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In Memoriam: Entertainment Industry Celebrity Deaths

Kromm

By Kromm
in Everything Else TV

Mr. Sparkle
Message added by Mr. Sparkle,

Reminder:

This thread is for deaths of celebrities in the entertainment business only. No notices about politicians, please. 

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biakbiak

biakbiak

6 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

(he was notoriously anti-Semitic, I believe),

Not that Jews can't be antisemitic but I have never heard this about Jerry among the list of criticisms of the man who was Jewish.

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legaleagle53

legaleagle53

5 minutes ago, biakbiak said:

Not that Jews can't be antisemitic but I have never heard this about Jerry among the list of criticisms of the man who was Jewish.

You're right.  I've edited that part out of my post, since I'm clearly wrong on that one!

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willco

willco

I can't say much bad about Jerry Lewis because I didn't know the man. However, watch almost any interview with him and it's obvious he had a huge ego. Then again, he accomplished so much in his field, who wouldn't at least a bit ? I can't quite remember the details, but he invented a camera that I believe is still used today in tv production. Anyone care to look that up for me ? I read an biography of Dean Martin years ago that had quite lot of info on his & Jerry's early years, and it's amazing to read how popular they were in the 40's and 50's. And then they both went on to be huge stars and, in the process, very rich. As an aside, I always thought that Dean got overshadowed by both Jerry and Frank Sinatra. Dean was a major hit in 3 different areas : tv, music and movies ; in the 70's, believe it or not, Dean was one of the highest paid stars, earning something like $10-12 million a year for his variety show. This post has kind of turned into more about Dean than Jerry, but they were so linked together anyway, I guess it's all right.

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biakbiak

biakbiak

9 minutes ago, willco said:

can't quite remember the details, but he invented a camera that I believe is still used today in tv production. Anyone care to look that up for me

He didnt invent a camera but he helped pioneer video assist which had a video camera record the shot at the same time as the film camera so that you could see what the scene looked like in real time instead of having to wait for the film to be developed for the dailies. 

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caci

caci

  • On 7/7/2017 at 0:29 AM, VCRTracking said:
    •  

Not a great fan of his comedies but Lewis was great in a dramatic role in the old series Wiseguy. One of my favorite storylines.  R.I.P Mr. Lewis.

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spiderpig

spiderpig

Today's news reminds me of one of my favorite exchanges from Back to the Future:

[Dr. Emmett Brown is doubting Marty McFly's story about that he is from the future]

Dr. Emmett Brown: Then tell me, future boy, who's President of the United States in 1985?

Marty McFly: Ronald Reagan.

Dr. Emmett Brown: Ronald Reagan? The actor?

[chuckles in disbelief]

Dr. Emmett Brown: Then who's vice president? Jerry Lewis?

[rushing out and down a hill toward his laboratory]

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roamyn

roamyn

6 hours ago, spiderpig said:

Today's news reminds me of one of my favorite exchanges from Back to the Future:

[Dr. Emmett Brown is doubting Marty McFly's story about that he is from the future]

Dr. Emmett Brown: Then tell me, future boy, who's President of the United States in 1985?

Marty McFly: Ronald Reagan.

Dr. Emmett Brown: Ronald Reagan? The actor?

[chuckles in disbelief]

Dr. Emmett Brown: Then who's vice president? Jerry Lewis?

[rushing out and down a hill toward his laboratory]

And I suppose Jane Wyman is First Lady

 

Thank God Christopher Lloyd is still with us!

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GreekGeek

GreekGeek

13 hours ago, Ohwell said:

That interview was a hoot.  He gave that guy nothing and I loved it!  

I know that the interviewer didn't ask very good questions, but Lewis had such a chip on his shoulder from the beginning that I don't know if he would have opened up under any circumstances. The interview made him look not only rude, but completely out of touch. How can anyone say Las Vegas is pretty much the same as it was in 1947??? If Lewis was that out of sorts, he could have refused the interview altogether.

Quote

Not a great fan of his comedies but Lewis was great in a dramatic role in the old series Wiseguy. One of my favorite storylines.  R.I.P Mr. Lewis.

I thought he was excellent in The King of Comedy.

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Ohwell

Ohwell

51 minutes ago, GreekGeek said:

I know that the interviewer didn't ask very good questions, but Lewis had such a chip on his shoulder from the beginning that I don't know if he would have opened up under any circumstances. The interview made him look not only rude, but completely out of touch. How can anyone say Las Vegas is pretty much the same as it was in 1947??? If Lewis was that out of sorts, he could have refused the interview altogether.

True, he probably shouldn't have given the interview in the first place.  However, the article that accompanied the video stated that he was annoyed with all the video and sound equipment that they brought in, and with all the assistants.  So perhaps that's why he was rude.  

In any event, the man is dead so I'm not going to harp on an interview because that's not important.

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cpcathy

cpcathy

I don't think that interview is funny in any way. I don't care how bumbling the interviewer is, cut him a break and be kind. If you're tired or grouchy, say, "can we do this another time, or over the phone?" There were and are bigger stars then Jerry Lewis who spent their careers being kind to their colleagues and their fans, there's no need to behave in that matter just because you think you are super famous.

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BW Manilowe

BW Manilowe

(edited)
1 hour ago, cpcathy said:

I don't think that interview is funny in any way. I don't care how bumbling the interviewer is, cut him a break and be kind. If you're tired or grouchy, say, "can we do this another time, or over the phone?" There were and are bigger stars then Jerry Lewis who spent their careers being kind to their colleagues and their fans, there's no need to behave in that matter just because you think you are super famous.

Unfortunately, he was apparently the kind of person who doesn't "suffer fools gladly" as the saying goes. Either those who work in/peripherally to his profession, or those who admire(d) him because of his profession. While reading the many articles about his death, tributes from colleagues, etc., that crossed my social media feeds last night, I read/was reminded of a story I'd previously heard about him & a fan at a Q&A session during a live show, in Southern California, where he spent a certain amount of time reminiscing about his career, showing clips from it, & then doing a Q&A with the audience. The thing of it is, instead of being appreciative towards the audience/his fans, unless they served in the military he pretty much considered them  & their questions not worthy of his time... & he basically said so, in no uncertain terms. Vice.com: Jerry Lewis vs. his fans 

I agree with you. He should've been nicer, to probably more people than we can count. The only thing I can think of, in regards to this, is that maybs he was having a bad "pain" day in relation to his spinal issues & the other health issues he'd accumulated over the years, or maybe he was just an SOB to many of those outside his immediate circle of family, friends, & other loved ones. Neither reason really excuses things though. He was an actor, for heaven's sake; even if he felt nothing but contempt for his audience, he should've plastered a smile on his face & pretended to be grateful to everyone in that room for the length of the performance... just as many others in his profession & with the same amount of disinterest in/contempt for the "little people" responsible for their careers, wealth, etc., manage to do during their public appearances.

Edited by BW Manilowe
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Willowsmom

Willowsmom

8 minutes ago, BW Manilowe said:

 The thing of it is, instead of being appreciative towards the audience/his fans, unless they served in the military he pretty much considered them  & their questions not worthy of his time... & he basically said so, in no uncertain terms. Vice.com: Jerry Lewis vs. his fans

Some of this is probably due to age. But the bigotry is why we stopped watching the MDA telethon soon after the Martin reunion. His ego was so huge he genuinely thought he could do no wrong. 

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Spartan Girl

Spartan Girl

It must be said that however much of a jerk Jerry Lewis could be, I think it spoke volumes that his and Dean's real reconciliation came not on the telethon, but years later, when Dean's son died in that plane crash.  Jerry attended the funeral, but didn't want to draw attention from Dean and his family, so he stayed in the background.  When Dean found out Jerry had been there, he called him up and that's how they came back into each other's lives again.

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spiderpig

spiderpig

29 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

It must be said that however much of a jerk Jerry Lewis could be, I think it spoke volumes that his and Dean's real reconciliation came not on the telethon, but years later, when Dean's son died in that plane crash.  Jerry attended the funeral, but didn't want to draw attention from Dean and his family, so he stayed in the background.  When Dean found out Jerry had been there, he called him up and that's how they came back into each other's lives again.

OK, that softens my opinion of JL.  It's often been reported that Dean was never the same after Dino Jr.'s death - and the same was said about my grandfather after my uncle's death in an RCAF crash over the English Channel in 1944.  So if the publicly flamboyant JL chose a low-key approach to honor his friend's  loss, I respect that.

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Ohwell

Ohwell

I just think it's sad that when certain celebrities die, there's a mad rush by some people to dig up the worst about them, instead of focusing on their more positive attributes.  Jerry Lewis was like the rest of us--neither all good nor all bad.  

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Inquisitionist

Inquisitionist

6 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I just think it's sad that when certain celebrities die, there's a mad rush by some people to dig up the worst about them,

I don't think there's been any "mad rush" in Lewis's case.  His nasty reputation was well-established long ago.  I've actually learned some nicer things about him in this thread!

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Ohwell

Ohwell

19 minutes ago, Inquisitionist said:

I don't think there's been any "mad rush" in Lewis's case.  His nasty reputation was well-established long ago.  I've actually learned some nicer things about him in this thread!

I would call posting the video of his last, albeit unpleasant, interview right after he died a mad rush.  And if the nasty rep was well-established long ago, then I think it's all the more reason to just let it go now, when he is most certainly dead.  

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Inquisitionist

Inquisitionist

1 hour ago, Ohwell said:

I just think it's sad that when certain celebrities die, there's a mad rush by some people to dig up the worst about them, instead of focusing on their more positive attributes.  Jerry Lewis was like the rest of us--neither all good nor all bad.  

 

56 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I would call posting the video of his last, albeit unpleasant, interview right after he died a mad rush.  And if the nasty rep was well-established long ago, then I think it's all the more reason to just let it go now, when he is most certainly dead.  

I don't see how this video is "the worst" about Jerry Lewis.  Seems like it showed him exactly as he was, for better or for worse.  ;-)  Peace out.

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rcc

rcc

I could only watch for about 30 seconds. I remember the good Jerry Lewis on the telethons and the silly Jerry Lewis in his movies. They say that if you meet your favorite celebrity you might be disappointed. Jerry disappointed in that interview. If he didn't want to do it, then why did he do it so unprofessionally. He should have declined.

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spiderpig

spiderpig

24 minutes ago, rcc said:

I could only watch for about 30 seconds. I remember the good Jerry Lewis on the telethons and the silly Jerry Lewis in his movies. They say that if you meet your favorite celebrity you might be disappointed. Jerry disappointed in that interview. If he didn't want to do it, then why did he do it so unprofessionally. He should have declined.

I just watched the interview.  I loved Jerry Lewis until the age of 10 or 12, but after that I couldn't stand his schtick.  Nonetheless, the one part of the interview that showed a flash of humanity was when JL answered without hesitation "when I lost my partner".

That was - what? - nearly 60 years earlier?  It made me sad.

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willco

willco

On 8/20/2017 at 10:15 PM, biakbiak said:

He didnt invent a camera but he helped pioneer video assist which had a video camera record the shot at the same time as the film camera so that you could see what the scene looked like in real time instead of having to wait for the film to be developed for the dailies. 

Thanks, I knew someone here would know. I saw a piece about it on tv a while back, but the details were a bit foggy. The people they interviewed, I remember though, they talked about how it really was helpful.  It seems to me that they said Lewis didn't sell the idea or make any money from it, but I might just be imagining that part of the story. Guess I should Google it ( but I probably won't).

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Blergh

Blergh

(edited)

I liked Mr. Thomas on "Cheers" but, alas he shot himself in the foot re dissing Miss Perlman's looks on a radio show, which [surprise] Miss Perlman heard about and that's why  Eddie Le Bec suddenly bit the big one and his character was postmortemly  trashed. RIP, Mr. Thomas.

Edited by Blergh
boldly going
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ebk57

ebk57

3 hours ago, biakbiak said:

Jay Thomas.  it didn't feel like Christmas until I heard his Lome Ranger story and Darlene Love sing on Letterman's Christmas show.

Damn.  This makes me sad. The Lone Ranger, the meatball on the tree and Darlene...how have we managed the last 2 years?  And now, no more...

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Calvada

Calvada

I'm reading Rose Marie's autobiography that was published about 15 years ago.  She described the events prior to her husband's death.  Her husband was ill, and Rose Marie was very unhappy with his doctor.  She  told Morey Amsterdam this, and he called Jerry Lewis, and Jerry Lewis contacted a doctor who treated her husband.  Jerry Lewis asked her if she needed help with the medical bills, and told her if she needed money and didn't tell him, he would never talk to her again. Jerry Lewis called her husband every 2 or 3 days to see how he was, and he called the doctor every day to get updates. Rose Marie called Jerry Lewis one of her special angels.  Sadly, the doctor was not able to save her husband.  He developed a blood infection which killed him.  

Re Jay Thomas - always a part of the lead-up to Christmas, with the Lone Ranger story and throwing footballs at the meatball on the tree with Dave.  

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