfrew and their witch housekeeper. I remember seeing posters at the local theater for the re-release of CINDERFELLA in 1967. At age 8, I knew CINDERELLA, of course, and thought the movie’s title was hilarious…but I didn’t catch it at the theater.
I did end up catching several of Jerry’s movies on the big screen in the late ‘60s, though. I guess my parents found his silliness safe and kid-friendly. I remember in particular seeing DON’T RAISE THE BRIDGE, LOWER THE RIVER, HOOK, LINE, & SINKER, and WHICH WAY TO THE FRONT? at Covington, Kentucky’s Madison Theater. Meanwhile, I also savored Jerry’s movies on television, particularly WAY, WAY OUT one Saturday afternoon and THE BELLBOY (his masterpiece in my opinion) one Saturday evening. THE NUTTY PROFESSOR was another favorite.
In 1970, Jerry ostensibly starred in a Saturday morning cartoon series called WILL THE REAL JERRY LEWIS PLEASE SIT DOWN? I say ostensibly because Jerry was actually voiced in that mercifully short-lived series by David (Squiggy) Lander. The real Jerry was all over the TV in those days, though, with multiple failed shows of his own in the ‘60s and ‘70s as well as frequent guest appearances on just about every variety series except Dean Martin’s. I actually had no idea that Dean and Jerry knew each other, let alone had been partners in the most popular comedy duo of their day. I first heard about the team when ABC ran their 1952 naval comedy SAILOR BEWARE in prime-time in 1973.
Apparently that opened the floodgates and Martin & Lewis movies from the 1950s began to be shown again on local stations. I even learned that Jerry’s DC comic book had also originally co-starred Dino! In 1976, on Jerry’s annual Muscular Dystrophy Labor Day Telethon, Jerry’s pal Frank Sinatra engineered a surprise live TV reunion of Martin and Lewis. It was short, awkward, and yet so cool to see them together.
Jerry’s film career had not gone well in the 1970s. The decade began with the utter collapse of his attempt at making the now-notorious THE DAY THE CLOWN CRIED. On top of some major health issues and addictions, his movies took a back seat. He did write a marvelous book entitled THE TOTAL FILMMAKER about his unique style of directing.
Jerry had an international comeback with HARDLY WORKING in 1980, although its old-fashioned and now tone-deaf goofiness was trounced by critics in the US. Subsequent starring vehicles fared no better. As hard as it was to believe, Jerry Lewis’s time as the ranking comedy icon was now in the past.
Two years later, then, he starred in a drama…or let’s say a very black comedy. Martin Scorsese’s THE KING OF COMEDY cast Jerry as an obnoxious talk show host, similar to himself, opposite Robert De Niro, the reigning dramatic actor of the day. Jerry not only held his own but received raves from fans and critics alike.
It wasn’t enough to revive his film career as a major star. Even two films made in France, which had always equated Lewis with the likes of Chaplin and Tati, were second-rate at best, What THE KING OF COMEDY did do, though, was to help him to plateau. No longer considered an outdated has-been, his reputation as an all-time entertainment icon was now locked in.
By all accounts a mercurial man in real life, more like the somewhat monstrous Buddy Love in THE NUTTY PROFESSOR than Julius Kelp or “the Kid” he played opposite Dean Martin, Lewis alienated many who knew him over the years. I personally have known a few people who had more than just a passing relationship with Jerry. One, who took a comedy class offered by Jerry at Paramount in the early sixties, had nothing nice to say about him. Another, who spent a lot of time with him in his later years, describes him as belatedly humbled and appreciative.
Love him or hate him—and it’s easy to do both, often at the same time—today is the 100th anniversary of Jerry Lewis’s birth, and there’s no question that the world would have been poorer without him. “Hey, lady!” Go watch your favorite Jerry Lewis movie today.
