# End of an era: MDA pulls plug. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 1, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-an-era-mda-pulls-plug/719019 "2015-05-01T17:14:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2015, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-an-era-mda-pulls-plug/719019/1 "2015-05-01T17:14:09Z")
[Citing “the new realities of television viewing and philanthropic giving”, the Muscular Dystrophy Association has decided it’s time to end their annual telethon.](http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2015/may/01/telethon-that-jerry-lewis-memorably-ran-pulls-plug/) ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2015, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-an-era-mda-pulls-plug/719019/2 "2015-05-01T17:32:13Z")
Their new big fundraiser is going to be dumping ice… or anything, really… on Jerry Lewis. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2015, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-an-era-mda-pulls-plug/719019/3 "2015-05-01T18:54:29Z")
Who would have thought that Jerry would outlive the telethon. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-an-era-mda-pulls-plug/719019/4 "2015-05-01T19:04:19Z")
[Here’s Charo on the telethon in 2009](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgcblpNdELU)(?); be sure to watch to the end for Jerry’s reaction. ---
**Author:** ![stillownedbysetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/41988e/32.png) [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2015, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-an-era-mda-pulls-plug/719019/5 "2015-05-01T19:13:50Z")
Even though I can’t ever remember watching the telethon, it was just one of those things that was always there, signalling the end of summer. Yet one more familiar thing you thought would last forever that’s going the way of the dodo and the drive-in theatre. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-an-era-mda-pulls-plug/719019/6 "2015-05-02T00:11:53Z")
At least it won’t interrupt my weekend viewing habits that one particular weekend any more. ---
**Author:** ![zombywoof](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/9e8a1a/32.png) [@zombywoof](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zombywoof)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-an-era-mda-pulls-plug/719019/7 "2015-05-02T00:35:31Z")
Wow - if asked, I’d honestly have guessed the telethon, Jerry Lewis, and perhaps Charo have been dead for years. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-an-era-mda-pulls-plug/719019/8 "2015-05-02T02:03:13Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > [Here’s Charo on the telethon in 2009](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgcblpNdELU)(?); be sure to watch to the end for Jerry’s reaction. Let’s go to the quarry and throw stuff down there! My girlfriend was one of the spotlight operators for that show; she actually just found her badge from that show in her truck today when she cleaned it out. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-an-era-mda-pulls-plug/719019/9 "2015-05-02T02:16:49Z")
What in the end killed the telethon were the stations themselves. Growing up in the 80s almost all stations carried the full 21 hours. As time went on, the majority of stations wouldn’t start until early Monday–and a lot pre-empted what was left for golf/tennis/baseball. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-an-era-mda-pulls-plug/719019/10 "2015-05-02T02:28:05Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > Who would have thought that Jerry would outlive the telethon. Honestly, I thought he already HAD. I’m sort of shocked to hear it was still around until this decision. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2015, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-an-era-mda-pulls-plug/719019/11 "2015-05-02T02:35:49Z")
57 million in 2014 and they consider that unacceptable? 😕 WTH? Where are they expecting to get this years 50 million without a telethon? Sure the numbers are dropping. 50 million is still not exactly chump change. [http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2014/09/02/mda-telethon-56-million/14973979/](http://www.ksdk.com/story/news/local/2014/09/02/mda-telethon-56-million/14973979/) > [@](#): > > The Muscular Dystrophy Association’s nationally broadcast annual telethon raised more than $56.9 million in contributions over the Labor Day weekend. > > The two-hour “MDA Show of Strength” aired Sunday on ABC. The organization said Tuesday morning that it raised $56,952,177. That’s less than the approximately $59 million that the telethon raised in 2013. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/end-of-an-era-mda-pulls-plug/719019/12 "2015-05-05T03:33:51Z")
Did Jerry ever tell his reason for doing that show all those years?