“Forgotten Hollywood”- Frying Mr. Lewis…
Manny P. here…
At the Friars Club tribute for Jerry Lewis’ 90th birthday, many of the jokes were not about the comedian. When the subject did turn to Lewis, the kidding around turned to praise, and he was honored as a comic master, inspiration, and a savior. About 200 people squeezed into the first floor dining room for the 90 minute event. Lewis, whose birthday was last month, sat to the side of the dais, and laughed and cried. The Friars Club has long been like a second home for the funnyman, whose name appears on the front of the building and whose pictures hang inside. JERRY LEWIS / ROBERT DE NIRO –>
Before the tribute, he sipped on a soda in the first floor bar, otherwise known as the Billy Crystal Room, and dined upstairs with such friends as Robert De Niro and Jim Carrey. A birthday card in the lobby was signed by many of the patrons.
The tribute touched upon many of the highlights of Lewis’ long and singular career, from his partnership with Dean Martin, to such movies as The Nutty Professor, and his stage performance in Damn Yankees. A compilation of pre-taped greetings included Al Pacino, Steven Spielberg, and Don Rickles, who urged Lewis to go to bed early.
The mood heated up as the night unfolded. Richard Belzer stripped down to a t-shirt to show off the Jerry Lewis tattoo on his arm; and singer Jack Jones removed his jacket and tie to deliver The Impossible Dream from Man of La Mancha, and he got a standing ovation for hitting some incredible high notes. Lewis, who had the final word, can be the most sentimental and irascible of comedians. He has been known to roast a few audience members, and on Friday night, he skipped any summaries of his career and scolded the crowd for not cheering louder. The crowd obliged.
Overall, it was a fitting tribute.
Until next time> “never forget”
This entry was posted on Friday, April 8th, 2016 at 11:48 pm and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
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