NOVEMBER 7, 2017: I’d like to mention the loss of the great Jerry Lewis that occurred in August of this year. He died of cardiovascular disease at 91. He was yet another amazing talent on a growing list of folks who are greatly missed.
Over the years, Jerry not only blazed new trails of comedy, he also had long-standing involvement with my pop, Howard. The great Jerry Lewis was a fan, and Howard was also a Jerry fan.
Jerry did so many amazing things well, both on and off screen. He did so alongside so many amazingly gifted people. He appeared on everything from radio, stage, and network television shows such as “The Martin and Lewis Show” with the great Dean Martin. He appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” The list of career achievements is staggering, including numerous comedies as an actor, writer, producer and director.
One of the films Jerry made that I am a fan of, is the original 1963 version of “The Nutty Professor.” His ability as a comedic actor to swap out diametrically opposed roles in such a seamless manner, in one film, and direct that film, was and still is fascinating for me.
In 1966, Jerry also starred in a film with Dennis Weaver, and our friend Brian Keith, called “Way… Way Out.” Both of these films also had another great actor in them, the amazing Howard Morris. Howard had wonderful roles in each of these very funny films. The images below are two stills from “The Nutty Professor.” One is a reaction shot with Jerry in-character as Professor Julius Kelp. The second is a reverse shot (in the same scene) of Howard playing Elmer Kelp (Jerry’s father).
My mom spent her last couple years in the memory care unit of a nursing home. I would go to feed her every day. They always played the Jerry Lewis movies for the residents. I must have seen The Nutty Professor 100 times. The residents never got tired of seeing it. And laughed every time like it was the first time they’d seen it. They definitely don’t do comedy like they used to.