 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Posted: |
Aug 23, 2017 - 4:25 PM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
Over his career, Jerry Lewis made a number of forays into network television. The most successful of these was with Dean Martin. The “Colgate Comedy Hour” was a series of big-budget comedy spectaculars, featuring most of the top names in show business. It was NBC’s first successful counterprogramming to “The Ed Sullivan Show,” which ran opposite it on Sunday nights. When the show began in the fall of 1950, the intention was to have three rotating hosts, with Eddie Cantor, Martin and Lewis, and Fred Allen. Allen was dropped in December 1950, with other big name hosts filling in on an occasional basis. Martin and Lewis remained with the show throughout its five and a half year run. The pair were nominated for an Emmy Award as “Best Comedian or Comedienne” in 1952, but lost to Red Skelton.
In 1963, Lewis tackled television again—on his own. “The Jerry Lewis Show” was a two-hour weekly marathon that was possibly the most spectacular attempt at big-name variety programming in TV history—and also the most colossal flop. It was preceded by a great deal of fanfare, including the revelation that ABC had committed $8 million in production costs for the first year alone. Lewis headlined, and nothing but big names guested.
The first telecast, live from Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre (which ABC renovated at a cost of $400,000), co-starred Mort Sahl, Kay Stevens, Jack Jones, and Harry James. Later telecasts featured Sammy Davis, Jr., the Count Basie Orchestra, heavyweight challenger Cassius Clay (discussing his upcoming fight with Sonny Liston), and much of the all-star cast from IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD MAD WORLD.
Whether it was simply too big, whether Lewis grated on too many viewers, or whether its scheduling was bad (NBC and CBS viewers had to leave in the middle of “The Defenders” or the “Saturday Night Movie” to catch the beginning of the show), the initial airings garnered terrible reviews and disastrously low ratings. A considerable uproar ensued, in which the president of ABC flew to the West Coast for intensive conferences with Lewis and his writers (who included the young Dick Cavett). Subsequent telecasts improved, but the ratings did not, and the colossus folded after 13 weeks.
Two weeks later, “The Hollywood Palace,” a similar show—but sans Lewis—took over the theater and the first half of the time slot, and ran for six years.
In the late 1960s, with his feature films not performing particularly well at the box-office, Lewis again ventured into television. “The Jerry Lewis Show” was a one-hour comedy-variety show that tried to appeal to a young audience by booking such guests as the Osmond Brothers and many other groups and individual performers popular with the youthful set. Jerry used many of his comic characters from his movies (The Nutty Professor, The Poor Soul, The Shoeshine Boy) in the comedy sketches. During the first season, all of the sketches and guest acts were taped separately and then pieced together to create the one-hour show.
The NBC show premiered on 12 September 1967, and although it was opposite two popular shows, “Red Skelton” on CBS and “It Takes a Thief” on ABC, that was only for its second half hour. During its first half hour, Lewis’ show got the jump on those other shows and faced the weaker competition of the second halves of “Garrison’s Gorillas” (ABC) and “Daktari” (CBS). “The Jerry Lewis Show” was renewed for a second season.
For its second season, Lewis’ show was taped continuously before a live studio audience in order to generate a more spontaneous feeling. The show’s timeslot was moved up a half hour so that it no longer went against “Red Skelton” and “It Takes a Thief.” Its new competition was “The Mod Squad” on ABC (the #28 show for the season) and “Lancer” on CBS. The combination of the two was enough to knock out Lewis’ show, and it did not get a third season renewal.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
Posted: |
Aug 23, 2017 - 7:18 PM
|
|
|
|
By: |
filmusicnow
(Member)
|
Over his career, Jerry Lewis made a number of forays into network television. The most successful of these was with Dean Martin. The “Colgate Comedy Hour” was a series of big-budget comedy spectaculars, featuring most of the top names in show business. It was NBC’s first successful counterprogramming to “The Ed Sullivan Show,” which ran opposite it on Sunday nights. When the show began in the fall of 1950, the intention was to have three rotating hosts, with Eddie Cantor, Martin and Lewis, and Fred Allen. Allen was dropped in December 1950, with other big name hosts filling in on an occasional basis. Martin and Lewis remained with the show throughout its five and a half year run. The pair were nominated for an Emmy Award as “Best Comedian or Comedienne” in 1952, but lost to Red Skelton.
In 1963, Lewis tackled television again—on his own. “The Jerry Lewis Show” was a two-hour weekly marathon that was possibly the most spectacular attempt at big-name variety programming in TV history—and also the most colossal flop. It was preceded by a great deal of fanfare, including the revelation that ABC had committed $8 million in production costs for the first year alone. Lewis headlined, and nothing but big names guested.
The first telecast, live from Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre (which ABC renovated at a cost of $400,000), co-starred Mort Sahl, Kay Stevens, Jack Jones, and Harry James. Later telecasts featured Sammy Davis, Jr., the Count Basie Orchestra, heavyweight challenger Cassius Clay (discussing his upcoming fight with Sonny Liston), and much of the all-star cast from IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD MAD WORLD.
Whether it was simply too big, whether Lewis grated on too many viewers, or whether its scheduling was bad (NBC and CBS viewers had to leave in the middle of “The Defenders” or the “Saturday Night Movie” to catch the beginning of the show), the initial airings garnered terrible reviews and disastrously low ratings. A considerable uproar ensued, in which the president of ABC flew to the West Coast for intensive conferences with Lewis and his writers (who included the young Dick Cavett). Subsequent telecasts improved, but the ratings did not, and the colossus folded after 13 weeks.
Two weeks later, “The Hollywood Palace,” a similar show—but sans Lewis—took over the theater and the first half of the time slot, and ran for six years.
In the late 1960s, with his feature films not performing particularly well at the box-office, Lewis again ventured into television. “The Jerry Lewis Show” was a one-hour comedy-variety show that tried to appeal to a young audience by booking such guests as the Osmond Brothers and many other groups and individual performers popular with the youthful set. Jerry used many of his comic characters from his movies (The Nutty Professor, The Poor Soul, The Shoeshine Boy) in the comedy sketches. During the first season, all of the sketches and guest acts were taped separately and then pieced together to create the one-hour show.
The NBC show premiered on 12 September 1967, and although it was opposite two popular shows, “Red Skelton” on CBS and “It Takes a Thief” on ABC, that was only for its second half hour. During its first half hour, Lewis’ show got the jump on those other shows and faced the weaker competition of the second halves of “Garrison’s Gorillas” (ABC) and “Daktari” (CBS). “The Jerry Lewis Show” was renewed for a second season.
For its second season, Lewis’ show was taped continuously before a live studio audience in order to generate a more spontaneous feeling. The show’s timeslot was moved up a half hour so that it no longer went against “Red Skelton” and “It Takes a Thief.” Its new competition was “The Mod Squad” on ABC (the #28 show for the season) and “Lancer” on CBS. The combination of the two was enough to knock out Lewis’ show, and it did not get a third season renewal.
Lewis guested on Skelton's revamped show (when it was cut to a half hour) when it switched back to N.B.C. for a final season, which ironically was taped at N.B.C.'s Burbank Studios where his second variety show was taped and Martin's show was taped. He also had a syndicated talk show in '84 that had a one week tryout that didn't result in a regular run (and of which one of his guests was Sinatra). Martin even thanked him for letting him be the guest host of "The Hollywood Palace"!!! There was also a special in '58 that was to be the pilot for a perspective comedy variety series, but didn't sell.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: |
Aug 23, 2017 - 8:12 PM
|
|
|
|
By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
|
Jerry Lewis was certainly a controversial film and television personality. He probably engendered as much love/hate passion among viewers as anyone in American entertainment history. But his longevity speaks for itself.
Lewis served as national chairman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and hosted the live Labor Day weekend broadcast of the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon for 44 years. His involvement with MDA preceded the telethons, going back to 1952. Over nearly half a century, he raised over $2.6 billion in donations for the cause. During his prime working years, he had two decades of success in feature films and an even lengthier career as a live performer. He was an author, inventor, and a university lecturer. In his later years, he received several awards for lifetime achievement from the American Comedy Awards, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Venice Film Festival, and Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The French awarded him both the Chevalier and the Commandeur awards in the National Order of the Legion of Honor. Jerry Lewis was officially recognized as a “towering figure in cinema” at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival.
His critics can produce an equally long list of his shortcomings: He had an abrasive personality. He was not a solo success in television. He backed a failed theater chain in which franchisees lost money. His films were generally dismissed by the critics. His telethons were mawkish and exploitative of disabled children.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SCARED STIFF was in fact a re-make of the Bob Hope-Paulette Goddard comedy, GHOST BREAKERS, (directed, if memory serves, by the same George Marshall who helmed SCARED STIFF.) Willie Best played the role filled by Jerry in the re-make, in which Dean played Bob's role. As a very little youngster I saw SCARED STIFF on a double bill with JUMPING JACKS. The Hope-Crosby sight gag at the end of SCARED STIFF was lost on me -- I had no idea who those two guys were.)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
"the day the clown cried"
JERRY LEWIS Cinemas
Making his career by ridiculing 'spastic' and 'retards' (then seeking absolution by staging bad taste telethons)
"Women aren't funny"
what a legacy!
brm
ps RIP
Oh I almost forgot to add this to the "legacy".
ANybody ever hear his story about being at Cannes when E.T. was shown?
Oh boy. oh boy.....
taking credit for Spielberg's development ..
oh boy, oh boy.....
Spielberg tippng his hat to him in thanks...
oh boy, oh boy OH BOYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
|
|
|
|
|
|
tHE ONLY time I ever laughed was when that shrew yelled at him for not giving her an autograph/saying "hi' on the phone in KOC...
"I HOPE YOU GET CANCER!"
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Scorcese says he improvised that bit. Bravo, Jerry!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
