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Jerry Lewis, Entertainer & MDA Spokesperson, at 91

This affects me deeply. I grew up watching those Labor Day telethons, seeing him introduce a wide assortment of guests, and receiving checks from many different organizations and companies. Watching that tote board go up and up every year was a tradition. In his final telethon in 2010, I donated a few dollars to MDA myself.
He now joins Dean Martin and Ed McMahon, along with hundreds, if not thousands of 'Jerry's Kids' who have passed from muscular dystrophy complications, in forever and loving peace. RIP Jerry!
 
Lewis never did reveal why he cared so deeply about muscular dystrophy, did he? I guess the secret now goes to the grave with him.
 
Jerry's fame was born out of the 50's and 60's. However, may I recommend an under-rated movie from the early 80's. "The King Of Comedy" was an offbeat, black comedy that let Jerry play a role that he could relate to in real life. Co-starring Robert Di Nero. A dark comedy that is both entertaining and unsettling at the same time.
 
I watched The King of Comedy just a couple months ago. What an odd and dark show! There were loads of funny scenes, however. I also have Dean and Jerry's final movie together on VHS - 'Hollywood or Bust,' from 1956.
 
It's pretty amazing he could still perform. Seems like he had health problems.

I had the opportunity to see several of his movies on broadcast TV a few years ago. I liked his wacky characters the best, but "The Nutty Professor" really showed what he was capable of, with those two very different characters.
 
vchimpanzee said:
It's pretty amazing he could still perform. Seems like he had health problems.

I had the opportunity to see several of his movies on broadcast TV a few years ago. I liked his wacky characters the best, but "The Nutty Professor" really showed what he was capable of, with those two very different characters.
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You need to check out "The Family Jewels", where he played seven roles!
 
I suppose this means we'll finally get a look at his most controversial project, The Day the Clown Cried.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_the_Clown_Cried

The mind-bogglingly horrific concept of this film has Lewis playing a Jewish clown in a Nazi concentration camp whose job is to keep the children calm as they are taken off to the gas chambers.

Needless to say it was never released. Lewis was said to have a personal copy, which he had reportedly shown to students taking his film class at USC. Reportedly there was no surer way to set him off than to ask Lewis about "that clown movie" during an interview.

There is some talk that he had agreed to let the film be released seven or ten years after his death.
 
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Wait a minute...so Jerry Lewis himself was a teacher in real life too? Movies, teaching, 'one dollar more', what more could you ask for? He did a lot of good in this world.
 
FreddyE1977 said:
I suppose this means we'll finally get a look at his most controversial project, The Day the Clown Cried.

The mind-bogglingly horrific concept of this film has Lewis playing a Jewish clown in a Nazi concentration camp whose job is to keep the children calm as they are taken off to the gas chambers.
Click to expand...
Sounds like "Life Is Beautiful", which won Oscars. It wasn't the entire movie that took place in a concentration camp, but Roberto Benigni's character made the situation look like a game so his son wouldn't be upset.
 
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