The KV Verdict: Jerry Lewis May Not Be So Funny 2

So Al starts the ball rolling on Jerry

For those cinemaphiles out there. Tonight's Academy Award ceremony will be honoring Jerry Lewis with a lifetime achievement award. Presentation of the award is usually one of the highlights of the show. Jerry Lewis, along with Dean Martin was an integral part of my television viewing experience, growing up. Jerry is 83 now, it should be an interesting moment considering the bizarre relationship that he's had with Hollywood. Enjoy it

The responses:

I heard that Jerry was connected to the mob and Dean wasn't. I didn't think he was that funny

No, Dean was connected too

I KNOW A FEW GUYS IN THE BUSINESS WHO KNEW JERRY LEWIS. THEY SAID HE'S A TALENTED GUY BUT A REAL SC..BAG. NOT A NICE PERSON AT ALL. HIS NOT-SO-NICE PERSONALITY HELD HIM BACK IMMENSELY IN SHOW BUSINESS. DEAN MARTIN, ON THE OTHER HAND, I HEARD WAS A REAL NICE GUY. THE ONLY RAT PACKER WHO DIDN'T RUN AROUND WITH GIRLS AND HE DRANK, BUT NOT AS MUCH AS PEOPLE THOUGHT. AND HE WAS A SWEETHEART TO WORK WITH, WHILE LEWIS WAS DECIDEDLY NOT. WHEN MARTIN AND LEWIS SPLIT, THE PREVAILING NOTION WAS THAT LEWIS WOULD BE A HUGE SUCCESS AND MARTIN A NO-TALENT FLOP. IN FACT, LEWIS WAS A MODERATE SUCCESS HERE IN AMERICA, BUT REAL BIG IN FRANCE, WHICH TELL US MORE ABOUT FRANCE THAN IT DOES ABOUT JERRY LEWIS. THE TELETHON GAVE LEWIS THE MOST VISIBILITY HERE IN THE USA. STORIES LATER SURFACED THAT LEWIS MADE A TON OF MONEY DOING THE TELETHONS, WHICH HE DENIED. BUT WHO KNOWS? THAT DID NOT HELP HIS IMAGE EITHER. MARTIN, ON THE OTHER HAND, BECAME A HUGE SUCCESS AFTER THE BREAKUP. SURE SINATRA HELPED HIS PAL, BUT DINO COULD SING WITH THE BEST OF THEM AND WAS A DAMN GOOD ACTOR TOO. AND HIS WEEKLY TV VARIETY SHOW WAS A HUGE SUCCESS. NO ONE SUSPECTED IT WAS LEWIS HOLDING DINO BACK IN THE PARTNERSHIP, RATHER THAN THE OTHER WAY AROUND. FUNNY HOW THINGS SOMETIMES WORK OUT.I LIKE JACKIE MASON BETTER. MORE CONTROVERSIAL. TELLS JOKES. HAS HUGE GULLIONES. JERRY LEWIS WAS TOO LOONEY FOR ME. JIM CARREY IS THE SAME AND I'M NOT CRAZY ABOUT HIM EITHER. AND WHAT ABOUT MYRON COHEN?? HE MADE ME FALL DOWN LAUGHING.

Personally, I never more cared for Jerry (Lewis, that is).I heard the Dean was a real mensch. He refused to work any more on Marilyn Monroe's last picture after the studio fired her and I don't think he was even schtupping her.

Interestingly, although for years Jerry has raised millions of dollars for the Muscular Dystrophy Assn, many with MD and other severe physical disabilities protest the telethon each year and can't stand him. They're not "Jerry's Kids," never wanted to be, and feel that over the years in raising $ he has created a terribly negative stereotype of those with physical disabilities, while feeding his ego. They have a point.

Whenever he was on tv my grandmother would say, "There's the meshuggana."

Hope he doesn't try to sneak a gun in. He's made some technological advances in film, but he's an a.... and he screwed over his first wife. The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award is meaningless anyway since they gave it to Elia Kazan.

looking forward to the awards even though didn't see any of the movies ... the lifetime achievement award is always an emotional moment and tonight should be no different especially having grown up with Jerry Lewis. In 1961 I went with Barry Dolinko to the Loews 2nd Avenue ... the movie theater that would become The Fillmore East ... the big attraction was that Jerry Lewis was going to be appearing live onstage before one of his movies ..I still remember, he showed up in a black suit .. looked very tall on stage ... since it was '61, the movie was either The Errand Boy or The Ladies Man ... think it was Errand Boy .. anyway ...in our generation if you had to choose a King of Comedy its a no-brainer - Jerry Lewis ..amazing he's going to be 83 next month (March 16) ... should be something special .

picture above is of Gomez Kuperstein