I liked Jerry Lewis as Buddy Love . RIP Funny Man . You’ll be missed .
Oh, wait, I mean Jerry Lewis. Damn you, CNN.
He brought enjoyment to many, and he sought to do something for the greater good over many years. Was a popular cultural reference for a significant period of time. He had a god run, his day was coming but it’s still sad – there being no chance of a curtain call, let’s have a big hand for him.
I was not a big fan, mostly because he always went too far, but I do recognize his talent and infuence. The Nutty Professor was his best comic work*, though his best role was in The King of Comedy. It’s a sad loss?
*And despite it all, it’s clear the Buddy Love was not based on Dean Martin. Lewis said he based the character on himself; he acted that arrogant way offstage. And the character’s mannerisms are more Frank Sinatra than Dean Martin.
I was not a big fan but I did see “The Bell Boy” a couple years ago and thought there was enough there to partially justify his reputation (when he tried hard). My understanding is that in the late 1960s he basically wrote the book of film making and techniques used by a generation of fil students in Los Angeles. Often very innovative but too often got bogged down in trying too hard. The arc in “Wiseguys” where he played the own of a clothes business makes me wonder if he could have done more serious roles. Granted you are looking at him and thinking “That’s Jerry Lewis…hey lady!”.
Supposedly the best work he ever did was with Dean Martin in clubs but movies often dimly capture their magic. 20 hour workdays were common, 16 hour days were practically a day off. But Lewis wanted all the laughs and to the sorrow of many, they broke up.
He could be a real jerk in -person. But sometimes I wonder why we stick microphones in the faces of actors, musicians and athletes expecting to get the wisdom of Aristotle from them.
What? No, that can’t be right; I would’ve noticed if…
…holy crap.
I hope I’m not shitting in a memorial thread, but I didn’t appreciate his “comedy.” I’m not a fan of watching grown men acting moronic and infantile. I didn’t like Joe Besser for much the same reason. But I did like King of Comedy. It was one of his few roles I appreciated. And I do acknowledge he did raise millions of dollars for muscular dystrophy research, so he did have a humanitarian side.
His passing will be eclipsed.
Exactly. What is really stunning is the idea, held by some Americans, that Jerry Lewis is insanely popular in France.
His career got a real but modest second wind in France in the 60s or 70s. Data point : I spent my childhood watching French TV and he was a very occasional guest, if that. I understood that he was a comedian but at the time (early 80s) I was already aware of the fact that his popularity, in France or America, dated from well before my time. I remember my grandmother, born in 1924, telling me a bit about him. As an aside, neither she, nor anyone in my family were fans.
Ask any French speaker under 40 who he was and you’ll get blank stares, apart from film buffs.
And yes, he was awarded the Légion d’Honneur (in 1984 !). You know who else was ? Hundreds of artists whom the general public has absolutely never heard of. In terms of popular success and cultural relevance, it doesn’t mean much.
The beret-baguette-bottle of wine stereotype has some sort of basis in fact but the Jerry-Lewis-is-a-huge-star in-France one is bewildering.
The Master, from 1999, speaks on the supposed love of Jerry Lewis from the land that once went ga ga about Le Petomane
Probably more French critics and directors love than the population. I can’t find the quote but a few years ago Lewis claimed that France was number six in terms of countries that loved him.
Episodes of The Colgate Comedy Hour are easily available for free on the web and through several Roku and Apple TV channels. Watch a few of the episodes hosted by Martin and Lewis if you want to see some of the magic that made them the top comedy act of their time. It still isn’t their stage act, but it is closer than anything in their movies. Also give their radio show a listen. They are hilariously self-aware.
Nothing Jerry did afterwards was as good. Dean didn’t do any comedy that was as good, either, but he had his music and straight acting talent to fall back on. They were better together than they ever were separately; but Jerry was half the magic.
I’m not a big fan Jerry Lewis. That grating voice! But I enjoyed the physical aspect of his comedy. 
Funnily enough, I first found out about his death from my French-speaking friends on Facebook. “Le comédien américain Jerry Lewis est mort.” I know enough French I didn’t have to push the translate button to know what it said. 
The Day The Clown Died.
In 2024 it will be available for viewing by film scholars at the Library of Congress campus in Culpeper, VA.
You’ll finally be able to see Jerry Lewis’ Holocaust film — in 2024
RIP Mr. Lewis–you certainly had a great run.
Whenever I think of Jerry Lewis, the first thing that comes to mind is a bit from Frank Zappa’s “Billy The Mountain” where Billy and Ethel head off to Las Vegas causing untold destruction:
Does anyone remember this movie? The date on it 1957, but I know I saw it three or four years later.
My brother was a huge Jerry Lewis fan, and he usually took me along with him to the movies on Saturday afternoons. I have vague memories of Partners, 3 Ring Circus, and The Delicate Delinquent, but The Sad Sack is the one I remember best. I couldn’t have been more than six years old at the time, but I was already a huge fan of George Baker’s character and was looking forward to seeing the comic book come to life.
Look at that cast! Peter Lorre **and **Michael Ansara! I have **got **to watch this on YouTube when I have the time!
The Martin & Lewis flick Hollywood or Bust was the first in-theater movie I ever saw without my parents. I almost didn’t get to see it, as Parents magazine didn’t think it suitable for the under-21 crowd, and my parents usually followed Parents’ recommendations.
A friend of ours used to work in Reno as a hotel cable/closed circuit television troubleshooter, back in the days when this technology was new. He was once called to the room of a guest to fix an issue with his television. The guest was Jerry Lewis.
Our friend said that Jerry couldn’t be nicer - he was courteous and pleasant. He tipped our friend $100 after the issue was fixed.
My favorite was The Family Jewels. I grew up with him.
The legend has passed, RIP Jerry and thanks for the smiles.
I spent many hours of my childhood enjoying Jerry’s movies, with and without Dean. Yeah, he could be self indulgent and often maudlin rather than funny but when he got it right he really killed me with laughter.
The Ladies Man has always seemed to me to be one of his more fascinating films. The set is over the top but his skill as a director is evident in how he uses it and sets up his shots. Plus, it has some really out there dance and music sequences. Very surreal in a lot of ways.
And any Lewis film with Kathleen Freeman is always a winner in my book.
RIP Jerry.