IN 1949, TV'S FIRST TELETHON TOOK PLACE.
IT WAS NEW YORK'S DAMON RUNYON MEMORIAL CANCER FUND TELETHON, HOSTED BY MILTON BERLE.
IN A STRANGE TWIST, ONE OF THE GUESTS ON THIS VERY FIRST TELETHON WAS A BRASH YOUNG COMEDIAN, WHO APPEARED WITH HIS SINGING PARTNER, DEAN MARTIN. THE YOUNG COMIC WAS, OF COURSE, JERRY LEWIS.
AT THE TIME, DEAN AND JERRY WERE THE HOTTEST ACT IN ALL OF SHOW BIZ. THE COMEDY TEAM WAS ALSO TO MAKE AN APPEARANCE AT THE 1952 OLYMPIC FUND TELETHON, HOSTED BY BOB HOPE AND BING CROSBY. THERE IS SURVIVING FOOTAGE OF THIS INCREDIBLE APPEARANCE BY MARTIN AND LEWIS, AND THEY ARE UNINHIBITED, WILD AND ELECTRIC. INCREDIBLY, WHEN DEAN AND JERRY COME ON STAGE, BING RUSHED OFF IN FEAR.
CROSBY WAS TERRIFIED JERRY WAS GOING TO PULL HIS TOUPEE OFF (!!!!!) AND HE NEVER DID RE-APPEAR WHILE THE BOYS WERE ON.
IN THE EARLY 1950'S (CIRCA 1951) JERRY WAS ASKED TO HOST A TELETHON FOR A LITTLE-KNOWN DISEASE CALLED "MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY". JERRY ACCEPTED AND TOGETHER WITH DEAN, THEY PUT ON THE VERY FIRST MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY TELETHON.
THE TWO HOSTED OTHER TELETHONS TOGETHER UNTIL THEIR SPLIT AS A TEAM IN 1956. DEAN WENT ON TO OTHER THINGS, BUT JERRY NEVER STOPPED.
OVER THE YEARS, HE HOSTED SEVERAL OTHER 4-HOUR M.D. TELETHONS SANS DEAN, MUCH SHORTER THAN THE ALMOST 24-HOUR MARATHON TELETHONS WE ARE ALL CURRENTLY ACCUSTOMED TO.
IN 1966, THE FIRST OFFICIAL JERRY LEWIS TELETHON FOR MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY TOOK PLACE OVER THE LABOR DAY WEEKEND, BROADCAST FROM THE AMERICANA HOTEL IN NEW YORK. MANY WERE SKEPTICAL ABOUT THE SUCCESS OF THE UNDERTAKING, AS MANY PEOPLE WERE NOT HOME ON LABOR DAY. BUT SURPRISINGLY, THE TELETHON RAISED JUST OVER A MILLION DOLLARS AND WAS A HUGE SUCCESS.
JERRY'S ANNUAL LABOR DAY TELETHONS HAVE GONE ON TO RAISE OVER $2 BILLION DOLLARS IN DONATED MONEY TO FIGHT MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY. JERRY CLAIMS HIS GOAL EVERY YEAR IS TO GET "ONE DOLLAR MORE" THAN THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
IN 2004 AND 2005, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, M.D. PLEDGES WENT DOWN TWO YEARS IN A ROW, BUT HAPPILY, IN 2006 AND 2007, PLEDGES ROSE AGAIN TO RECORD NUMBERS.
THE BIGGEST SINGLE DONATIONS OVER THE YEARS HAVE COME FROM THE FIREFIGHTERS ASSOCIATION, WHO HAVE GIVEN OVER $250,000.00 TO JERRY AND "HIS KIDS".
INCREDIBLY, JERRY'S TELETHONS ALMOST ALWAYS RECEIVE MORE ACTUAL MONEY THAN IS PLEDGED.
HOW CAN THIS BE?
WELL, MANY PEOPLE WILL MAKE A PLEDGE AND THEN SEND IN A CHECK FOR MORE THAN THE PLEDGED AMOUNT. IT SEEMS EVERYONE LOVES TO HELP JERRY AND "HIS KIDS".
NOTHING HAS HURT JERRY MORE THAN ACCUSATIONS THAT HE HAS "POCKETED" SOME OF THE DONATED MONEY HIMSELF. HE, OF COURSE, VIGOROUSLY DENIES THIS CLAIM- AND EVEN SWEARS HE HAS GIVEN $7 MILLION DOLLARS OUT OF HIS OWN POCKET TO THE CAUSE.
INCREDIBLY, IN THESE POLITICALLY CORRECT TIMES, JERRY HAS ALSO BEEN ACCUSED, EVEN BY SOME WHO ARE ACTUALLY STRICKEN WITH M.D.- OF "EXPLOITING" HIS "KIDS". JERRY HAS FURIOUSLY FOUGHT BACK AGAINST THESE RIDICULOUS CHARGES (LESSON BEING: NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED).
JERRY HAS SHOWN INCREDIBLE COURAGE IN RECENT YEARS, APPEARING AND HOSTING, ALTHOUGH A VERY PHYSICALLY SICK MAN. BECAUSE OF A MEDICAL TREATMENT HE NEEDS, HIS BODY HAS RECENTLY BLOATED UP (AT ONE POINT, HIS NORMAL WEIGHT OF 180 INCREASED TO AROUND 240 LBS) INTO A AN ALMOST BALLOON-LIKE FORM.
BUT BEING THE ULTIMATE "TROOPER", JERRY HAS NEVER FAILED TO APPEAR AND CARRY ON HOSTING DUTIES. MANY OF THE BIGGEST CELEBRITIES IN SHOW BUSINESS HAVE EITHER HOSTED OR APPEARED ON JERRY'S TELETHONS OVER THE YEARS, INCLUDING FRANK SINATRA, SAMMY DAVIS JR., AND THREE OF THE BEATLES. (IN JOHN LENNON'S APPEARANCE WITH WIFE YOKO ONO, HE SAID THE IMMORTAL QUOTE: "JERRY IS ONE OF OUR FAVORITE COMEDIANS".)
THE ULTRA-RECLUSIVE JOE DIMAGGIO CAME ON TO ANSWER THE PHONES ONE YEAR AND EVEN A U.S. PRESIDENT - RONALD REAGAN - MADE AN APPEARANCE ONE YEAR.
BUT THE ALL-TIME HIGHLIGHT IN TELETHON HISTORY WAS UNEQUIVOCALLY THE REUNION OF JERRY WITH HIS EX-PARTNER, DEAN MARTIN, IN 1976- STAGED BY MUTUAL FRIEND, FRANK SINATRA.
IT IS AN INCREDIBLE MOMENT IN TELEVISION HISTORY, BEING MARTIN AND LEWIS' FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE TOGETHER IN 20 YEARS. THE TWO TEARFULLY HUGGED, KIDDED AROUND, AND CRACKED A FEW ONE-LINERS, BEFORE DEAN AND FRANK SANG SONGS AND DEAN DISAPPEARED WITH A WAVE AND A FRIENDLY "CIAO!"
JERRY HAS ALWAYS WORN HIS HEART ON HIS SLEEVE REGARDING HIS DEEP AFFECTION FOR HIS FORMER PARTNER, BUT DEAN WAS ALWAYS BEEN "MR. MACHO" AND RARELY SHOWED ANY KIND OF EMOTION IN PUBLIC.
BUT IF YOU WATCH THE VIDEO OF THIS AMAZING MOMENT, YOU WILL SEE DEAN QUICKLY SNEAK IN A BRIEF KISS TO JERRY, ON HIS CHEEK, AS HE IS HUGGING HIM. (I'VE ALWAYS FELT THIS QUICK KISS WAS VERY TELLING ABOUT DEAN'S REAL AFFINITY FOR HIS FORMER PARTNER.)
ONE OF THE BIGGEST MYSTERIES OF ALL REGARDING HIS UNCEASING DEDICATION TO THE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY CAUSE IS "WHY DOES JERRY DO IT?" ODDLY, JERRY HAS NEVER REVEALED TO ANYONE THE EXACT REASON.
NO ONE MAY EVER FIND OUT THE REAL REASON, BUT A LITTLE-KNOWN STORY ABOUT JERRY IS VERY TELLING. WHEN JERRY WAS 2 YEARS OLD, HE DEVELOPED A STRANGE AND POTENTIALLY-CRIPPLING DISEASE. ACCORDING TO JERRY, HIS BELOVED GRANDMOTHER NURSED HIM, AND ALTHOUGH A STRICT JEW, COOKED HIM BACON AND "CRAMMED IT INTO HIS MOUTH" TO HELP FIGHT OFF THE IMPENDING SICKNESS.
WHAT POTENTIAL DISEASE THIS WAS I HAVE NO IDEA, BUT JERRY CLAIMS THIS STORY IS TRUE. IF IT IS, ONE CAN BE SURE THAT THIS FRIGHTENING MEMORY MUST HAVE HAD AT LEAST SOME EFFECT ON JERRY'S TIRELESS WORK IN HIS FIGHT AGAINST MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY.
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