Jerry Lewis has died

[Freddie2]

The polarizing comedy legend was 91.

[Taylor]

Sorry but if he'd been nicer to Lucy maybe I'd be more sad.

[Gypsy]

Yeah.. another "Legend" in the comedy field is gone. I have had this crappy feeling about him for years, then learned the truth about him, he was kind of an alcoholic asshole. anyway that waws what i read somewhere. Good to be back tho.. altho my message for resetting my pw had been going in the spam file.. and it was automatically deleting them. Hope I will be able to be on more

[Luvsbway]

Keith T posted this on his Facebook.

 

Someone asked me if I ever ran into Jerry Lewis. Well, I was spending some time one summer when we were teenagers with Desi Jr. at their beach home in Del Mar. We planned on going fishing off San Diego and venturing into Mexican waters which is a story in itself. As we were making our way out of the bay from the Kona Kai Club where Desi's yacht was, there was another yacht approaching us from the opposite direction and we all waved howdy as you do when you want to be pleasant and lo and behold it was Jerry's yacht and he was waving and saying "Hi Amigo" and there was a few exchanges between him and Desi Sr. as we passed. He was on the boat and I believe one of his sons... could've been Gary Lewis for all I knew. Anyway, as kids we would venture into San Diego with Edie ... Desi's stepmom with Lucie and watch movies like The Nutty Professor which we just loved. That movie was amazingly funny to us. I always loved the underdog and kind of identified with the character. That said the little encounter that I had with Jerry Lewis that bright sunny morning in San Diego on the way to fish gave a glimpse into a complicated man. Shalom, in my memory of Joseph Jerome Levitch... America's one time Funny Guy.

[LittleRickyII]

Keith's experience as a child seeing JL was much different than mine.

[leenorman]

Keith T posted this on his Facebook.

 

Someone asked me if I ever ran into Jerry Lewis. Well, I was spending some time one summer when we were teenagers with Desi Jr. at their beach home in Del Mar. We planned on going fishing off San Diego and venturing into Mexican waters which is a story in itself. As we were making our way out of the bay from the Kona Kai Club where Desi's yacht was, there was another yacht approaching us from the opposite direction and we all waved howdy as you do when you want to be pleasant and lo and behold it was Jerry's yacht and he was waving and saying "Hi Amigo" and there was a few exchanges between him and Desi Sr. as we passed. He was on the boat and I believe one of his sons... could've been Gary Lewis for all I knew. Anyway, as kids we would venture into San Diego with Edie ... Desi's stepmom with Lucie and watch movies like The Nutty Professor which we just loved. That movie was amazingly funny to us. I always loved the underdog and kind of identified with the character. That said the little encounter that I had with Jerry Lewis that bright sunny morning in San Diego on the way to fish gave a glimpse into a complicated man. Shalom, in my memory of Joseph Jerome Levitch... America's one time Funny Guy.

 

Another GREAT FIND:  thanks for sharing it....JK  

[leenorman]

Keith's experience as a child seeing JL was much different than mine.

 

SPILL IT, BROTHER!!!!!!!

[Brock]

SPILL IT, BROTHER!!!!!!!

 

Yes!

[LittleRickyII]

SPILL IT, BROTHER!!!!!!!

 

 

 

Yes!

 

Okay, if I must.  But before I do, I want to acknowledge the positive contributions he made, specifically the billions of dollars he raised for the MDA.  I know about the so-called "Jerry's Orphans" who came out against the approach he used to raise money.  I can certainly understand their grievance, but I would like to think that in his heart his intentions were good.  That said, I'm sure you're familiar with that Hollywood Reporter interview last year, and the way he treated people attending his shows a couple years ago.  Those episodes were along the lines of my experience.

 

Back when I was about 10 or 11 years old (spring of 1974 or 1975), my father pulled me and my sister out of school to attend the "celebrity day" of a golf tournament.  Along with us were our two best friends, who were also a brother and sister.  It was the Greater Greensboro Open (GGO) in Greensboro, North Carolina.  This is a golf tournament (now called the Wyndham Championship) that's part of the PGA tour.  Several years in a row he would do this for us and it was always on the "Pro-Am" day -- pro, as in professionals, playing alongside amateurs, who were always celebrities.  A lot of them were local TV celebrities, but there were also nationally-known people like Gordon MacRae (another story there, OMG!), George Lindsey (Goober from The Andy Griffith Show) and Jerry Lewis.  Well I was pretty darn excited the year Jerry Lewis was playing.  EVERY time a Jerry Lewis movie was on TV I ALWAYS watched.  At that time, I was a bigger Jerry Lewis fan than Lucy fan.

 

Anyway, the point of the Pro-Am day was for the celebrities to come out, play some golf before the crowds, and see their fans.  All of them were very nice and happily signed autographs (which is what they were there to do; I particularly remember George Lindsey being exceptionally nice) -- all but Jerry Lewis.  My sister and I, our two friends, and a couple other kids were standing quietly on the side of the fairway near the green and asked Lewis for his autograph when he walked by.  We were polite, as our parents had instructed, and asked at the appropriate time after everyone had finished that hole.  But Lewis sneered at us and told us he'd sign on the next hole.  So we followed along to the next hole.  Then the same thing again.  With a scowl on his face, he tells us again, "next hole."  This went on for several holes until we finally gave up.  He never signed for any of us.  He never even gave us so much as a smile. I couldn't understand this because I thought Jerry Lewis liked kids. When we went back to where our parents were, several holes back, and told my father what had happened, he was furious.  He still remembers, like I do, how Jerry Lewis treated us that day.  I was so disappointed that I was never again able to watch any of his movies, and I never have.  It's been more than 40 years and I still can't watch him.  No desire.  This may seem like a small thing, but it seems to fit the pattern we've heard about.  As a kid, it was enough to immediately change me from huge fan to no fan.  I wish I had another, nicer story to tell, but I don't.  Maybe it pays to hang out with Desi Arnaz.

[leenorman]

He was, perhaps, according to HIMSELF, a genius; but, his over-riding arrogance muddied the star power 'brightness' he could have presented to the public in personal appearances. 

 

I was heartbroken when he and Dean Martin broke up; that was probably for CAUSE, as well.  I NEVER DID hear what that was about; but, was watching when Frank Sinatra tried to re-unite them on one of the MD telethons.

 

I watched his MD benefits for 20+ years; WAS a fan as a youngster; then, when I had my babies, was pretty-much tied to home; kept on watching.  In those days, he was a compelling presence.  Guess when MD fired him, it probably WAS FOR CAUSE.  Never heard THAT story, either.

 

That one interview [i watched] he did, late in life, he was so short and not sweet in his replies; it should NEVER HAVE BEEN aired; because, I believe he lost many [to THAT time] LIFE-LONG fans because of it.

 

Thanks, LittleRickyII, for your feed-back; sorry you were disappointed by him; and thanks for telling your story!   NEVER be rude to children; THEY HAVE A LONG LIFE AHEAD TO REMEMBER!!!!  JK  

[Freddie2]

Everyone who was around at the height of Martin and Lewis's fame says they were unmatched in popularity. I don't think I've seen one of there movies, but I have heard the premiere episode of their radio show with Lucy as the guest star. My local video store had The Nutty Professor on VHS and I would rent that when I was really, really little, but other than that I haven't had that much Jerry exposure. He's certainly not the only star to act like a grouch, but he's the most famous. I've heard Lauren Bacall was an absolute bitch to fans, but I don't know any specific stories. Not long ago, Jerry donated some of his stuff to the Library of Congress, with instructions that The Day The Clown Cried couldn't be released for a decade. Somebody had a skimpy "reconstruction" of the movie on YouTube using clips rescued from who-knows-where.

[Luvsbway]

The Last Clown thing I was reading about yesterday. Turns out it's the writer's estate blocking that as they hated it and never signed off on the rough cut.

[Neil]

Little Ricky writes ----"Gordon MacRae (another story there, OMG!)"---

 

Again....SPILL IT BROTHER!

[LittleRickyII]

 NEVER be rude to children; THEY HAVE A LONG LIFE AHEAD TO REMEMBER!!!!  JK

 

Very well said!  Those memories from childhood leave an impression that lasts a lifetime.  I mostly have fond memories of adults in my life when I was a kid.  All of them were always very kind to me, with only a couple exceptions that I recall. 

Jerry Lewis was on of those exceptions.

 

 

Little Ricky writes ----"Gordon MacRae (another story there, OMG!)"---

 

Again....SPILL IT BROTHER!

 

 

I already did, brother!    Post #9.

[leenorman]

Very well said!  Those memories from childhood leave an impression that lasts a lifetime.  I mostly have fond memories of adults in my life when I was a kid.  All of them were always very kind to me, with only a couple exceptions that I recall. 

Jerry Lewis was on of those exceptions.

 

 

 

 

I already did, brother!    Post #9.

 

I think WE ALL mean SPILL the MacRae stuff!  I've never heard a word of ill about him....  another one of my faves....  SO,  SPILL IT!!!!!!  Thanks....JK  

[LittleRickyII]

I think WE ALL mean SPILL the MacRae stuff!  I've never heard a word of ill about him....  another one of my faves....  SO,  SPILL IT!!!!!!  Thanks....JK

 

Yes, sorry about that!  Sorry, Neil.  I guess it would help if I would read what your whole comment!  I forgot I even mentioned that about GM.     Well here goes.  It was very sad, actually.  Poor Mr. MacRae.  I had no clue who he was at the time, but he sure left an impression on this young kid!  He was playing at that same golf tournament, but a year or two later.  My mom was a huge fan who grew up idolizing him.  Anyway, we were standing off to the side with a crowd of other admirers, waiting for him to finish playing the hole so my mom could ogle at him and maybe get his autograph.  But he was stumbling drunk.  I mean really, really drunk.  And he stumbles right into the port-o-john.  Everyone is standing there, staring at this port-o-john with the famous celebrity inside.  But inside of it there's a lot of noises, a lot of banging around.  Obviously he was having difficulty keeping his balance.  When he finally came out, there was a big wet spot on his crotch.  He had peed in his pants.  I had never seen a drunk adult, or for that matter an adult who had peed in their pants.  So it's a memory seared in my mind.  And as for my mother, that moment pretty much erased her romantic fantasies of him.  Like I said, sad.

[JoeySanJoaquin]

Yes, sorry about that!  Sorry, Neil.  I guess it would help if I would read what your whole comment!  I forgot I even mentioned that about GM.     Well here goes.  It was very sad, actually.  Poor Mr. MacRae.  I had no clue who he was at the time, but he sure left an impression on this young kid!  He was playing at that same golf tournament, but a year or two later.  My mom was a huge fan who grew up idolizing him.  Anyway, we were standing off to the side with a crowd of other admirers, waiting for him to finish playing the hole so my mom could ogle at him and maybe get his autograph.  But he was stumbling drunk.  I mean really, really drunk.  And he stumbles right into the port-o-john.  Everyone is standing there, staring at this port-o-john with the famous celebrity inside.  But inside of it there's a lot of noises, a lot of banging around.  Obviously he was having difficulty keeping his balance.  When he finally came out, there was a big wet spot on his crotch.  He had peed in his pants.  I had never seen a drunk adult, or for that matter an adult who had peed in their pants.  So it's a memory seared in my mind.  And as for my mother, that moment pretty much erased her romantic fantasies of him.  Like I said, sad.

 

Gee no offense but I wish I could unsee this!

[LittleRickyII]

Gee no offense but I wish I could unsee this!

 

What are you trying to unsee, Old Soggy Crotch?  Maybe this will help:  I was doing a little research and found out MacRae did indeed have a serious problem with alcoholism.  No surprise to me, obviously.  But fortunately it seems he was eventually able to get it under control.  This is from his L.A. Times obituary:

 

But by the 1970s his life and his career were in decline because of his drinking.

 

"I was one hell of a drunk," he said in 1982, referring to the Lakeside Club in North Hollywood as his prep school for alcoholics. "I used to stand at the bar and try to out-drink Bogey (Humphrey Bogart) and Errol Flynn."

 

In 1978, a year after he was unable to sing in concert in South Carolina because he couldn't remember his lyrics, he entered an alcoholism treatment center in Lincoln.  He lived in Lincoln with his second wife, Elizabeth, until his death because "it reminded me of my hometown" (East Orange, N.J.).

 

One of his last appearances was in Las Vegas in October, 1982, shortly before he suffered a stroke.  It was a benefit for the National Council on Alcoholism, which MacRae adopted as a favored charity after his own recovery.  He referred to the occasion as "our third annual Follies Berserk" but on a more serious note reflected how "you hit bottom, then you make up your mind. I'm sober 23 months now."

 

http://articles.latimes.com/1986-01-24/news/mn-24015_1_gordon-macrae