"...And don't be afraid of the dark..."

I always have been and always will remain a huge fan of Jerry Lewis.  Yes, he's brash, cocky, egocentric.  No one likes a mumbly, shambling, humble, modest, shy comedian for long.

I wish that more of you could have met my father.  If he were still here among the quick, I could quote from him all the time, and it wouldn't have to be like that "%#& My Dad Says" blog that only highlighted what a doofus that guy's father was.  My dad was wise, gentlemanly and cultured.  So much for genetics.

A regular theatre-goer, he brought home a Playbill one night and mailed part of it to me.  The Playbill contained an autobiographical sketch of Jerry Lewis, who wrote about his favorite topic in support of his star turn in "Damn Yankees."

Dad noted that it took a supreme egotist ("the very definition of megalomania") to sketch the life of Jerry Lewis without once mentioning the name Dean Martin, who was Jerry's partner for exactly ten years, July 25, 1946 - July 25, 1956.  They went together like salami on a pizza - each adding something to the other.  And then they broke up the act, and each man played to his own strength and stayed popular.

Part of the magic of Labor Day, for me, always was watching the MDA Telethon which Jerry hosted for decades. He worked tirelessly for this cause, and his telethons raised 2.6 billion-with-a-b dollars. They got rid of Jerry several years ago, rather unkindly.  But if you were planning to watch the Labor Day MDA Telethon today, Labor Day, don't bother.  It was on last night. See this press release from the MDA to see the details about the show.

And they don't mention the name Jerry Lewis.