He created an indelible charactera sort of outlandish manchild who couldnt be controlled, not even by. One of the most notorious, unreleased films ever made, jerry lewis holocaust drama the day the clown cried has long been the subject of. March 16, 1926 august 20, 2017 was an american comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, dubbed the king of comedy and the total filmmaker. Acclaimed entertainer and director jerry lewis has seen footage of a film he helped make 41 years ago surface online after he swore it would never see the light of. While the film drew the attention of milton berle, dick van dyke, and bobby darin, lewis was eventually chosen for the role, in large part due to his willingness to direct the. Written by joan obrien and charles denton, the films story. I was ready for one of those crappy hagiographies that proliferate so extensively in this business. At the time of this writing, only a handful of people have ever seen it. However, there was one, particularly notorious episode in jerry lewis decadeslong career.
Jerry lewis the day the clown cried is one of the most famous never released films in movie history. He was also a groundbreaking filmmaker whose unquenchable curiosity led him to write. Rosenbaum recalls lewis hosting a twohour primetime show on french television in the 70s, with guests like louis malle literally at his feet. Jerry lewis disavowed holocaust clown film surfaces on youtube footage was a behindthescenes clip of 1972 film the day the clown cried, film about a clown who entertains children in. The film was met with controversy regarding its premise and content, which features.
S ince the early days, jerry lewis in the line of chaplin, keaton and laurel had the masses laughing with his visual gags, pantomime sketches and signature slapstick humor. Appropriate for such a complicated topic, i expected very little from the 2016 documentary jerry lewis. The man behind the clown all critics 1 fresh 1 jerry lewis the man behind the clown is a perfectly enjoyable watch, but one feels that there is so much more. The 1972 film the day the clown cried follows the fictional story of german circus clown helmut doork, played by lewis, who ends up in a german concentration camp during world war ii after insulting adolph hitler. The film showed up recently on one of our streaming services. The day the clown cried partially found unreleased jerry. I want the readers to get a sense of history, and to really get a truthful and historical look at the subject that i write about, he said from his jackson road home where he has lived for the. Jerry lewis, left, in paris during the production of the day the clown cried in 1972.
The plot follows a downonhisluck circus clown named helmut doork, a frankly unpleasant egotist who becomes a political prisoner in a nazi concentration camp for drunkenly mocking adolf hitler. The official website of the jerry lewis museum on the other hand, contends jerry hopes to someday complete the film, which remains to this day, a significant expression of cinematic art, suspended in the abyss of international litigation. With jerry lewis, martin scorsese, sean hayes, pierre etaix. The film got tied up in litigation between lewis, the films producers and its writers, but over the decades lewis has often given the impression he doesnt want the day the clown cried. Jerry lewis appeared in movies and television from 1949 to 2017.
It is also on account of its subject, the holocaust, and its directoractor, the comic star jerry lewis one of the most intriguing. Jerry lewis both directed and starred in this very funny film about an unemployed circus clown trying to find employment in the real world. Jerry lewis infamous holocaust clown movie is finally. Jerry lewis controversial clown film footage released. Ever since its troubled shoot, the day the clown cried has developed a cult appeal among cineastes. Footage surfaces from jerry lewis infamous day the clown. Jerry lewiss controversial film, the day the clown cried, has always remained hidden from the public. In the day the clown cried, he invented what it looks like when you merge the holocaust with hollywood when you turn it into the hollycaust. With jerry lewis, peter ahlm, lars amble, harriet andersson. With dean martin, jerry lewis, joanne dru, zsa zsa gabor. Wachsberger told jerry of his idea for a film called the day the clown cried.
Jerry lewis in the day the clown cried vimeo footage has surfaced from a 1972 holocaust movie the day the clown cried, starring and directed by jerry lewis. Is it horrible that my first thought upon hearing about jerry lewiss death is now they can release the day the clown cried. Jerry and pete are two friends with no money, looking for some job. Author penning book about comedian jerry lewis by ryan dentscheff moreland hills author and resident richard lertzman makes his living finding and sharing the untold stories of the famous. Mysterious bootleg finally reveals jerry lewis infamous 1972 holocaust comedy describing the film as bad, bad, bad, lewis has vowed that it. In 1971, jerry lewis and nathan wachsberger began producing a film titled the day the clown cried. Thirty minutes jerry lewis the day the clown cried. They finally find one as workers in a circus, but jerry has different dreams. Jerry lewis jerry lewis the day the clown cried to be. A glimpse of the day the clown cried the new yorker. After an eightyear absence from movies, jerry lewis returned in the early 1980s with hardly working. The day the clown cried was going to be jerry lewis schindlers list. Jerry lewis disavowed holocaust clown film surfaces on.
Since the early days, jerry lewis in the line of chaplin, keaton and laurel had the masses laughing with his visual gags, pantomime sketches and signature slapstick humor. The day the clown cried is an unreleased 1972 swedishfrench drama film directed by and starring jerry lewis. Jerry lewiss unlikeliest project was also his unluckiest so unlucky that it might never be. And, like vertigo and the birds, practically every lewis film outside of the. Jerry lewis invisible and magnificent film on the holocaust among the vast cohort of invisible films, it is one of the most famous. The americans, who love to mock french pretentiousness, scoffed that they couldnt possibly be a refined and sophisticated nation if they admired lewis and saw him as a comic genius while in america he is considered a puerile clown. Author penning comprehensive biography of comedian jerry. Jewish comedian david schneider presents a look at some exclusive behind the scenes material from the notorious unseen jerry lewis film. A circus clown is imprisoned by the nazis and goes with jewish children to their deaths. His direction of the infamous 1972 holocaust film the day the clown cried, which remains perhaps the most notorious unreleased movie in hollywood history. Jerry lewis, who just passed away, was perhaps the last in a line of such great clowns. The famed comedian would tackle the holocaust, and this would be the first serious feature he would ever direct. The death of jerry lewis is something of an end of an era.
Youll finally be able to see jerry lewis holocaust film. Whenever asked about the film, lewis either takes the above stated stance or reacts with. Back in 1972, jerry lewis made a film entitled the day the clown cried. The man behind the clown 2016, and was rewarded with unexpected riches. Jerry lewis and the most disturbing clown film youll. He was also a groundbreaking filmmaker whose unquenchable curiosity led him to write, produce, stage and direct many of the films he appeared in, resulting in such adored. The man behind the clown film jerry lewis, clown rebelle 02 september 2016. The 1972 movie the day the clown cried starring jerry lewis as a failed circus clown who is employed to entertain and distract children as they are led into a nazi concentration camp gas. Jerry lewis died on sunday at the age of 91, leaving behind at least one big mystery. Not exactly an intriguing character examination of a depressed clown, the film instead starred lewis as. Jerry hopes to someday complete the film, which remains to this day, a significant expression of cinematic art, suspended in the abyss of international litigation.
In the film, lewis plays a downonhisluck german circus clown named helmut doork, arrested after drunkenly mocking adolf hitler and placed in. A mong hollywood auteurs, perhaps only hitchcock ever retained a public persona as identifiable and ubiquitous as that of the hepcat jester and perpetually awkward jerry lewis. The film tells the story of a circus clown who is used to. Jerry lewis, who died sunday at the age of 91, was for many years considered a marker in the culture war between the united states and france. Jerry lewis has finally agreed to release his infamous holocaust movie the day the clown cried, but not for another 10 years. The story concerns a bumbling german clown, helmut doork played by lewis, whose mockery of hitler lands him in a concentration camp. Infamous lost jerry lewis holocaust movie acquired by. Watch scenes from jerry lewis neverreleased nazi clown.
The day the clown cried harry shearer howard stern. Not exactly an intriguing character examination of a depressed clown, the film instead starred lewis as a german clown who. In 1971, while appearing at the olympia theater, jerry was approached by producer nat wachsberger. Lewis was the knockabout zany clown, singer and showbusiness savant who started professional life in a doubleact with lugubrious dean martin as his straight man, went solo and was for a while the.
1085 507 1503 1142 80 1154 1239 1438 594 773 237 1520 710 1498 23 1105 1528 58 57 1408 1345 608 1330 459 1219 1396 576 749 161