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.”
I Dream of You
Jerry Lewis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
When I want you in my arms
When I want you and all your charms
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
When I feel blue in the night
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam
I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine
Anytime night or day
Only trouble is, gee whiz
I'm dreamin' my life away
I need you so that I could die
I love you so and that is why
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam
I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine
Anytime night or day
Only trouble is, gee whiz
I'm dreamin' my life away
I need you so that I could die
I love you so and that is why
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
The song "I Dream of You" by Jerry Lewis is about the power of dreaming and the idea of finding comfort in one's dreams, particularly when it comes to matters of the heart. The repetitive lyrics, "Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream," emphasize the dream-like quality of the song and the idea of escaping into a world of dreams where anything is possible. The song's opening lines, "When I want you in my arms, when I want you and all your charms," reveals the singer's longing for someone they cannot have in reality. They turn to dreams as a way to be with this person and fulfill their desire to hold them in their arms.
The second verse suggests that the singer turns to dreams when they are feeling down or lonely. The lyrics, "When I feel blue in the night and I need you to hold me tight," convey a sense of vulnerability and a deep craving for intimacy. Dreams become a way to fulfill this need for physical affection and human connection. However, the singer acknowledges that they are "dreamin' [their] life away" and that their dreams are not a substitute for reality.
Overall, "I Dream of You" speaks to the universal experience of longing for someone or something that cannot be had, and the bittersweet comfort that can be found in the world of dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
The singer wants to dream of being with their loved one.
When I want you in my arms
The singer longs for the physical presence of their loved one.
When I want you and all your charms
The singer desires the personality traits and qualities of their loved one.
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Drea-ea-ea-ea-eam, dream, dream, dream
The singer can only be with their loved one in their dreams, which they turn to when they miss them.
When I feel blue in the night
The singer experiences sadness and loneliness when they are alone at night.
And I need you to hold me tight
The singer wants to feel comfort and support from their loved one.
I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine
Anytime night or day
The singer imagines being physically intimate with their loved one day or night, whenever they desire.
Only trouble is, gee whiz
I'm dreamin' my life away
The singer acknowledges that their desire for their loved one is causing them to miss out on life as they daydream about them.
I need you so that I could die
The singer's love for their partner is so strong that they feel like they could not live without them.
I love you so and that is why
The singer loves their partner intensely, which is the reason for their longing and dreams.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Boudleaux Bryant
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Martin Lewis
He had such a unique and wonderful voice.There is such a sadness that he lends to his rendition of this song. I cannot help but hear a little of him missing Dean in this. I hope they have found each other again in the afterlife. RIP Jerry, you were truly a legend in your own time and for all time.
CrystalClearNews
hmm, at Dean's memorial service, he said to Dean (in Heaven), something like, hold a short-sheeted bed for me (because they used to play tricks like that while on the road together)
Geraldine Kestner
So sweet it makes me weep. ❤
SuperNoava
It's a shame that his legacy is one of "oh he was a terrible person" rather than looking at the good he did and the talent he had.
mftb1
Thanks for posting this song.
Geraldine Kestner
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Geraldine Kestner
❤❤❤ I miss you!❤❤❤
CrystalClearNews
thanks for adding it. some jerk stole that album from me! I never got to even listen because I didn't have a turntable