Lewis went on to star in, write, produce and direct motion pictures, appear on television, in nightclubs, concerts and musicals and sing in albums. Outside of his career, he supported fundraising for muscular dystrophy research, during 60 years as national chairman and spokesman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and 44 years hosting The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon every Labor Day weekend. In 1977, Lewis was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the organization. As one of the most successful performers in show business, with worldwide box office receipts of his films in excess of $800 million, Lewis received global acclaim for his unique ability and style with both comedy and drama. As part of Martin and Lewis and as a solo actor, he was voted Hollywood’s top box-office draw from 1951 to 1965, in later years as the sole comedian.
Lewis was born on March 16, 1926, at Newark Beth Israel Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, to Russian Jewish parents. His father, Daniel Levitch (1902–1980), born in New York, was a master of ceremonies and vaudeville entertainer who used the professional name Danny Lewis. His mother, Rachel "Rae" Levitch (née Brodsky; 1903–1983) went by the stage name Rae Lewis, was a piano player for the radio station WOR and was her husband's musical director. Lewis began performing at age five and would often perform alongside his parents in the Catskill Mountains in New York.
He was a "character" even in his teenage years, pulling pranks in his neighborhood including sneaking into kitchens to steal fried chicken and pies. He dropped out of Irvington High School in the tenth grade. By age 15, he had developed his "Record Act" miming lyrics to songs while a phonograph played offstage. He used the professional name Joey Lewis but soon changed it to Jerry Lewis to avoid confusion with comedian Joe E. Lewis and heavyweight boxing champion Joe Louis.He landed a gig at a burlesque house in Buffalo, but his performance fell flat and was unable to book any more shows. Lewis worked as a soda jerk and a theater usher for Suzanne Pleshette's father Gene at the Paramount Theater to make ends meet.
A veteran burlesque comedian, Max Coleman, who had worked with Lewis' father years before, persuaded him to try again. Irving Kaye, a Borscht Belt comedian, saw Lewis' mime act at Brown’s Hotel in Loch Sheldrake, New York, the following summer, and the audience was so enthusiastic that Kaye became Lewis' manager and guardian for Borscht Belt appearances. During World War II, he was rejected for military service because of a heart murmur.
Lewis died at his home in Las Vegas, Nevada, at 9:15 a.m. (PDT) on August 20, 2017, at the age of 91. The cause was end-stage cardiac disease and peripheral artery disease. In his will, Lewis left his estate to his second wife of 34 years, SanDee Pitnick, and their daughter, and intentionally excluded his children from his first marriage as well as their descendants.
For almost two decades, from the late '40s to the mid-'60s, Lewis was a major force in American popular culture. Widely acknowledged as a comic genius, Lewis influenced successive generations of comedians, comedy writers, performers and filmmakers. As Lewis was often referenced as the bridge from Vaudeville to modern comedy, Carl Reiner wrote after Lewis’ death, “All comedians watch other comedians, and every generation of comedians going back to those who watched Jerry on the Colgate Comedy Hour were influenced by Jerry. They say that mankind goes back to the first guy...which everyone tries to copy. In comedy that guy was Jerry Lewis.”
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Jerry Lewis Lyrics
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You smiled, the sun shone through
Then it rained again and I lost you
Just why I never knew.
Now every time the storm clouds gather way up in the sky,
I see them all and I recall those happy days gone by:
I get the blues when it rains,
Each little drop that falls on my window pane
Always reminds me of the tears I've shed in vain
I sit and wait for the sun
To shine down on me once again
It rained when I found you, It rained when I lost you,
That's why I'm so blue when it rains.
The song "I Get the Blues When It Rains" by Jerry Lee Lewis is a classic blues tune that deals with the theme of heartbreak and loss. The opening lines reflect the generally accepted notion that the weather can mirror one's mood - it was raining when the singer met his lover and they are happy, and then it rains again when they split up. The singer seems to suggest that the rain is symbolic of the tears he sheds due to the lost love. The rain, which is usually seen as a refreshing and cleansing force, becomes a symbol of sorrow and pain for the singer. The use of the repeated phrase "I get the blues when it rains" emphasises this point and is used to convey the sadness that lingers on in his life after his lover has left him.
The singer's use of metaphor remains consistent throughout the song. He compares the patter of the raindrops on his windowpane to the tears he has shed, indicating that he is still hurting from the loss of his lover. The rain, which is a natural phenomenon, and tears, an emotional response, are juxtaposed to explain the singer's painfully complex emotional state. While he waits for the sun to shine again, the raindrops only remind him of the sorrow and heartbreak he feels over his relationship's demise. Finally, the repeated line "It rained when I found you, It rained when I lost you, That's why I'm so blue when it rains," shows that the singer is caught in a cycle of pain and heartbreak that he cannot fully escape, even long after the end of the relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
It was raining, dear, when I met you
The day I met you was a rainy day
You smiled, the sun shone through
Despite the rain, you had a smile that made everything seem brighter
Then it rained again and I lost you
When it rained again, I lost you and I never found out why
Just why I never knew
I never knew the reason why I lost you
Now every time the storm clouds gather way up in the sky,
Whenever storm clouds gather in the sky
I see them all and I recall those happy days gone by:
I remember the happy times we had, now gone forever
I get the blues when it rains,
Whenever it rains, I feel blue and sad
The blues I can't lose when it rains
My sadness is so deep, it never goes away when it rains
Each little drop that falls on my window pane
Every raindrop that falls on my window reminds me of my tears
Always reminds me of the tears I've shed in vain
I cry for the loss of what could have been
I sit and wait for the sun
I hope for a brighter future
To shine down on me once again
For the light of happiness to return
It rained when I found you, It rained when I lost you,
Rain brought us together and tore us apart
That's why I'm so blue when it rains.
Rain brings back memories that make me feel sad and lonely
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: MERLE HAGGARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tony's Lawn Care ® (TLC)
Not 1 bad word not 1 sexual move/act not degrading anyone's race or gender Nothing but pure 100% talent The True 2 gems of America R.I.P to the Best live show Comedians in Hollywood History Martin & Lewis they will Never will be anyone to fill these shoes again. 100yrs from now this skit will still make you smile laugh who else misses these 2 Giants?
Dennis Alters
Love them both sorry they broke up or did not do reunions. Their nightclub act was quite racy for the times.
Tlb
I could never get enough of these two, loved them ❤
Wan Rosina Dato Wan Mohamed
❤ L ove them❤❤🎉
susan brown
What a duo,never to be repeated..God bless them both.
Nancy Esther
susan brown sugar
Nancy Esther
Tj
Mario Bernales
Magnrti
Holly Drucker
Amen to that!
Greg
Agreed😂