From Jerry Lewis’ intricate legacy of ‘Min’ bullying to muscular hosting

Dean Martin thought Jerry Lewis was joking when he offered him the role of a uniformed police officer in his 1957 movie, Fine criminals.

“We’re partners. I should have at least one detective,” Dean said, recalling Kruner’s daughter, Dina Martin. Nearby. “But Jerry said, ‘No, that’s part of it.’ That straw broke the camel’s back. “

After their comedy team, Martin and Lewis, split, Jerry’s star continued to grow. In 1959, he signed a সাত 10 million, seven-year deal with Paramount – a record at the time.

But even though the public loved Jerry for his adorable misfit, he hid a dark, often brutal aspect that reflected his deep insecurity.

Born to two Vaudeville performers, Jerry learned how to make people laugh at a young age.

“Jerry was the only child left by his parents to care for his grandmother,” he said. Shawn LevyAuthor of The King of Comedy: The Life and Art of Jerry LewisSays Nearby. “Her parents were so far away that they almost never attended her bar mitzvah.”

He dropped out of high school to be a comedian and met Dean at the age of 19.

“They were an overnight success and went from $ 1,500 million a week,” says Dina

When the work splits a decade later, Jerry’s arrogance and workaholic tendencies are revealed. He made 16 films in eight years, grossed millions for the studio – and saved him from criticism.

But as Jerry gets stronger, he becomes a bigger bully.

“When fame and money come together, even the strongest men will turn their heads,” he admitted in 2006. Dean and I: A Love Story.

Those near Jerry trampled on a warning line. During a costume fitting for the 1964 film Chaotic chaoticJerry, then married to Patty Palmer and father of six, took a step on the actress. Karen Sharp.

“He hugged me. He started to caress me. He took off his pants. To be honest, I was shocked,” recalls Karen, 87, who rejected his progress.

“I could see he was mad,” she says. Instead of dismissing Karen, Jerry barred the entire cast and crew from talking to her for a week-long shoot. Women were not his only target.

“He has less power than employees, journalists, young actors, and anyone else because he can,” Levy explained. “Those scars of childhood loneliness and worthlessness did not leave him.”

Jerry has done some good things in his lifetime. He has hosted the annual Labor Day telethon for muscular dystrophy for six decades, raising nearly $ 2.6 billion.

“No one gets the satisfaction or joy I get from realizing that kids have hope,” he said. His personal life was less successful. Patty left Jerry in 1980 after 35 years of marriage. The couple’s eldest son, Gary, blames his father for his brother Joseph’s suicide in 2009, calling Jerry “a bad and bad man.” That crack never healed.

When he died, Jerry left his sons and their children out of his will. But despite his shortcomings, Jerry reached out to his old partner Dean when it was most important. In 1987, the singer’s son, Dean Paul Martin Jr., died in a plane crash.

“Jerry came to the funeral but stayed behind,” Dina recalls. “It simply came to our notice then. Later, Jerry called my dad, and they talked for an hour. He was a real friend. “