|
JERRY LEWIS
His motion pictures, television shows, stage performances, recordings, radio programs, books, and personal appearances, have brought his unique humor and creativity to every corner of the globe. His status as one of the most recognizable people on earth, is constantly renewed by each new generation of audience who discover the fun and goodness of laughter.
A complex celebrity - Jerry Lewis' multiple status as actor, comic, entertainer, humanitarian, writer and producer, make for a daunting task of trying to determine where Lewis leaves off in one of these roles and where he begins in the next.
Jerry Lewis is the only performer in history who can legitimately claim to have been, at various points throughout his career, the highest paid artist in films and nightclubs, on television, and on Broadway.
At age 20, Lewis persuaded an Atlantic City nightclub owner to book a young Italian crooner named Dean Martin, and then hand-crafted what became “Martin & Lewis”, the most successful comedy duo of all time.
In the 1950's Martin & Lewis performed as many as 9 shows per day at The Paramount Theater in New York City's broadway district - totalling a staggering 30,000 tickets sold per day!) for multiple-week bookings. During this engagement, between shows, Jerry & Dean threw one million publicity photos per week to crowds, estimated at 75,000, waiting on the sidewalk and streets outside the theater.
In the spring of 1959, a contract between Paramount Pictures and Jerry Lewis Productions was signed specifying a payment of $10 million plus 60% of the profits for 14 films over a seven year period... at that time the biggest single transaction in film history for the exclusive services of one star.
His movies have been #1 at the box office for six years running, prompting Paramount studios chief Barney Balaban to comment that, "if Jerry wants to set fire to the studio, I'll give him the match."
His heartfelt, tireless efforts on behalf of the Muscular Dystrophy Association have, to date, benefited that organization to the tune of one-and-a-half Billion dollars and earned him a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.
Robin Williams refers (and defers) to him simply as, "The Maestro."
"Jerry Lewis is a man for all seasons, all people, all times. His name has, in the hearts of millions, become synonymous with peace, love and brotherhood." With those words, Congressman Les Aspin of Wisconsin concluded his nomination of Jerry Lewis for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Results from a recent Nationwide Mutual Insurance survey announced that Americans call Jerry Lewis the most influential celebrity for his work with the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Over 43 percent of respondents indicated he has been effective in getting the word out and driving change for the issue he supports.
Top Five most influential celebrities:
1. Jerry Lewis
2. Oprah Winfrey
3. Michael J. Fox
4. Former President Jimmy Carter
5. Bill Gates
JERRY LEWIS IN “DAMN YANKEES”
A few years ago, the superstar comedian did something he's been anticipating since age five. He made his Broadway debut, stepping into the role of Applegate – the fiendishly funny demon who trades a middle-aged baseball fanatic his soul for a shot at the big leagues – in the acclaimed revival of Damn Yankees.
As has happened so often during his career, it was a precedent-setting event.
Yes, he instantly became the highest-salaried performer who had ever crossed Broadway's footlights, but that's beside the point.
Opening the richly revitalized production, Jerry hit an out-of-the-park home run, earning unilateral praise from the tough New York critics and creating the kind of box-office line-ups that Manhattan hadn't seen since Martin and Lewis played the Paramount Theater back in 1951.
185 standing-room-only performances later, Damn Yankees embarked on an ambitious 36-city tour that, thanks to continual record-breaking sales figures and ongoing critical support, has now been extended well into 1998 and is expected to last through the millennium. In other words, Damn Yankees is quickly becoming America's second favorite pastime.
Return To Jerry Lewis
Return To Artists |
