{"id":973,"date":"2017-08-21T19:01:24","date_gmt":"2017-08-21T13:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/?p=973"},"modified":"2017-08-21T21:54:44","modified_gmt":"2017-08-21T15:54:44","slug":"r-i-p-jerry-lewis-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/falseducks.com\/theblahg\/?p=973","title":{"rendered":"R.I.P. JERRY LEWIS 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 This blahg is going to be a bump. \u00a0I know I haven’t written anything in about six months although my intentions have been good. \u00a0With the passing of Jerry Lewis, however, I wanted to re-post my homage to him. \u00a0Back in 2002 I wrote a blahg about Jerry Lewis and how I was lucky enough to shine his shoe. \u00a0I know that is strange but if you continue to read then you will discover that’s a perfectly normal thing…for me at least.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Scott\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0I am a huge Jerry Lewis fan.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>With a nod to Charles Dickens, from whom I stole that line, I will relate to you something wonderful that happened to me a week ago.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 First, let me back up 30 years.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>I graduated from Quinte Secondary School in Belleville, Ontario, Canada in June of 1982.\u00a0 Nothing about that is really significant but in my High-school yearbook, next to my photo, was printed the caption\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>\"Scott“most likely to shine Bob Hope’s shoes”.\u00a0 It was published at the suggestion of my friend Bryan who wanted to see something unique listed next to my mug shot.\u00a0 I guess, ‘most likely to succeed’ or ‘most likely to sire 100 children’ was already taken.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Let me tell you that a legacy to shine a celebrity’s shoes are tough shoes to fill.\u00a0 Sorry, I couldn’t resist.\u00a0 After all, Quinte Secondary School and I were about as far removed from Bob Hope as you can get.\u00a0 The truth is, I never got within 100 feet, kilometers, or miles of Bob Hope within his lifetime and mine.\u00a0 Bob Hope’s lifetime spanned 100 years and he passed away in 2003.\u00a0 The closest I ever got to him was seeing Dave Thomas, of SCTV & Bob & Doug McKenzie fame, at a fan convention in Toronto three years ago.\u00a0 Dave Thomas does the world’s greatest Bob Hope imitation.\u00a0 I actually saw a video interview with Bob Hope and Dave Thomas several years ago where Bob Hope stated that Dave Thomas was the only one who could do a proper imitation of Hope.\u00a0 A further accolade to Thomas is that he was chosen to do a Bob Hope voice over for the Academy Awards a couple years ago when they did a tribute to Bob Hope.\u00a0 When I met Thomas at the convention, he was signing autographs but not interacting with fans.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/a>
\n\"Noah<\/a>My son and I stood in line for his autograph and when we got to his table, I told my son, loudly enough for Thomas to hear, that this man was the greatest Bob Hope imitator.\u00a0 Thomas looked up a little surprised then said in his best Bob Hope voice “that’s what the man said.”\u00a0 You can see Noah and I in the photo to the left with Dave Thomas at the very moment I pointed my finger and gave Thomas credit for his Hope imitation. \u00a0 My son and I were very pleased.\u00a0 No one else had received any reaction from Thomas.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I never shined Bob Hope’s shoes.\u00a0 I don’t know why Bryan set me up like that.\u00a0 I was, after all, a bigger Jerry Lewis fan although I have several DVDs of Bob Hope movies and several books by or about Bob Hope.\u00a0 My dedication to Jerry Lewis is probably a little deeper.\u00a0 After Hope passed away, I remember telling Bryan that I would probably have to set my sights on Jerry’s shoes.\u00a0 My fascination with Jerry Lewis has been constant for many years.\u00a0 There are many people who don’t get his type of comedy and don’t see the appeal.\u00a0 They often point to one thing or another about his personal life that they insist should tarnish the image of the man.\u00a0 I don’t really care about all of that.\u00a0 Jerry Lewis, for me,\u00a0 is that image in his films or television appearances.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I’ve read three books about Jerry.\u00a0 The first was by Richard Gehman, entitled “That Kid:\u00a0 The Story of Jerry Lewis”.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>\"ThatIt’s an interesting read but only significant up to its publication date of 1964.\u00a0 It focuses greatly on some touring he did to promote the release of “The Nutty Professor” and more so on preparation for his ill-fated 1960s talk\/variety show.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>\"KingThe second book, “King of Comedy, The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis”, by Shawn Levy in 1997 was a great read.\u00a0 Here was a well researched book that even included excerpts from interviews with Jerry.\u00a0 It’s not meant to be a hatchet job or a fawning opus.\u00a0 There’s dirt and there’s flowers throughout the book and it really delves into who Jerry Lewis is and how he developed into the person he has become.\u00a0 I highly recommend it.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jerry’s own book “Dean & Me (A Love Story)” is exactly what the title says it is:\u00a0 it’s a love story about the relationship between Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>\"DeanMaybe it’s a little one sided because Dean Martin died in 1995; more than ten years before the publication of this book in 2006.\u00a0 Somehow, though, Jerry doesn’t meander on or give us treacle.\u00a0 The book is heartfelt and it’s an insight into a great relationship from the viewpoint of one of the partners.\u00a0 Maybe it’s colored or jaded or whatever but Jerry does a great job and, if nothing else, it lets us in on the secrets and the success and the problems with Martin & Lewis.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 So, I approach Jerry Lewis with bias.\u00a0 I have read two great books and one good one.\u00a0 I’ve also seen almost all of his films.\u00a0 As a DVD collector, 2012 has been a great year so far with the release of several great Jerry Lewis films.\u00a0 The first three months alone, saw the release of “Rock-a-Bye Baby”, “The Geisha Boy”, “Boeing Boeing”, “It’s Only Money” and “Who’s Minding The Story”.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>\"TheMore significantly there was a DVD release of “The Jazz Singer” which was a 1959 television drama that has never been seen since its original airing.\u00a0 It’s the classic story, done brilliantly before by Al Jolson, Danny Thomas, and even Neil Diamond, of a performer who shuns the interest of his Cantor father to continue in the family tradition at the local synagogue.\u00a0 I came across an audio clip from Jerry explaining why he feels that this type of production isn’t made anymore:\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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<\/td>\nJERRY LEWIS TALKS ABOUT THE JAZZ SINGER<\/a><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
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\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I could probably go on and on about the great and not so great Jerry Lewis material out there but then this blahg wouldn’t get finished.\u00a0 I am just hoping that the release of material continues and Jerry gets his due on store shelves.\u00a0 One more thing on the release of “The Jazz Singer”, which will bring this blahg back to where it should be going, Jerry Lewis did some promotion for this DVD release and was signing copies of the DVD in Los Angeles.\u00a0 Up to that point, I had not heard that Jerry was actually making public appearances anymore.\u00a0 The closest he ever got to me was about ten years or so ago when he had a one man show “An Evening With Jerry Lewis” that played in Toronto.\u00a0 I’m two and a half hours away from Toronto and I couldn’t swing it at that time.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jump ahead to 2012.\u00a0 Thirty years had passed since my high-school graduation and that Bob Hope’s shoes remark had been attributed to my picture in the yearbook.\u00a0 I’m driving in the car and listening to the top ten at ten on AM 740.\u00a0 I’ve mentioned this radio station before, out of Toronto, and you can listen to it live at:\u00a0\u00a0http:\/\/zoomerradio.ca<\/a>.\u00a0 The top ten on that day was dedicated to 1965 and the announcer, before going to a commercial break, gave a hint regarding the number one song.\u00a0 His clue was that the song was by the son of a famous comedian and that the father would be appearing at Casino Rama in Orillia, just north of Toronto, in April.\u00a0 I quickly struggled to guess the song and the singer before the program resumed.\u00a0 The only name I could think of from the 1960s who had a father that was a famous comedian was Gary Lewis and the song would be “This Diamond Ring.”\u00a0 As I began to think of the possibility, I excitedly wondered if this meant that Gary Lewis’ father Jerry Lewis would be coming back to Canada.\u00a0 After the commercial, my suspicions were confirmed.\u00a0 The top song was that one by Gary Lewis and this meant that I had the possibility of getting to see Jerry Lewis!\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When I finally got home and could check Casino Rama’s website, it was confirmed for me.\u00a0 Jerry Lewis was playing Casino Rama on April 13th.\u00a0 I was, to say the least, extremely excited.\u00a0 I called my friend Bryan and mentioned that Jerry Lewis was coming and that he and I had to go and see him.\u00a0 Of course Bryan shared my enthusiasm.\u00a0 The excitement, however, became tainted when I mentioned to my wife about going to see Jerry with Bryan.\u00a0 I was immediately informed that if I was going to go away overnight to see Jerry that I was going to take her.\u00a0 We’re celebrating our 25th anniversary this year so the request was clearly not a request.\u00a0 Bryan understood but I’m still sure that his disappointment hasn’t waned.\u00a0 He has since said he is not really a big Jerry Lewis fan but I think that’s a lie and he’s just trying to make me feel better about choosing my wife over him.\u00a0 If you think I’m going to rethink my decision….YOU’RE WRONG!\u00a0 (my wife might be reading this).\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 When tickets went on sale, I was quickly online at the Casino Rama website because I wanted decent seats.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>\"Jerry<\/a>I wanted to be able to see Jerry and get as close to him as I could.\u00a0 All sorts of things were going through my mind.\u00a0 Could I get close enough to the stage for him to see me?\u00a0 Would he be signing autographs?\u00a0 What if I could meet him?\u00a0 I’ll be honest, the thought of shining his shoes never crossed my mind.\u00a0 I don’t know what the happier moment was for me:\u00a0 when the tickets arrived by mail and they were in my hand or the moment when I heard Jerry Lewis was coming.\u00a0 I knew that seeing him live or alive would top both of these experiences.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Let me say that attending the event was a joy!\u00a0 We drove three and a half hours and when Jerry stepped out on that stage, I was like a school kid.\u00a0 I remember elbowing my wife and squealing “there he is” with great delight.\u00a0 Jerry’s 86 years old and that did not stop him from putting on a fantastic show.\u00a0 He told some great jokes and sang a few great songs.\u00a0 One of the musical highlights was his version of “Old Black Magic” that he originally performed in “The Nutty Professor”.\u00a0 The crowd went wild.\u00a0 Fortunately, someone captured that moment and it’s available on Youtube.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>
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