Jerry Lewis on live TV: Julius Kelp or Buddy Love?

When Jerry Lewis takes the stage on Oscar night to receive the coveted Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, I have a feeling that many people on hand will be having the same thought: In the spirit of his groundbreaking film "The Nutty Professor," will Lewis be the sweet-natured, eccentric Julius Kelp or the unbelievably obnoxious Buddy Love?

The Chicago Tribune's Michael Phillips has already anticipated the academy's sense of dread, writing that Lewis should have won an Oscar ages ago--1964, to be exact, for "The Nutty Professor"--and offers two scenarios for Feb. 22.

The best-possible-case scenario, according to Phillips: "The perpetually divisive screen icon takes a gracious pill and accepts the [award] with his own brand of charm, plus a couple of inoffensive jokes, steering clear of any references to 'broads' or homosexuals or his 'kids.' " The worst-case scenario: "Lewis forgoes the gracious pill. He seizes the moment. And he tells the academy how he really feels about never having been nominated for a regular Oscar."

As any veteran Lewis watcher knows, when he says what he really feels, all hell often breaks loose. In 1990, he wrote a first-person essay for Parade magazine characterizing people with muscular dystrophy as "being half a person." In 2000, being honored by the US Comedy Arts Festival, he said he had no interest in female comics, saying it "sets me back a bit. As a viewer, I have trouble with it. I think of her as a producing machine that brings babies in the world." In 2007, during his Labor Day telethon, he jokingly referred to one of his cameramen's sons as "the illiterate fag." He apologized, but last October, on Australian TV, he called cricket "a fag game."

Do all these incidents pale in comparison to Lewis' humanitarian work, or do they disqualify him for such a prestigious industry honor? I thought I'd offer up a Jerry Lewis Quiz to see how everyone feels. Which one of the following statements best describes your attitude toward Lewis receiving the Hersholt award?

A) Lewis is a world-class comic. His controversial statements are ticky-tack fouls, not inexcusable insults. They gave the Hersholt to Frank Sinatra and he makes Jerry look like a choirboy by comparison. Give him the damn award. It's long overdue and he deserves it.

B) What Jerry said was awful, even if at 82, with all his health issues, Jerry may not always remember what he said the next day. But everyone has a few skeletons in their closet. I'm holding my nose, but I say he's earned it.

C) As anyone who's ever tried to sit through one of those awful telethons can testify, Lewis has been a self-aggrandizing embarrassment for years. Now he's going to get to talk forever, accepting his Oscar. I'm betting the band has already prepared a special number to play when he refuses to stop droning on about all his wonderful work. ABC better have the show on tape delay--who knows what'll come out of his mouth?

D) Jerry Lewis gets an award? Are you kidding? For torturing us with his telethon every year? For the three minutes of good comedy in "The Disorderly Orderly"? What's wrong--wasn't Rob Schneider available?

Post your answer and thoughts as a comment.

Photo of Jerry Lewis in "The Nutty Professor" from Reuters / Paramount Pictures

Comments

[greg6363]

Bumbling idiot or pompous ass?

[fridawrites]

Thanks for writing this article. He's made even more offensive statements than the one about being "half a person." Former MDA "poster child" Laura Hershey says that in contrast to the telethon, MDA materials and their magazine are highly disability positive and never stereotype or belittle--she realized that MDA knows better. They've capitulated their values for the sake of the money he brings in.

A lot of people with MD reject the way he portrays people as hapless victims needing pity and unable to work (many do work), stereotyping them in the process.

[Ben Mattlin]

Does not deserve the humanitarian award. It's not just the derogatory comments he continues to make. It's that all his work for the MDA -- the Labor Day telethons and so forth -- do far more harm than good to people with disabilities.

In fact, I'm not sure the charity itself isn't corrupt.

Which is why disability-rights activists from across the country are converging on Hollywood to protest this award. We have more than 2000 signatures on a petition, but the Academy doesn't care.

What I do know is that Lewis exploits kids with disabilities (including me, 40 years ago) to use pity as a strategy for fund-raising, which sets the cause of disability rights back a generation or two. "Help Jerry's kids" is insulting. More important, it's dangerous for our social status and self-esteem. No, it's not easy being a person with a disability in an able-bodied world. But we certainly don't need Jerry's raising pity, or Jerry's bucks for medical charity, making matters worse.

Would you hire one of Jerry's kids for a job? Would you want your son/daughter or brother/sister to marry one of Jerry's kids? Clearly, the whole idea does not further equality or full integration of the disabled. It marginalizes us.

For two decades Lewis and the MDA have refused to work things out with us. Instead, Lewis threatens us with nothing short of assassination. The organization does not join the fight for disability-rights legislation, does not employ people with disabilities in any meaningful way, and does not hold its corporate sponsors to any kind of standard of fairness. Neither the MDA nor Jerry Lewis fit the definition of humanitarian.

I would be happy to discuss this with anyone interested. For more information, go to www.TheTroublewithJerry.com

[Jason]

The movie Jerry should have one the Oscar for is "The King of Comedy." "The Nutty Professor" comes in as a close second. But his performance as Jerry Langford is as true a portrayal of who he is and who most talk show hosts are in general as Mickey Rourke's performance in "The Wrestler." Alas, Jerry will never have the opportunity to do a role like those two again. At 82, let's face it, he is who he is. It would be nice to see him get an Oscar for his body of work... but the Jean Hersholt Award will have to do. As for his many off-color remarks, well, that's what makes him so fascinating -- he's an entertainer of an era where racism, sexism, and homophobia were the norm. He's never made an attempt to keep up with the changing times. Personally, I love when celebrities show their worst sides... it kind of makes them seem human. I only hope Hugh Jackman or one of the presenters mentions "The Day the Clown Cried." It will make a dramatic moment for an otherwise sure-to-be dull ceremony.

[HeyyyyLadyyyyy]

The movie Jerry should have one the Oscar for is "The King of Comedy." "The Nutty Professor" comes in as a close second. But his performance as Jerry Langford is as true a portrayal of who he is and who most talk show hosts are in general as Mickey Rourke's performance in "The Wrestler." Alas, Jerry will never have the opportunity to do a role like those two again. At 82, let's face it, he is who he is. It would be nice to see him get an Oscar for his body of work... but the Jean Hersholt Award will have to do. As for his many off-color remarks, well, that's what makes him so fascinating -- he's an entertainer of an era where racism, sexism, and homophobia were the norm. He's never made an attempt to keep up with the changing times. Personally, I love when celebrities show their worst sides... it kind of makes them seem human. I only hope Hugh Jackman or one of the presenters mentions "The Day the Clown Cried." It will make a dramatic moment for an otherwise sure-to-be dull ceremony.

[Dominick Bruno]

What upsets me most is the mean spirited alternate choices you provide. Jerry has all the qualities of any comidian both good and bad I have not known of a comidian who has not offended a race, religion, culture or personal life style. Jerry is no different. I am not making any excuses for him but twenty four hours of live entertainment is difficult at best to produce. Given the current nature of television most producers have little or no luck producting one hour of television let alone 24 in a row. He has jambed is foot in is mouth more times than could be recorded. I will gladly cringe and moan at some of his remarks in order to see someone raise hundreds of millions of dollars. He is a pioneer in the fund raising community and despite the verbal jabs he has given out Jery has been dedicated and driven to one cause for many years. Part of being a humanitarian is providing a service to the public. He has made millions laugh their heads off for decades and thus providing a necessary service to all of our senses. Any of Jerry's crew members would tell you that working on one of his productions was a twelve hour a day party. Jerry new what he wanted and if he couldn't get it, he would invent it. He was always prepared and expected every member of his crew to be equally prepared. To assume that his award is soley based on his MD telethons fundraising programs is at best short sighted and overlooks a body of work few film makers will every attain. Does Jerry deserve the award? It should have been given to him long ago.

[Chuck Tranberg]

He definitely deserves the award. He deserved it for his invention of the video assist in 1960, which is standard on a movie set today and many directors have praised Lewis for this achievement. He deserved it for perhaps, "The Nutty Professor" or even "King of Comedy" but also for his body of work. He really was a ground breaking director and the first six films he directed hold up well today. As a performer comedians from Adam Sandler to Billy Crystal to Eddie Murphy to Jim Carrey have lauded him as an influence on them and their careers.

Does he deserve the humanitarian award? Look at some of the people who have gotten it in the past. Sherry Lansing last got it in 2007. I'm sure she is a terrific lady but I have no idea why she won the award. I know why Jerry Lewis deserves it. Say what you will about his telethon (there was a time during the 60's and 70's when the telethon really was an event with "A" level stars), but he has raised a billion and half dollars for the cause and scientists have made strides due to that money. People with Muscular Dystrophy have gotten direct assistance with wheelchairs, transportation, and paying for treatments. Thousands of people have benefited. Without that, yes, sometimes embarrassing telethon would these strides have happened? It's quite debateable. And that is just one day a year, Lewis gives of himself to the MDA all year round.

Is Lewis a jerk? Sure at times. I've heard other comedians say far worse things than Lewis. His insult of female comedians made me gag, but he's had lots of them on his telethon. As the writer says Frank Sinatra has called women "bimbos", "whores", "dames" publically and he still got the award without any real debate. Charlton Heston got the humanitarian award while all the time advocating less strict gun laws. Bob Hope? sure he entertained the troops, but he was no poster boy for PC correctness either.

Lewis is not a saint and is a sinner. But he has done a lot of good in his time and deserves this recognition.

[Jack Carroll]

A.!!! Without question. Jerry Lewis is Jerry Lewis and that's what makes him so interesting. Who in Hollywood or almost anywhere else has dedicated 40 years of their adult life and their celebrity to a worthy cause like he has? Who deserves this award and our gratitude and appreciation more than Jerry Lewis? He should get a 5 minute standing ovation! I will do it from my living room.

[jerryskid]

No one deserves this award MORE than Jerry Lewis! Jerry's career has spanned over 7 decades bringing his talent, creativity and humor to the world. He has devoted his life to finding a cure for muscular dystrophy and is passionate about fulfilling this dream. There are no hidden agendas here - you can see the love the people afflicted with this disease have for him. Jerry has changed countless lives for the better and will never be acknowledged for this. There will never be another human being to full these huge shoes. Bravo Jerry!

[nagene]

I'll be watching the Oscars for the first time since Letterman hosted the thing and it's only because of Jerry Lewis.

Of course he deserves it. No question at all in my mind, it's not even debatable. Seriously, you have a bunch of uptight and boring speech police and tyrant-wannabes just waiting to be offended and because Lewis uses 'fag', his decades of work for MDA should be ignored and marginalized because he hurt some people's feelings while doing his version of a comedic routine?

I hope these people are calling the syndicators of South Park too and protesting all the stations that air it because I hear the same word along with many others people would deem offensive on regular broadcast stations. It's laughable also because I hear more gay people calling each other 'queers', 'queens' and 'fags' to each other all the time.

Today, you can flip through cable and see or hear something that would be offensive to someone all the time. As with much of American society today along with the 'entertainment' industry, everyone takes themselves and their feelings way too seriously. We've become of nation of wannabe dictators where the American mantra now is "If I don't like it, it shouldn't be and it can't be."

You don't like what Lewis says? Turn the channel. Dont watch or buy his movies etc. etc. Just like if you can't stand Martha, Howard Stern, Oprah, Ellen, Hannity and on and on....but stop the childish tantrums that if you don't like what someone says, that person should be punished. What, are we back in the Lenny Bruce persecution days again? A new McCarthyism now...this time for oversensitive speech police?

As far as his charity work. Lewis has done more to help more people with his career than scores of entertainers combined. This is real life--of course there are going to be people with MD as well as those who don't suffer from the illness who have had a falling out with Lewis et.al ...it happens in reality but I personally know several people and families who were indeed helped by that organization and they made a difference.

Don't like the telethon? Don't watch the damn thing! Why should a show dedicated to raising funds for people with that disease get punished and silenced because you don't like it??

I can't stand many shows on tv.....guess what? I DON'T WATCH THEM! I don't go around believing the shows should'nt be on tv because I cant' stand them.

Finally, I admire Lewis overall because he's REAL. If people took the time to read about him and what he says, he owns up to his mistakes, admits he has put his foot in his mouth many times and also defends himself if he believes he's been wronged. I actually find him refreshing as a man because what you see is what you get...good, bad and ugly....gee kinda like real people in the real world who decide not to be phonies!

I'ts very laughable to see so many folks getting upset and played by a man 80+ years of age who is pushing envelopes comedians, satirists and others half his age don't have the balls to do any longer.