As a little kid, I loved his silly movies. Then one year he was in town and did an interview at a local TV station for the local noon-day talk show. The interviewer was Nancy Nelson....local TV sweetheart to the Minneapolis area. He was clearly annoyed that he was booked to do the interview. During the interview, Lewis was asked if it was sometimes difficult to be funny when his role called for it. He angrily responded: " I don't ever need to be funny" I was extremely pissed at him at that point. Here was a grown man who needed a 12 year old boy to explain to him that if he wasn't funny on demand.....he would need to push a broom like any other schmuck with no real marketable skills. He was a genuine prick.
I was watching the telethon when I was 11, he went out into the audience to collect money. One lady who was older and on the heavy side told him that she gave up her two favorite vices, smoking and coffee and put the money aside for his "kids". She was so happy to give him the money and asked if she could have a kiss. While turning and walking away he said "lady, I wouldn't kiss you if you were the last person on earth". She was so embarrassed and hurt. I've never watched another telethon/movie since then or ever will.
I guess there was tension between him and his sons. But in the end you would think all would be forgiven and fair is fair. Some people just can’t forgive…
That was sweet, adding the part of what Jerry thought of Dick. So sad he had do many health problems. I never knew and it breaks my heart of all he went through. He did so much on his telethons. He did have a long life, as you said. I hope more good than bad. I did wonder why and caused him to gain weight. 🙏🙏 God bless
Never been a fan of Mr Lewis with the big exception of his MD Telethons. I generally watched a bit of that every year but I don't remember a single movie of his that I ever saw more than a glance of. Loved Dean Martin and have seen many of his offerings. My Dad was a big fan of Martin's Weekly Variety Shows!
Your clips always warm my heart and then I get sad 😂 cuz all the people I watched growing up are checking out before me! You’re a good egg and I like your style 👊 💕, also HEY LADY 🎉
He was definitely a complex individual. I had no idea he suffered from so many medical issues. I enjoyed his partnership with Dean Martin. I can remember him saying in that funny character voice of his “Dean, oh Dean.”
I saw him in one movie I thought was funny, “The Disorderly Orderly”. I’m a nurse and the hospital situations were so funny. But I didn’t like that he divorced his wife who stood by him through his years when he was struggling and that he was not a good feather to their 6 sons.
I liked him when I was young. But, I saw him berate a little girl on the MD telethon because she wanted to read a list of people who donated to her. I didn’t much care for him after that.
As a little kid ..I loved Jerry Lewis in his silly and comedic movies in re-runs. Any time one of his movies came on - I would get so excited to see him and laugh so hard. I think Jerry was the opposite to his characters that he played. He was one though SOB, didn't take S**t from anyone and dished out his toughness when needed. That's why he lasted so long. Love you Gerry!
He will be missed. He supported the the Muscular Dystrophy society for many years with his annual telethon to raise funds for research. May his soul rest in peace and may God’s perpetual light shine upon him.
Can we remember the good things the man did? He raised so much awareness and money through his telethons year after year! I wasn't aware he had so many health issues himself. It sounds like he really suffered.😢
Though I wasn't actually named for Jerry Lewis (being named Gerald, one of the ten most popular given names in America at that time), it was on my Aunt Betty's suggestion that I was called Jerry. She was a big fan of Jerry Lewis. I became a fan as well. Thanks for the further insight into Jerry Lewis's life.
No matter what you think of him and I see a lot of bad comments about him . He was exciting he was truly a major star. And none of us really know what happen. We just hear It from other Sources. My God bless jerry lewis.
Do you remember when Jerry Lewis kids were protesting, because, they could not even get a wheelchair off the the MDA foundation and wanted to know where all the money was going to.
Wow. Great video. I like them there short videos like this here one. I'm not quiet normal today. Not sleeping well. Halfway or completely crazy. But really liked is video. Is Dean Martain still alive? When I was a teen, I memorized all his songs from a songbook, with guitar chords and words. YEP, I was an up and coming singer soon to make stardom. If I had kept on singing and slinging my guitar (I knew 2 chords) I may have been just as famous as Dean. Time passes. Is it too late for me to become a famous singer? I'm 75 years old or young. Well, that's an update. This is THE REAL JIM-BOB OF MADISON, INDIANA (NOT WISCONSIN OR PENNSYVANIA).
My Dad passed in 2000 from Lymphocytic Leukemia. Near the end of his struggle they gave him steroids which i believe contributed to the "bloating" affect....
Hi Steve . I hope you're doing well . I was born in '65 , and as far back as I can remember Jerry Lewis was always one of my Favorite Actors and Comedians and People alive . I would beg my Parents to let me stay in front of the TV for Days at a time to watch Jerry's Telethons . Thank you so much for covering this Wonderful Human . You brought back so many memories for me . I hope everything is going great with you Steve and you're staying safe . See you in the next Episode . 🎸
Thought I read somewhere where Jerry tried killing himself cause he was in so much pain. The prednisone is what puffed his face up. My very good friend died of prostate cancer last September and about a month before he died, the cancer had metastasized to his bones causing him excruciating pain. So the doctor prescribed large doses of prednisone to ease his pain and it really puffed up his face.
Jerry's telethons did good. Sad he had so many ailments. The nutty professor was goofy looking. 🤓 Didn't know Dean was such a gem. Have you thought of doing Werner Klemperer?
HE WAS NEVER a nice person. He treated his first wife and sons horribly. He was a cruel friend to Dean Martin. He tried to back pedal about the comments he previously made about Dean, only because he saw that Dean was much better liked by the public than he was. It was too late. He'd been SO NASTY to Dean all those years later on that his faux sympathy wasn't believed. He left NOTHING to his first family, not even his sons. Never thought he was that funny. More moronic than anything.
It was Frank sinatra who brought them back together when they fell out for 20 years ,he brought Jerry on stage when Frank and Dean where performing ,dean never had any idea ,it was the fault of Lewis who threw his dummy out of the pram that caused the rift because Dean was much more popular regarding his singing and style and Jerry was jealous and it was the way Jerry shown his true colours by his demands to production staff and directors throwing his weight around not showing any humility at all and Dean was pissed off with it
Like his ‘shtick’ or not, Jerry did yeoman work raising funds for conquering muscular dystrophy. Jerry’s Labor Day telethon was doing the Lord’s work for many, many years. In modern times, Jerry’s efforts put him in a class with the March Of Dimes campaign that funded Polio research and with Danny Thomas who founded St. Jude Childrens Hospital.
Somebody I like as a child I got older it seemed like I like Dean Martin Moore Jerry Lewis seems to deteriorate as a human being supporting Donald Trump for president proved that he didn't even leave any money to his wife and family in his will I was just doing things that were bad for people who were the closest to him which was very strange Saturday to what started out to be a great comedian someone who influenced Hollywood with a lot of his great inventions for film he was not the same man at the end he had completely changed. 1:50
He was cruel to his family and very tough to work with, was and accused of sexual assault. I grew up in the 70's after his star had dimmed and Dean Martin was still going strong. I saw him interviewed on Letterman in the 80's and got the impression that he was an entitled pr*ck.
In the latter part of telethon career he got really gruff with the viewing public when he thought they give enough. Then he abandon his own kids. But his son Gary had a band and they did Vegas casinos! Using his name for gain I suppose? But I don't follow Vegas acts so...............?
And for those of you who didn't like him , why bother leaving a rude Comment ? Would have been easier to just move on to the next Video instead of insulting Steve's work .
It was pitiful how they just yanked him without any regard from the muscular dystrophy Telon and try to put it on without him for a year or two before his death. They didn’t even give him the credit he deserved for the amount of money he raised in the almost 40 years he did it.
