Posted on 09/03/2006 12:14:18 PM PDT by My Favorite Headache
Saw this just breaking...Jerry Lewis will not host the annual MDA telethon for the first time ever due to a sudden illness...Ed McMahon will take his place as full time host this year.
Lewis has battled a number of illnesses over the last 12 years but always managed to host the 21.5 hour show...even on oxygen.
A taped opening filmed on August 31st on the Vegas strip with him stopping traffic with an orchestra at 2 am will still be shown but Lewis is too ill to do the show live.
Ed McMahon Talks About 35th Annual Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon - http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0009/03/sun.05.html
With out missing a beat, Jerry says to Dean (raised eyebrow), "So? You never write any more?!"
Thanks for all of Jerry's kids you've helped, Jerry. They will always be your kids.
I can't find anything anywhere that says Jerry Lewis will not be there. URL please!
The gal has pipes. She's a gifted singer.
My Dad interviewed hundreds of celebrities, politicians, writers, etc. in his career. He said Jerry Lewis was one of the weirdest he'd ever met!
Same here.
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Actually JERRY LEWIS was very animated and generous during his TV interview after the death of 90 year old actor GLENN FORD this last week.
GOD Speed, JERRY. All your kids just luv you.
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Was a fox news alert at the time
Fox News has said it about 2-3 times today...it was #1 story on their Top 5 Stories of the day.
Time will tell if Jerry will be on or not.
The blonde who was hosting early this afternoon mentioned it 2-3 times in the span she was on saying due to sudden illness...Ed McMahon will be replacing Lewis for the first time in 41 years with the words "Show Must Go On" on the screen.
I have checked the telethon website. There is nothing late and breaking posted.
Disability activists have spoiled the soup.
Jerry's '60s and 70's movies are pretty cringe-worthy, but his early stuff with Dean Martin was hilarious. They were a nightclub act, at their best in front of a live crowd, and their movies never really captured it. Check out the DVDs that have come out recently of their early TV appearances on the Colgate Comedy Hour, which more accurately reflects the way they slayed live audiences (you can find them for a couple of bucks at Walgreen's). Some of that stuff made me laugh until I couldn't breathe. Also, Jerry did some solo records early in his career, like "Sunday Driving," which are absolutely hilarious.
My wife never cared for him either until I showed her that stuff, and she became a convert. I even took her to see him in the national tour of "Damn Yankees" in the '90s, and he was great. I think he's just one of those guys you have to see in person to really appreciate. I remember a Dallas newspaper columnist in the '70s, doing his "best of the year" column, listed Jerry as the best stand-up comedy act he'd seen all year, and he admitted that he never would've believed he would be saying that.
One more thing: his recent book about his career with Dean Martin was terrific, and if you're at all interested in show business in that era (late 40's-mid '50s) and the mob influence on it, etc., it's a must read: http://www.amazon.com/Dean-Me-A-Love-Story/dp/0767920864/sr=1-1/qid=1157319158/ref=pd_bbs_1/104-8220619-4527922?ie=UTF8&s=books
I gotta hand it to Jerry... He's been there throughout, though certain folks were throwing eggs at him.
Aging sucks.
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