On December 19, 2016, The Hollywood Reporter (THR) used the Internet to share with the world a brief interview with the legendary Jerry Lewis -- accomplished comedian, actor, singer, writer, director, and producer, who has amassed a body of work spanning 70 years.
Jerry Lewis is also a generous humanitarian who selflessly shepherded an annual Labor Day Telethon to raise money for children with Muscular Dystrophy that ran from 1966-2014. He hosted it until 2010, a run of 44 years! Quite a legacy.
Although the video is under eight minutes, it feels longer because Jerry methodically commands every moment as captain of his comedy ship, while mopping the deck with an inept and clueless off-camera interviewer who sounds like a high school kid doing a story for his school's paper. (I don't mean to denigrate high school newspapers or the kids who write for them, as I suspect few would fail this dismally.)
Here's the video interview in all its glory. Watch and listen closely as an interviewer is deftly schooled with a crash course in comedy. The post that follows is my take on it.
