page_title: Jerry Lewis
section_title: Lewis' prime and later years
hierarchical_section_title: Jerry Lewis / Career / Lewis' prime and later years
caption_attribution_description: English: Publicity news photo of Jerry Lewis during the Telethon.
context_page_description: Jerry Lewis was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, who appeared in 60 films and is dubbed "The King of Comedy". He gained his career breakthrough with singer Dean Martin; as they became Martin and Lewis in 1946 and performed together until their acrimonious breakup in 1956 before Lewis moving on as a solo entertainer.
  He would also work behind-the-scenes as director, producer and screenwriter, appeared in numerous television programs, performed comedy routines on live stages and released many album recordings as a singer, becoming one of the most popular acts in Las Vegas and is known for his friendship with fellow artists Sammy Davis Jr., Frank Sinatra and Martin.
  Lewis raised awareness for muscular dystrophy during his 55 years with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, most notably through his Labor Day telethon and helped develop and popularize "video assist", the closed-circuit apparatus enabling film directors to see immediately what they had shot without waiting for developed film footage.
context_section_description: After his partnership with Martin ended in 1956, Lewis and his wife Patty took a vacation in Las Vegas to consider the direction of his career. He felt his life was in a crisis state: "I was unable to put one foot in front of the other with any confidence. I was completely unnerved to be alone". While there, he received an urgent request from his friend Sid Luft, who was Judy Garland's husband and manager, saying that she couldn't perform that night in Las Vegas because of strep throat, and asking Lewis to fill in.
  Lewis had not sung alone on stage since he was five years old, twenty-five years before, but he appeared before the audience of a thousand nonetheless, delivering jokes and clowning with the audience while Garland sat off-stage, watching. He then sang a rendition of a song he'd learned as a child, "Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" along with "Come Rain or Come Shine." Lewis recalled, "When I was done, the place exploded. I walked off the stage knowing I could make it on my own".
  At his wife's pleading, Lewis used his own money to record the songs on a single. Decca Records heard it, liked it and insisted he record an album for them. The single of Rock-a-Bye Your Baby went to #10 and the album Jerry Lewis Just Sings went to #3 on the Billboard charts, staying near the top for four months and selling a million and a half copies.
  With the success of that album he recorded the additional albums More Jerry Lewis (an EP of songs from this release was released as Somebody Loves Me), and Jerry Lewis Sings Big Songs For Little People (later reissued with fewer tracks as Jerry Lewis Sings For Children). Non-album singles were released, and It All Depends On You, hit the charts in April and May 1957, but peaked at only #68. Further singles were recorded and released by Lewis into the mid-1960s.
  But these were not Lewis's first forays into recording, nor his first appearance on the hit charts. During his partnership with Martin, they made several recordings together, charting at #22 in 1948 with the 1920s chestnut That Certain Party and later mostly re-recording songs highlighted in their films. Also during the time of their partnership, but without Martin, he recorded numerous novelty-comedy numbers for adults as well as records specifically intended for the children's market.
  Having proven he could sing and do live shows, he began performing regularly at the Sands Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, beginning in late 1956, which marked a turning point in his life and career. The Sands signed him for five years, to perform six weeks each year and paid him the same amount they had paid Martin and Lewis as a team. The critics gave him positive reviews: "Jerry was wonderful. He has proved that he can be a success by himself," wrote one. He continued with club performances in Miami, New York, Chicago and Washington.
  Such live performances became a staple of his career and over the years he performed at casinos, theaters and state fairs coast-to-coast. In February 1957, he followed Garland at the Palace Theater in New York and Martin called on the phone during this period to wish him the best of luck. "I've never been happier," said Lewis. "I have peace of mind for the first time." Lewis established himself as a solo act on TV starting with the first of six appearances on What's My Line? from 1956 to 1966.
  He appeared on both Tonight Starring Jack Paar and The Ed Sullivan Show and beginning in January 1957, in a number of solo TV specials for NBC. He starred in his adaptation of "The Jazz Singer" for Startime. Lewis hosted the Academy Awards three times, in 1956, 1957 and the 31st Academy Awards in 1959, which ran twenty minutes short, forcing Lewis to improvise to fill time. DC Comics, switching from Martin and Lewis, published a new comic book series titled The Adventures of Jerry Lewis, running from 1957 to 1971.
  Lewis remained at Paramount and started off with his first solo effort The Delicate Delinquent (1957), marking his debut as film producer. Frank Tashlin, whose background as a Looney Tunes cartoon director sui
caption: Lewis in 1981
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