Source: Jerry/Getty

LifeTimeline

Jerry Lewis

    • MAR 16

      Born

    1926
    • His First Laugh

    1931
    • A Dumb Act at 78rpm

    1941
    • Jerry Meets Dean

    • Jerry Meets Patti

    1944
    • JUL 26

      It's Official!

    1946
    • Martin & Lewis Invade Television

    • Hollywood... and Capitol Records

    1948
    • The singer's great, but what do we do with the kid?

    • They Even Had A Radio Show

    1949
    • SEP 17

      The Colgate Comedy Hour Premieres

    1950
    • Home Movies Hollywood Style

    • JUL

      Pandemonium at the Paramount

    1951
    • JUN

      Jerry scares Bing Crosby

    1952
    • The shocker that went viral before viral

    • NOV 25

      The First Network Telethon

    1953
    • Martin & Lewis at the Copa

    1954
    • Frank Tashlin: Director, Mentor, Friend

    1955
    • JUN

      The end of Dean and Jerry for all to see

    • JUL 22

      Jerry starts to go solo...and the sadness shows

    1956
    • Jerry's first solo film

    • Jerry tops Dean on the record charts

    1957
    • SEP 26

      Edward R. Murrow & Person to Person Visits Jerry & Family

    • DEC

      Surprise! And the Rumors begin...

    1958
    • In the director's chair for the first time

    1960
    • The Ladies Man

    1961
    • NBC: Why Did We Get Johnny Carson?

    1962
    • JUN 04

      His Masterpiece

    • SEP

      ABC: Why Did We Get Jerry Lewis?

    1963
    • MAR 20

      The Pratfall That Never Stopped Hurting

    1965
    • SEP

      The Jerry Lewis Show...Again?

    1967
    • Jerry Lewis Cinemas

    1969
    • The Total Filmaker

    1971
    • The Day The Clown Cried

    1972
    • SEP

      Reunion!

    1976
    • JAN 22

      Hellzapoppin'

    1977
    • Jerry & Patti Divorce

    1980
    • King of Comedy

    • FEB 13

      Saying I Do...Again

    1983
    • Behind The Scenes at the Telethon

    1989
    • MAR 23

      It's a Girl!

    1992
    • Finally, A Broadway Hit

    1995
    • OCT

      Controversy in Aspen or Oy, Jerry...

    1998
    • Jerry writes a love story, Dean & Me

    2005
    • And The Academy Award Goes To...Jerry Lewis!

    2009
    • Jerry's Last Telethon

    2010
    • SEP

      Coming Soon to the Library of Congress...the Complete Jerry Lewis

    2015
  • Source: Jerry/

    Born

    Newark, New Jersey
    Jerry was born Joseph Levitch in Newark, NJ on March 16, 1926. His father, Danny was a singer in the Al Jolson style, while his mother, Rae served as Danny's accompanist. They played nightclubs and the Borscht Belt in the Catskills.

    When they were on the road, young Joey was taken care of by his grandmother Sarah. As he later told Peter Bogdanovich:

    "She was the only one who thought I shouldn't be put away. One aunt said I needed a keeper. Another aunt said he's retarded. Another aunt said he's insane."

    By Robert Waldman
  • His First Laugh

    Catskills, New York
    Jerry was 5 years old when he made his professional debut in his parents' act, singing "Brother Can You Spare A Dime." When he took his bow, his foot slipped and hit one of the footlights. The light exploded and Jerry started to cry. The audience laughed.

    "That was my first laugh," Jerry told Peter Bogdanovich. "So I knew I had to get the rest of my laughs the rest of my life, breaking, sitting, falling, spinning."

    Click on the video clip to see Jerry with his father Danny in 1957, recreating a routine they used to do in the Borscht Belt.
    By Robert Waldman
  • A Dumb Act at 78rpm

    Joey Levitch became Jerry Lewis when he went solo at 15 with a record pantomime act (or a "dumb act", as it was called then). By 1944, he was earning raves for his dead-on, hilarious lip-synching. "The kid's got a genius for mugging," said one reviewer.

    As proof, click on the video to see Jerry on the Colgate Comedy Hour doing his original schtick.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Jerry Meets Dean

    New York, New York
    While Jerry was killing them with his record act, a young singer named Dean Martin was starting to make a name for himself in New York clubs when a mutual friend, Sonny King introduced the two performers to each other.

    Jerry immediately felt he had met the big brother he never had. They not only hung out together, sometimes they were even booked into the same club. After they did their individual acts, they'd start to kid around together. Billboard's reviewer, Bill Smith caught them at the Havana-Madrid in New York:
    "Martin and Lewis," he wrote, "do an after-piece that has all the makings of a sock act. Boys play straight for each other, deliberately step on each other's lines, mug and raise general bedlam. It's a toss up who walks off with the biggest mitt. Lewis' double-takes, throwaways, mugging and deliberate over-acting are sensational. Martin's slow takes, ad-libs and under-acting make him an ideal fall guy. Both got stand-out results from a mob that took dynamite to wake up."

    A rave, and they weren't even a team yet.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Source: Jerry/Getty

    Jerry Meets Patti

    Detroit, Michigan
    In 1944, the former Joey Levitch married the former Esther Calonico, Patti Palmer, a big band singer with Ted Fio Rito and Jimmy Dorsey. Jerry had met her while appearing on the same bill in Detroit. His opening line to her: "Hey, girlie, you should have dinner with me tonight." Patti shot him down with, "Are you for real?" Eventually, she lowered her guard and agreed to let Jerry take her to dinner. A few months later, they eloped. On July 31, 1945, Jerry and Patti became parents with the birth of their son, Gary. Jerry was only 19.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Source: Jerry/Getty

    It's Official!

    Atlantic City, New Jersey
    In the summer of 1946, Jerry was booked into the 500 Club in Atlantic City. As he told A&E's Biography, "The singer on the show had a very bad case of laryngitis. And Skinny D'Amato [the 500 Club's owner] asked me who I thought should replace him. I said, 'Jesus, I got the best replacement in the world. My friend, Dean Martin, who I think is in New York and he's not working.' And Skinny said, 'Nah, I don't want another singer.' I said, 'But you don't understand...he don't just sing. He and I do things together that's really good.'

    "So he books Dean. Dean comes in the first night. He sings his three songs. I did my record act, and we're in the dressing room. Skinny came up and said, 'Where's all the funny things you guys were going to do? You either do them in the next show or you're both outta here.'

    "So I sat down and I wrote. I wrote about 20 ideas, and Dean and I put it on its feet the next show. We were on the stage two hours and 45 minutes. And the rest is history. By the fourth night, you couldn't get into that club."

    The phenomenon of Martin and Lewis had officially begun.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Martin & Lewis Invade Television

    New York, New York
    The timing couldn't have been better. Just as Martin and Lewis were taking off, so was a new medium called television. The video clip is from one of their earliest TV appearances, on NBC's "Welcome Aboard" variety show in 1948.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Hollywood... and Capitol Records

    Hollywood, California
    While selling out every night in front of a star-studded audience at Slapsie Maxie's nightclub in Hollywood, Dean and Jerry were being eyeballed by every studio head in Tinseltown. They eventually signed with Paramount Pictures and producer Hal Wallis.

    Not only did they get a movie contract, they also inked with Capitol Records as a team and as solo artists. Here is one of Jerry's most notorious records, "I'm A Little Busybody." With the advent of magnetic recording tape, the Capitol engineers were able to edit the tape to make it seems as if Jerry sang the entire song in a single breath.
    By Robert Waldman
  • 2

    The singer's great, but what do we do with the kid?

    Hollywood, California
    Dean and Jerry's first picture for Paramount was to be "My Friend Irma", a big screen version of a popular radio show starring comedienne Marie Wilson. Dean's screen test went over big with the Paramount execs. But Jerry's test for the part of Irma's boyfriend, Al was a disaster. The character was nothing like Jerry's onstage persona.

    As he recounted in his memoir, Dean and Me, Jerry arranged for a meeting with producer Hal Wallis and told him:

    "If you loved what you saw Dean and me do on the stage at the Copa, why not film the essence of what you loved?"

    "Which is what, precisely?"

    "The handsome guy with the monkey."

    "Go on," he said, looking intrigued, but puzzled.

    "Dean, as the straight man, can be any straight character. But Jerry cannot be anything other than Jerry. If you take that away, or separate the two of them you lose the essence of the act."

    All at once, Wallis seemed excited."

    The result was Seymour, the nebbishy character Jerry would play under different names in movie after movie. Or as he described him, "He's Mr. Everyone in the World That Gets Shit On."

    Click on the video and go to 29:12 to see Jerry's original screen test for "My Friend Irma."





    By Robert Waldman
  • They Even Had A Radio Show

    United States
    Everyone wanted to cash in on the growing Martin & Lewis popularity. Even though they were a visual act, Dean and Jerry were signed by NBC for a radio series. Here is the 1949 premiere of the show with guest star, Lucille Ball.
    By Robert Waldman
  • The Colgate Comedy Hour Premieres

    New York, New York
    Because they were such a wild, frantic act, Dean and Jerry knew they would wear out their welcome quickly if they starred in a weekly television series. But NBC President Pat Weaver came up with the perfect format for them. The Colgate Comedy Hour would feature Dean and Jerry once a month. The other weeks would be hosted by Eddie Cantor, Abbott and Costello and Donald O'Connor.

    As television historian and critic, David Bianculli, wrote in his book "Teleliteracy":
    "This is where Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis did much of their very best work... live TV was the medium in which Jerry Lewis really was a genius."

    From September 17, 1950, here is Dean and Jerry's premiere on the Colgate Comedy Hour.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Home Movies Hollywood Style

    Hollywood, California
    More than anything, Jerry loved making movies. Whenever he and Dean were shooting at Paramount, Jerry would spend his spare time visiting all the studio's departments to learn everything he could about filmmaking.

    In the early 50's, he started making elaborate home movies that were takeoffs on real films. When he had finished shooting and editing them, Jerry would hold elaborate premieres at his house. Here's a video that captures it all.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Pandemonium at the Paramount

    New York, New York
    In July of 1951, Dean and Jerry caused pandemonium in Times Square when they headlined at the Paramount Theatre. Their fans just wouldn't leave and wanted to see them over and over again. So to get the kids out of the theatre, Jerry and Dean started putting on ad-lib shows from their dressing room window.

    "There were 75,000 people around the block," Jerry remembered for A&E Biography.
    "Every show, every day, until the Mayor of the City of New York had to cordon off 15 blocks around that theater to prevent problems, accidents and trouble."
    By Robert Waldman
  • Jerry scares Bing Crosby

    Hollywood, California
    It was supposed to be a meeting of two great comedy teams, Martin & Lewis and Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. But as soon as Dean and Jerry made their entrance on this fundraiser hosted by Bing and Bob for the U.S. Olympic Team, Crosby ran off the stage.

    He was terrified that Jerry would rip off his toupee.
    By Robert Waldman
  • The shocker that went viral before viral

    While Dean and Jerry recorded radio commercials for their movie "The Caddy," the engineer let the tape roll between takes. The result was an R-rated blooper reel that was a shock in the squeaky clean 1950s. As you'll hear, The Kid had some mouth on him.
    By Robert Waldman
  • The First Network Telethon

    Hollywood, California
    On Thanksgiving Eve, 1953, Dean and Jerry hosted their first network telethon for Muscular Dystrophy.

    Jerry had first gotten involved when Colgate Comedy Hour stage manager, Bud Yorkin told him about a nephew who was dying from the disease. Yorkin asked Jerry if he would say something at the end of one of shows asking people to donate to the newly formed Muscular Dystrophy Association. The response was tremendous. For the next half-century, Jerry would continue to work for the MDA.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Martin & Lewis at the Copa

    New York, New York
    Here's a rarity: a fan set up a sound movie camera to film Martin & Lewis' complete act at New York's legendary Copacabana nightclub in 1954. This is one of the only filmed records of their complete club act. Unfortunately, Dean and Jerry have to deal with a pretty rowdy crowd.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Frank Tashlin: Director, Mentor, Friend

    Hollywood, California
    In 1955, Dean and Jerry were directed for the first time by Frank Tashlin in Artists and Models. Tashlin, a former animator and cartoon gag writer was the perfect director for Jerry, creating outrageous sight gags for him. Tashlin went on to direct the last Martin & Lewis film, "Hollywood or Bust," and six of Jerry's solo films, including "Rock-A-Bye Baby & "The Geisha Boy", which are two of Jerry's best. He also encouraged Jerry to become a director himself.

    Tashlin told Peter Bogdanovich: "Jerry is my best friend. I know if I were ever in need, all I'd have to do is make a phone call. Sometimes, on a professional basis, he's exasperating, but anyone who's talented is. He has his high moods and they're very high, and his low moods are very low. But mainly, when you're working with Jerry, the occupational hazard is laughter."

    By Robert Waldman
  • The end of Dean and Jerry for all to see

    United States
    There were always rumors of friction between Dean and Jerry, but they always managed to overcome whatever differences they had, even as late as 1955 when Dean was a no-show at the premiere of "You're Never Too Young". Jerry took it very personally, since the premiere was held at the Brown's Hotel in the Castkills - the resort where Jerry and his parents worked in the late '30s and early'40s,. With millions in upcoming bookings, films and TV appearances, they reconciled, but not for long. Throughout the shooting of "Hollywood or Bust", which turned out to be their last film, the duo never spoke to each other off camera.

    Jerry, however, made one last stab. As he wrote in his memoir, "Dean & Me", he walked up to Dean on the Paramount lot and said, "You know, it's a hell of a thing. All I can think of is that what we do is not very important. Any two guys could've done it. But even the best of them wouldn't have had what made us as big as we are?"

    'Yeah? What's that?"

    "Well, I think it's the love that we had - that we still have - for each other."

    He half-closed his eyes, gazing downward for what felt like a long time. Then he looked me square in the face.

    "You can talk about love all you want," Dean said. "To me, you're nothing but a fucking dollar sign."

    Not long after, they announced their split. Their last appearance together was at the Copacabana on July 25, 1956, exactly 10 years to the day they had officially become a team.

    The video clip is of an appearance they made on the Today Show one month before they called it quits. "And it's painful to see," wrote Jerry. "Dean and I can hardly bear to look at each other."


    By Robert Waldman
  • Jerry starts to go solo...and the sadness shows

    Just four days before Martin & Lewis ended their partnership, a low key Jerry made a solo appearance as the Mystery Guest on What's My Line? As you'll see, the host John Daly makes a plea for he and Dean to stay together. (The segment starts at 18:38)

    "When Dean and I split," Jerry later said, "we angered this country. We disrupted their pleasure. That's why the split was so frightening for both of us. He didn't know if he would have an audience, I didn't know if I'd have one. We were probably the luckiest two men in the world that we went on to do what we did."
    By Robert Waldman
  • Jerry's first solo film

    "The Delicate Delinquent" was supposed to be the next Martin & Lewis film after "Hollywood or Bust", but when Dean read the script (written by Jerry and Don McGuire), he said there was no way he was going to play a cop in uniform. The part was recast with actor Darrin McGavin, and the film became Jerry's first solo movie.

    "The Delicate Delinquent" earned some of the best reviews of Jerry's career, while Dean's first solo film, "10,000 Bedrooms" was a flop.
    By Robert Waldman
  • 2

    Jerry tops Dean on the record charts

    Los Angeles, California
    Jerry's solo star ascended even higher when he had a surprise hit with his recording of the old Al Jolson song, "Rock A Bye Your Baby" from his album, "Jerry Lewis Just Sings."

    Dean, meanwhile, was floundering on records and movies, until he starred in "The Young Lions" and got back on the charts with "Volare."

    (To hear part of Jerry's recording session for "Rock-A-Bye Your Baby", click on the picture icon bottom right and go to the second image)
    By Robert Waldman
  • Edward R. Murrow & Person to Person Visits Jerry & Family

    Bel Air, California
    In 1958, Jerry and Patti and their sons moved into a 30-room mansion in Bel Air that once belonged to movie mogul Louis B.Mayer. That September, Jerry showed off the new digs to Edward R. Murrow on "Person to Person."

    Jerry's oldest son, Gary would go on to become a star in his own right in the mid-'60s with his rock group, Gary Lewis and the Playboys.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Surprise! And the Rumors begin...

    Most folks think Jerry and Dean didn't appear together again until Frank Sinatra reunited them on the MDA Telethon in 1976. But only two years after they split, Dean surprised Jerry on the air while Jerry was on the Eddie Fisher Show. Immediately, the gossip columns were filled with rumors that they'd be getting back together again. But it wasn't to be.
    By Robert Waldman
  • In the director's chair for the first time

    Miami Beach, Florida
    The first picture Jerry directed was "The Bellboy." It happened, as his long time press agent Jack Keller told Peter Bogdanovich, out of necessity:

    "In 1960, they [Paramount] had his picture, Cinderfella, and they were a little worried about it. Jerry wanted to release it for Christmas - the fantasy angle and all that he thought would be good for the holidays. Well, Paramount wanted to release it in July and Jerry said it'd die in the summer. See, they always release one Lewis picture for the summer holidays and one for Christmas vacation, the best timing for the pre-teenage audience. Only this time, they didn't have any product for the July slot.

    Anyway, Jerry was on his way to Florida to appear at the Fountainbleu and on his way, he stopped in New York to see Barney Balaban, the head of Paramount. Jerry told him how he wanted Cinderfella released in December, and Balaban said he needed a Lewis film for the summer. So right there Jerry stands up and says he'll make Balaban a picture while he's down in Florida; he says he's got the story and everything. And right there he made up the basic outline for "The Bellboy". On the spot. He had nothing when he walked in.

    "...I get a call from Jerry. He says to me, 'Jake, you better come down here right away, we're starting a picture on Monday.' I say, 'What picture? We ain't got no picture!'

    'We do now,' he says.
    By Robert Waldman
  • The Ladies Man

    Hollywood, California
    Jerry's boarding house set for the Ladies' Man still ranks as one of the biggest ever constructed for a comedy. The movie's trailer features time-lapse photography of the set being built.
    By Robert Waldman
  • NBC: Why Did We Get Johnny Carson?

    New York, New York
    Before Johnny Carson took over the Tonight Show in 1962, NBC had a series of guest hosts for the program, including Groucho Marx, Art Linkletter, Joey Bishop, and many others. But the standout was Jerry. His two weeks hosting had NBC executives wondering if they had chosen the right guy for the permanent slot.

    The other networks approached Jerry about hosting a talk show, but Jerry would only do it if he could get two hours of airtime and do the show live. ABC said yes, and signed Jerry for a two-year deal for $8 million.
    By Robert Waldman
  • His Masterpiece

    Hollywood, California
    Whenever Jerry is asked to name his favorite film, the answer is immediate: "The Nutty Professor." He calls it "my baby." The American Film Institute called it one of the 100 funniest American films of all time. (It's number 99).

    In this comedy version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Jerry plays two roles, the nerdy professor Julius Kelp and his alter-ego, lounge lizard Buddy Love.

    Some critics thought that the character of Buddy Love was a savage homage by Jerry to his former partner, Dean Martin. But Jerry says the character had nothing to do with Dean.

    "Buddy Love, " he told Peter Bogdanovich, "was a conglomeration of mean-spirited people...the ill-mannered people that we come into contact with every day. The mean-spirited people that really are the ugliness on the planet and they think everything else is."
    By Robert Waldman
  • ABC: Why Did We Get Jerry Lewis?

    Hollywood, California
    After the success of "The Nutty Professor", anticipation was running high for Jerry's return to television. "The Jerry Lewis Show" on ABC was the talk of the 1963-64 season, and the big question was "what's he going to do to fill two hours?"

    Unfortunately, the answer was he was going to bomb. The premiere (click on the video to see it) was a disaster, and reviewers were merciless in their panning of the show. After only 13 weeks, "The Jerry Lewis Show" was canceled. Its replacement, "The Hollywood Palace", ran for the next six years, and in the same studio Jerry's show had originated .
    By Robert Waldman
  • Source: Jerry/Getty

    The Pratfall That Never Stopped Hurting

    Las Vegas, Nevada
    Closing night at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, Jerry took a pratfall off the piano doing a flip. "Now, when you take a fall," he wrote in his autobiography, Jerry Lewis In Person, "you have to commit yourself. No rearranging things in midair, no hesitation or you can get hurt. Well, I committed, saw the microphone cable, twisted out of control and landed on my back--165 pounds slamming against this little plug attached to the cable. I was numb, but got up and finished the act.

    "...Next morning , I put in thirty minutes trying to get off the bed. The pain was horrendous, almost paralyzing, and it wouldn't stop."

    X-rays indicated that Jerry had chipped a piece out of his upper spinal column. Eventually, he was prescribed Percodan to relieve the pain. He became addicted to the drug for the next 13 years.
    By Robert Waldman
  • The Jerry Lewis Show...Again?

    Burbank, California
    Four years after the failure of Jerry's talk show on ABC, NBC signed him to star in a weekly comedy variety series. The show ran for two seasons and taped at NBC in Burbank, just down the hall from where Dean Martin taped his hit series. Dean, in fact, plugged Jerry's premiere at the end of one of his shows.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Source: Jerry/Getty

    Jerry Lewis Cinemas

    Jerry loaned his name to a chain of movie theatres that would only feature G-rated family films, a difficult policy to carry out as movies got more mature in subject matter in the '70s. After a decade, the chain folded, with Jerry and the parent company declaring bankruptcy in 1980.
    By Robert Waldman
  • 2

    The Total Filmaker

    Los Angeles, California
    Jerry started teaching filmmaking at USC in 1967. Among his students were Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. In 1971, a book taken from transcripts of his classes was published as The Total Filmaker. To this day, it's considered one of the best books on filmmaking. Long out of print, used copies of the Total Filmaker command high prices online (a hardcover copy is currently being offered for $1,000). Jerry recently said he's working on a revised edition.

    Click on the picture icon to see rare footage of one of Jerry's USC classes.
    By Robert Waldman
  • The Day The Clown Cried

    Among Lewis fans, "The Day The Clown Cried" is the Holy Grail. This 1972 film directed, co-written and starring Jerry, with him as a clown in a Nazi concentration camp has never seen the light of day.
    During a q&a session in 2013, Jerry said, "I was ashamed of the work, and I was grateful that I had the power to contain it all and never let anybody see it. It was bad, bad, bad...it'll never be seen."
    Recently, however, the BBC aired a documentary on the film featuring much of the existing footage (Click on the video to view it).
    By Robert Waldman
  • Reunion!

    Las Vegas, Nevada
    It was the moment viewers of the MDA Telethon had hoped for every year. Finally, it happened on the 1976 Telethon, thanks to Frank Sinatra; the reunion of Dean and Jerry. (Keep an ear out at 1:31 for Jerry muttering to Frank Sinatra, "You son of a bitch.")

    Actually, it wasn't until 1987 that the duo became close again. When Dean's son, Dino was killed in a plane crash, Jerry unobtrusively attended the funeral. That night, a touched Dean called Jerry to thank him. From then on, until Dean's death in 1995, Jerry would call regularly to check in on him.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Source: Jerry/via Amazon.com with permission of family of Alexander Cohen (producer of Hellzapoppin')

    Hellzapoppin'

    United States
    Jerry had hoped to star on Broadway in a revival of the 1938 hit "Hellzapoppin", but the behind the scenes stories of the show were more entertaining than what was onstage.

    Jerry and producer Alexander Cohen butted heads until Cohen threw in the towel by closing the show out of town and suing Jerry for failure to rehearse. Cohen won a settlement of $39,000.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Source: Jerry/Getty

    Jerry & Patti Divorce

    United States
    After 36 years of marriage, Patti Lewis filed for a legal separation in 1980. According to People magazine, Patti charged that Jerry "has displayed an open disregard for our marriage."

    "The real object of her disaffection, friends say," the magazine continued, "is SanDee Pitnick, a 30-year-old former stewardess with a bit part in Jerry's latest movie, "Hardly Working". Patti complains that Lewis, 54, set up joint housekeeping in Las Vegas - and that he has recently 'lavished gifts of jewelry and luggage on [his] woman friend in Paris, Hawaii, Las Vegas and Florida."
    By Robert Waldman
  • 2

    King of Comedy

    New York, New York
    Jerry won raves for his portrayal of a talk show host in Martin Scorsese's dark comedy, The King of Comedy. He won the role after Scorsese's first choice, Johnny Carson, turned it down. In this clip from the Archive of American Television, Jerry discusses the making of the film.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Source: Jerry/Getty

    Saying I Do...Again

    Key Biscayne, Florida
    The day before Valentine's Day 1983, Jerry and SanDee Pitnick were married. Still together, they recently celebrated their 33rd anniversary.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Behind The Scenes at the Telethon

    Las Vegas, Nevada
    In 1989, a camera crew followed Jerry as he prepared for that year's MDA Telethon.
    This is the edited segment that aired on A Current Affair.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Source: Jerry/Getty

    It's a Girl!

    United States
    After being the father of five sons, Jerry finally became the father of a daughter when he and his wife SanDee adopted a baby girl they named Danielle after Jerry's father, Danny.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Finally, A Broadway Hit

    New York, New York
    Jerry finally was a hit on Broadway, starring as the Devil in the revival of the musical, "Damn Yankees". In the second act, he would always bring down the house when he let loose with a trademark Jerry scream.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Source: Jerry/Getty

    Controversy in Aspen or Oy, Jerry...

    Aspen , Colorado
    During a Q&A session at the Aspen U.S.Comedy Festival, Jerry was asked which women comics he admired. "I don't like any female comedians," he replied. "A woman doing comedy doesn't offend me," he continued, "but sets me back a bit. I, as a viewer, have trouble with it. I think of her as a producing machine that brings babies in the world." With that remark, according to People magazine, the audience got up and left.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Source: Jerry Lewis/photo by Rob Waldman of book cover

    Jerry writes a love story, Dean & Me

    United States
    Jerry hit the bestseller lists with Dean & Me (A Love Story), his first person account of his partnership with Dean Martin. The reviews were glowing. Here's Stephanie Zacharek in the New York Times:

    "This is a wild, joyous book, but also a heartbreaking one. In some ways friendships between men can be more fragile than those between women, something Lewis grasps intuitively. What kind of guy laughs when you upstage his crooning with a piece of raw meat on a fork? Whoever he is, you'd better hang on to him: he's probably the best friend you'll ever have."
    By Robert Waldman
  • Source: Jerry/Getty

    And The Academy Award Goes To...Jerry Lewis!

    Hollywood, California
    In 2009, Jerry received the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the Academy Awards. But as Richard Coriss commented in Time magazine:
    "... It's a minor token, almost an insult, to one of the wildest, most imaginative comic talents in any medium and, without question, the definitive showbiz ego of the mid-20th century.
    He surely merits one of those Life Achievement Awards the Academy passes out to distinguished film folk who never won a competitive Oscar and might die soon. (Recent honorary Oscars have gone to Robert Altman, Sidney Lumet and composer Ennio Moricone.) The slur stings any Jerry Lewis fan — especially Jerry Lewis. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Lewis explained the hurt: "Because they didn't think enough of my work. Because what I did didn't command consideration because it's slapstick, because it's lowbrow, because the Academy's always been cautious about comedy."
    By Robert Waldman
  • Jerry's Last Telethon

    Only a few weeks before the 2011 Muscular Dystrophy Labor Day Telethon, the MDA made a stunning announcement: After 45 years, Jerry Lewis would no longer be hosting the telethon or serve as the organization's national chairman. No explanation was given.

    Here is a video of Jerry's final moments hosting his last telethon.

    In 2015, the MDA announced it was ending the annual Labor Day tradition altogether.
    By Robert Waldman
  • Source: Jerry/Getty

    Coming Soon to the Library of Congress...the Complete Jerry Lewis

    Washington, District of Columbia
    In September, the Library of Congress issued this announcement:

    Library Acquires Legendary Comedian Jerry Lewis’ Personal Archive

    "The Geisha Boy," "The Bellboy," "Cinderfella," and "The Nutty Professor" are all among the many motion pictures that personify the comedic genius of Jerry Lewis. The Library of Congress announced today that it has acquired a trove of documents, films and other media that provide a unique window into the world of a man who has spent more than 70 years making people laugh.

    The collection will complement the Library’s existing collections of iconic humorists, including Bob Hope, Groucho Marx, Danny Kaye, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Sid Caesar and Johnny Carson.

    "Many of us know Jerry Lewis through his comedy, in film and onstage, or for his humanitarian work," said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington. "Lewis is one of the few comic auteurs. This collection will give the world a more complete picture of his life as a performer, director, producer, writer, recording artist, author, educator and philanthropist. He is one of America’s funniest men, who has demonstrated that comedy as a medium for laughter is one of humanity’s greatest gifts."

    "For more than seven decades I’ve been dedicated to making people laugh. If I get more than three people in a room, I do a number," Lewis joked. "Knowing that the Library of Congress was interested in acquiring my life’s work was one of the biggest thrills of my life. It is comforting to know that this small piece of the world of comedy will be preserved and available to future generations." Lewis donated portions of the collection; the rest was acquired via purchase.

    The Jerry Lewis Collection contains more than 1,000 moving image materials and paper documentation that cover the entire span of his remarkable career—from an early screen test made years before his movie debut to extensive amounts of test footage, outtakes and bloopers from his self-produced and often self-directed Hollywood productions.

    The collection also chronicles his television career, including his appearances with his onetime partner Dean Martin on the "Colgate Comedy Hour" (NBC, 1950-1955), full runs of his various variety series and guest appearances on programs like "The Tonight Show." Lewis received copies of virtually every television appearance he ever made, including "Tonight" show episodes, that don’t exist anywhere else. Other now-obscure programs such as "Broadway Open House" are also in the collection.

    In addition, there are home movies, films given to Lewis as gifts (such as the 35 mm print of "Modern Times," which was given to him by Charles Chaplin), videos of his lectures given while instructing at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, filmed nightclub appearances both with and without Martin, and footage from his legendary work on the Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon.

    Collection highlights include:
    35 mm prints and pre-prints of many of Lewis’ most popular films including "The Bellboy," "The Errand Boy" and "The Family Jewels."
    A rare autographed picture of famous silent comedian Edgar Kennedy.
    Test footage—of costumes, make-up, camera and actor screen tests—from some of Lewis’ leading films, including a complete one-reel silent comedy filmed on the set of "The Patsy."
    Home movies of Lewis at work and play, featuring such notables as his rock-star son Gary Lewis, comedian Milton Berle at Disneyland in 1955 and Lewis and Dean Martin on the set of "Pardners."
    Fully scripted motion pictures produced by Lewis at home, which often starred Lewis’ neighbors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Titles include "Fairfax Avenue" (spoofing "Sunset Boulevard") "Come Back Little Shiksa" and "The Re-Enforcer," starring Dean Martin.
    Rare footage of Martin and Lewis doing their nightclub act.

    The Jerry Lewis Collection will be available to qualified researchers in the Library’s Motion Picture and Television Reading Room in Washington, D.C. Processing of the collection continues, but much of it is currently available to researchers. A small portion of the collection, however, will be restricted for 10 years.
    By Robert Waldman