Jerry Lewis, the greatest dancer ever. Plus the Count Basie orchestra. When Jerry ran up the stairs at the end he collapsed as soon as he was out of frame and was rushed to hospital. Filming was postponed for a month.
Most people have forgotten that along with being a trained actor, singer & comedian, Jerry Lewis was also a trained dancer! Most of his comedic dancing, he developed himself. He was a rare gem.
Jerry Lewis and Danny Kaye were two of my favorites as a kid! They were so funny. They did it all, too. They sang, they danced, they did the comedy, they acted in a bunch of movies that broke me up when I watched them perform. Lewis also played the drums as well. I don't remember if Kaye played an instrument. I just remember them being funny and endlessly versatile in all the roles they played. I'm glad to have run across this old sequence from Cinderfella.
Oh,absolutely,both of them were great at so many things. I don’t know if Danny Kaye played an instrument,but he definitely conducted several symphony orchestras, the New York Philharmonic among them, he knew so much music by heart,yet he didn’t read music at all. Both of them were great entertainers for sure, I will say Jerry Lewis was an amazing dancer too.
Just saw an interview w/Jerry on PBS where he says the music was prerecorded. The set was built over two adjacent soundstages to give him the scope he wanted. He picked the camera angles, framing ("Always show Jerry from head to toe), and determined "no cut-aways, the whole thing has to be one continuous shot." AND THEN HE IMPROVISED THE ENTIRE STAIRWAY DANCE IN ONE TAKE! "I had no idea what Jerry was going to do until the music started!" Sheer genius.
Stairway scene inspiration was from the Nicholas Brothers scene in Stormy Weather. He knew better thwn to try that one. Segregation was the rule ofmthe day so many entertainers went to Black clubs with intent to steal ideas and then copy it. His performance is enjoyable but doesn't hold a candle to the hjghest standards of the originals they copied from.
Thank you for this amazing story. He was genius. Catching a dancer from head to toe is vital to enjoying the dance skills. I hate when there is just shots from waist or shoulders, or just feet. I feel cheated. Dance is a full body sport.
I was thinking that the other day. I remember being in school and my teachers emphasizing you HAVE to be a TRIPLE THREAT or you'll be looked over ....now you don't even have to know how to act. Smh.
Good Lord!! Cinderfella!! I remember seeing this movie when I was a kid. Absolutely classic scene. I still love Jerry Lewis to this day. What a freaking legend. ❤
I worked for MDA and used to go out to the telethon. The main office was in NYC and I worked in the video department so i saw him quite often, But I'll never forget the time that I was doing my Nutty Professor impersonation and then Jerry started doing it and it was a magical moment. How I wish it was taped!!
I heard somewhere that after that athletic dance and then running up those stairs 2 at a time, he finished the scene then actually collapsed. No wonder though, if it's true. That whole scene is fantastic, right from his entrance with all his suave swagger, to his last words to the princess and the look on his face when he says "...and I'll never forget you." Perfect scene! Thank you, Jerry; and I will never YOU. ❤
So many foot moves/patterns/phrasing people think of as "new" are present in this performance. Jerry Lewis showing how it's done, at his charming, brilliant best. What a delight!
I remember watching his movies growing up. But I did not know he was such a great dancer! I became a professional dancer so I really appreciate how good he was!
Really and talent as a film historian and a jazz singer I can say is one of the most elegant wonderful talented people ever to Grace American show business
This is one of those deals where it's hard to imagine anyone but Jerry Lewis doing it. He set the standard for scenes like this and most every other comic comes in a distant second.
I knew him only as the comic half of Martin and Lewis. Never realized until recent videos that he was one of the greatest dancers ever. Amazing how he can dance so well and still do it in a comedic vein.
The dance routine is so genius. It’s a mixture of dance in it’s excellence sprinkled with dashes of goofiness 🤪. Only Jerry Lewis could pull this off. On another note, I heard that he had a heart ❤️ attack when he got to the top of the stairs. He does look very tired 🥱 on the set, for sure. It still amazes me that he lived so long in spite of that incident. Thanks goodness he pulled through …
#ChrisSpears I feel the same way. There were many times growing up when for varying reasons I needed whichever movie happened to be airing that day & I was uplifted without fail *every* *single* *time* 🏆❣️
This will forever be one of my favorites scenes ever! THIS is how you make an entrance. I'll miss you, Jerry. Thank you so much for the laughs & infinite innovation and knowledge. I love you. RIP.
@@Ellens_Creations brilliant on set but....a true gentleman? HUH? he was horrible to his kids...wrote them out of his will...they all hid when he came home...one was homeless...
@@Ellens_Creations the children of big stars usually tell a completely different story of the parents behavior at home...betty davis...joan crawford...yikes!!
The first time i saw this movie was in the school during 5th grade, movie Friday. This became my favorite move of all times. I've seen this move over 25 times. The dance scene has always been my favorite with the Count Basie band.
I Love his vulnerable confession, makes the character in the movie big and we all do understand. It makes him a mensch... I didn't know this scene. RIP brave man.
It's so sad it's impossible to get these great old films on DVD. They only put out the classics on Dvd as if they are the only ones worth watching when I think we are a lot of people who loves some of these films that may not be classics but through the years we remembered them in our hearts. I haven't seen this film since I was a little girl and I would love to see it again. I loved Jerry Lewis:)
Have you tried Amazon.com? ..or RedBox.com? Netflix.com? they have a lot of films that are not "popular" now..good luck. I'll miss Jerry Lewis. My childhood, once again, gone.
Just recently I checked out Walmart and they had the Jerry Lewis 10 film set! Yay! All my favorites! However I’m still working on completing my collection and getting all Jerry Lewis films on DVD
Recuerdo de chico ser fanático de sus películas y siempre me pregunté cómo es que hacía todas esas coreografias tan perfectas y hoy en día ya con 42 años , me sigo diciendo , que impresionante y como lo hace!!! Que gran artista y cuántas sonrisas me saco el gran Jerry Lewis!!!! Uno de mis más grandes ídolos de siempre !!! Siempre estaré eternamente agradecido por sacarme tantas risas !!! Un gran super héroe real!!!
Lewis was an all-rounder, he could sing, dance, do comedy, of course as well as dramatic acting, He could instantly transform from gawky and awkward to suave and classy seamlessly. I have ALL of his movies and I never get tired of watching him.
Jerry is truly a survivor ( crippling back pain, cancer, drug addiction )....he really enjoyed performing, but what a cost...this scene is a classic, no one else could've done it as well.....and the man just turned 90....love you Jerry always ~~
Born i Sweden 1965. Grew up with comedy movies sunday afternoons. Buster Keaton , Charlie Chaplin , Harold Lloyd , the Marx brothers , Laurel & Hardy and my favourite ; JERRY LEWIS !!!!!! He's always been my Number 1 !!!! Got a bunch of DVD:s with all of the above , but I always get back to Jerry. Especially if I need to pick myself up. His movies has always given me so much joy,laughter and happiness. I just love the goofiness.
+Rogerio Frederico Great comment! And now we'll never forget him, never! Rest in peace, master genious Jerry Lewis! ¡Hasta siempre! ¡Se van los muy grandes, los ÚNICOS!
Jerry Lewis had more talent in his little toe than most so called comedians today. What a brilliant clip. Also him and Tony Bennett together were a sheer joy. Oh to have these two on our screens again today.
I fell in love with him when I first saw this clip at 10 years old ! He could dance, he made me laugh, and laugh until I cried, and had all that class. Wonderful!!!
lucy bond Yes and they rushed him to the hospital and he did make it through. Not only was he a comedic genius I thought he was very very good looking particularly when he got older better looking than Dean Martin.
Probably the best party entrance (and dance) sequence ever filmed, definitely the hippest. Jerry and Count Basie at their finest. THANKS for posting this whole scene.
Boy was l blessed to have been raised in the 90's.!!@ the Disney channel snowed all the classics l happened to love cinderfella 😁 l loved his goofy dancing 🤭
That man was so incredibly talented. Loved his movies since my early teens. They don't make movies like this anymore and it's such a shame. Those were the good old days.
A rarely seen talent of Jerry Lewis is that he was an awesome cartoonist! He has a book - I think its called "The Complete Filmmaker" and it contains his own storyboards for his movies. Nobody could draw "The Idiot" in action as well as he does himself!
being a young girl about 7 in 1951, we didn't have tv until 1975, its really an honour to be able to see this talented man in action.....I always loved him.....and Dino of course. ....
I grew up in the 60's and Jerry Lewis was my favorite actor to watch and a lot of people have said when I was a kid I acted like him doing crazy stunts. I loved all his movies and the ones where him and Dean Martin were a team. Lots of laughs. RIP Jerry
The reason so many movies of today are so computer graphic driven is lack of talented people. Jerry Lewis is an example of how talented actors carry a movie. Today, few actors are truly talented, the special effects people and their art is what people are paying to see.
Adored Jerry Lewis a a kid, how'd I miss this one? Maybe it was a relative "adult" film, I dunno. He was in DC as a local club just a few years ago, regret not going to see him for old times sake, never realized how good a dancer he was til now just light on his feet. (in my defense I was a kid)
fantastic dancing. so graceful. he controlled everything about his movies. was watching this documentary/interview. he controlled the financing, when they movie was going to be released , his produced, wrote, directed, was behind the cameras, ...acted, sang, danced, comedy, loved music as obvious in his movies, .....ANYTHING and everything
