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American Legends: The Life of Jerry Lewis
*Includes pictures.
*Includes Lewis' quotes about his own life and career.
*Includes a bibliography for further reading.
“I've had great success being a total idiot.” – Jerry Lewis A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. Jerry Lewis has been in show business for over 7 decades, a multi-talented entertainer known for comedy, acting, singing, and producing and directing films to match. In many ways, his versatility is unprecedented even today, an era in which stars routinely alternate between film and musical careers, and Lewis has enjoyed it, as he once happily noted, “I get paid for what most kids get punished for.” He has been paid in several ways, including with too many lifetime awards to count, and he remains a household name today. At the same time, however, Lewis remains best known for his work with Dean Martin, and in that sense, he remains overshadowed by his more famous partner. There’s no doubt part of this was due to the stark contrast between their images, as Martin was suave and traditionally masculine while Lewis was a bundle of frantic energy. Although the circumstances that initiated their partnership are unusual and purely coincidental, the natural contrasts between the two ensured a perfect and complementary comedic fit. Working as “Martin and Lewis”, the team became the most popular nightclub act in America, commanding huge fees for their appearances all across the country. Perhaps the most ironic aspect of their success is that Dean Martin was not a comedian in any real sense of the word, and even during their act, he essentially served as the straight man to Jerry Lewis. The routine ensured that critics took more notice of Jerry Lewis, who intentionally came across as an awkward figure with a brand of bodily humor that was borrowed from a lineage of Yiddish humor predicated on physical slapstick. And just as Martin benefited from Lewis’ comedic skills, Lewis also further developed a singing career thanks to the more famous Martin’s crooning. American The Life of Jerry Lewis profiles the life and career of one of America’s most famous entertainers. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Jerry Lewis like never before, in no time at all.
*Includes Lewis' quotes about his own life and career.
*Includes a bibliography for further reading.
“I've had great success being a total idiot.” – Jerry Lewis A lot of ink has been spilled covering the lives of history’s most influential figures, but how much of the forest is lost for the trees? In Charles River Editors’ American Legends series, readers can get caught up to speed on the lives of America’s most important men and women in the time it takes to finish a commute, while learning interesting facts long forgotten or never known. Jerry Lewis has been in show business for over 7 decades, a multi-talented entertainer known for comedy, acting, singing, and producing and directing films to match. In many ways, his versatility is unprecedented even today, an era in which stars routinely alternate between film and musical careers, and Lewis has enjoyed it, as he once happily noted, “I get paid for what most kids get punished for.” He has been paid in several ways, including with too many lifetime awards to count, and he remains a household name today. At the same time, however, Lewis remains best known for his work with Dean Martin, and in that sense, he remains overshadowed by his more famous partner. There’s no doubt part of this was due to the stark contrast between their images, as Martin was suave and traditionally masculine while Lewis was a bundle of frantic energy. Although the circumstances that initiated their partnership are unusual and purely coincidental, the natural contrasts between the two ensured a perfect and complementary comedic fit. Working as “Martin and Lewis”, the team became the most popular nightclub act in America, commanding huge fees for their appearances all across the country. Perhaps the most ironic aspect of their success is that Dean Martin was not a comedian in any real sense of the word, and even during their act, he essentially served as the straight man to Jerry Lewis. The routine ensured that critics took more notice of Jerry Lewis, who intentionally came across as an awkward figure with a brand of bodily humor that was borrowed from a lineage of Yiddish humor predicated on physical slapstick. And just as Martin benefited from Lewis’ comedic skills, Lewis also further developed a singing career thanks to the more famous Martin’s crooning. American The Life of Jerry Lewis profiles the life and career of one of America’s most famous entertainers. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about Jerry Lewis like never before, in no time at all.
- GenresBiography
42 pages, Paperback
First published March 12, 2014
About the author
Charles River Editors
5,552 books290 followersCharles River Editors is an independent publisher of thousands of ebooks on Kindle, Nook, Kobo, and Apple iBookstore & provider of original content for third parties.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 14, 2026
Quite the life achievements…
This was a Great Read on the life and career of Jerry Lewis. Jerry and Dean Martin started out together and after years of working together so intricately meshed together, as with many couples they develop animosities toward one another. Look at the divorce rate.
💥🧞♀️🙂
This was a Great Read on the life and career of Jerry Lewis. Jerry and Dean Martin started out together and after years of working together so intricately meshed together, as with many couples they develop animosities toward one another. Look at the divorce rate.
💥🧞♀️🙂
October 3, 2017
Good book ***
I have been a fan all my life. He was so disliked. I felt there had to more to him.
I have been a fan all my life. He was so disliked. I felt there had to more to him.
December 24, 2024
Informative
The skeleton based story line was at the least informative of his life. I expected more than the fact based line.
The skeleton based story line was at the least informative of his life. I expected more than the fact based line.
May 31, 2014
The funny side of life
The funny side of life
This biography of Jerry Lewis summarized his life very clearly and concise. Explaining his early life as a 5 year old vaudeville singer to his staring with Dean Martin for many stage shows and movies or TV, it's no wonder why his Americas most loved clown. Loved around the world for is comedic acting, he has received awards from several countries. Lewis is also a great humanitarian, starting the Telethon to support Muscular dystrophy back in 1956 and continuing to host the show into the mid 2000s.
The funny side of life
This biography of Jerry Lewis summarized his life very clearly and concise. Explaining his early life as a 5 year old vaudeville singer to his staring with Dean Martin for many stage shows and movies or TV, it's no wonder why his Americas most loved clown. Loved around the world for is comedic acting, he has received awards from several countries. Lewis is also a great humanitarian, starting the Telethon to support Muscular dystrophy back in 1956 and continuing to host the show into the mid 2000s.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews