Jerry Lewis with His Kids with President Kennedy

I asked if I could use this photo and I never got an answer.  I use it here because it's a very special picture of Jerry, 2 MDA children, parents and President Kennedy.  This was years before Jerry officially represented MDA on a huge telethon.  He and Kennedy were friends .You can't see it here but Jerry has tears running down his face.

Jerry Lewis Never Again on Telethon

Jerry Lewis has always been controversial. Why take him off now? That's the disgrace. After all these years. In the old days staying up all night and day. The telethon worked because of Jerry Lewis' reactions to things. Particularly the crying. Whoever they get to "man" the show could never live up to Jerry's work. He's not Jerry Lewis. I'm afraid the 6-1/2 hours will not produce much money. He's 85 years old and people want to see him. I will turn the telethon on, and if I don't see Jerry Lewis I will shut it off.

Below is what I read about this falling out. I know Jerry is going to call a press conference about this on Sept.5.

Ability Magazine said:

Lewis has made such derogatory comments during the telethons. During the 1991 MDA Telethon, Lewis said in regards to a person who has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, (ALS), "You might as well put a gun to your head." During the 1992 telethon, Lewis said: "My kids cannot go into the workplace. There's nothing they can do. They've been attacked by a vicious killer. I'm begging for their survival."

"But the May 20 CBS Sunday interview sparked a public apology, by both the MDA and Jerry Lewis himself, after more than 100 people with disabilities wrote in outrage. In its statement, the MDA said,"...the Board of Directors and all of us at the Association are deeply disturbed by a comment made by our national chairman. His comment does not reflect the views MDA or its leadership, and our displeasure has been communicated directly to Mr. Lewis. [So they fired him.]

"Jerry Lewis himself later apologized publicly, "The statement I made on the May 20 CBS Morning Show was made in error. It is certainly not how I feel. Many of the people that I work closely with are in wheelchairs and I have never seen any of them as inferior to anyone else. They are my friends and my co-workers. I would never intentionally harm or demean anyone with a disability. I believe in my heart that I have done good work." But some disability rights activists have argued that these statements have come too little too late, noting also that the public apologies have been the first of its kind."

Jerry Lewis Falls Ill

Jerry Lewis fell ill today as he was about to step onto a French stage to perform for Muscular Dystrophy.  He says this will be his last telethon as host.  He says he will still sing "When You Walk." 

Jerry wasn't hospitalized but a doctor did attend to him.  The doctor said he collapsed from exhaustion.  He's 85 years young.  I wish him well.  He's been one of my favorite celeb -- going back, when he was nasty on the Mike Douglas Show in the '70's or the Telethon.  When he got off Percodan and met his current wife, I think he was very happy.  And he's made a lot of money since.  Amazon is selling his videos.  Above is The Ladies Man (1961).  Karyn Kupcinet was in it.  She was also going to be in The Nutty President (1963), but she died.

I began to understand Jerry when I realized what had happened to him in 1963.  He was given a multi-million dollar contract to host a live 2-hour Saturday night show on whatever network.  Everyone wished him luck.  On his first show were phone calls from Johnny Carson and other talk show hosts wishing him well.  Steve Allen played a joke on Jerry. Steve was in the audience with Karyn Kupcinet.  This was around Sept. 1963. 

I loved Jerry but I was too young to watch the show that late.  But my parents always brought me to his movies, and I remember seeing The Ladies Man when it first came out.

The show bombed.  I don't know why.  He lost his multi-million dollar deal.  Apparently the Producers did not like the show.  The embarassment of losing a deal like that affected him.  He started to become "Jer."  Then his friend, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated. Then the girl he discovered, Karyn Kupcinet, was murdered the next week.  On the show he had the audience singing "Think Pink" because his wife was pregnant.  They already had 5 boys.  Lewis wanted a daughter.  The child was born during this time frame, another boy.  That's a hell of a lot of things to deal with in a short span of time.

There was one fortunate thing for him that year: The Nutty Professor was a hit.

So now I understand "Jer."

Jerry Finally Admits

Years ago, I read in some places that Jerry Lewis maintained his IQ was over 200.  They didn't have any tests that could meaure it. 

But recently a young reporter asked him about it and he said it was 146.  There you go, Jerry.  And I believe he has every point.

Supposedly Jayne Mansfield and Raquel Welch had/have the same IQ: 163.