 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
  |
||||
 |
 |
  |
||||
|
"Move
that living
TV on DVD
From CNN in 2007: Comedian Jerry Lewis on Tuesday
apologized for using the word "fag" as he broadcast his annual
Labor Day Telethon for Muscular Dystrophy.
"I remember watching the Telethons growing up in the Sixties. One of the most memorable moments for me was when local host Dennis James made a total fool of himself. He brought out a line of kids in wheelchairs and braces, these kids looked like they were on the Bataan death march, and said to the audience, "They want to perform for you." "Dennis went up to a little boy in a wheelchair and asked him how things were going in speech therapy. The kid didn't know what he was talking about, he had never heard of speech therapy! Instead he said, in a strained voice, "I want to walk for you". "The boy got up from his chair, took one step, and fell flat on his face and started crying. Dennis James lifted the kid up and said - "Look at these kids. They're not robots! They're not machines! They're real people!" The whole time this kid is bawling his head off!! Then they all attempted a song that had the lyrics, "We can walk, We can talk" - all the while mechanically parading around the stage. "Was this supposed to be taken seriously?!?" - John H
"Oh, could I identify with John H.! I always considered Dennis James's parading cerebral palsy children to be total exploitation (to Jerry Lewis's credit, he never did so.) If anyone is interested in the dreadful lyrics (John only said "we can walk, we can talk"), which were sung in a voice that held a memory of once having been operatic by Jane Pickens, I regret to say that I remember them vividly. "Look
at us, we're walking,
- Elizabeth G.
"As Dennis James' son, I would like to respond to John and Elizabeth regarding "parading" children on the Telethon' for Cerebral Palsy. "It was something that began back in the 50's at the producer's suggestion. The concept was not to exploit the children ever. But in these PC days it is so easy to throw stones and throw words like "exploitation" around. "Before the Cerebral Palsy telethon went national in the early eighties, Dennis James flew all over this country on a monthly basis hosting telethons in Cities large and small to raise money for their specific community. He was the Cerebral Palsy host for 47 years and those telethons raised nearly 1 BILLION dollars for Cerebral Palsy. When I was born in 1963, I had 5 contributing factors to cerebral Palsy and my father was told by the Doctors that ha it not been for all the moneys raised for research from those telethons, I would have had Cerebral Palsy. Try that on for karma! "I have appeared on the Cerebral Palsy Telethon for nearly 17 years and conducted the on air inter views with the Children and adults with Cerebral Palsy. I can tell you they desperately wanted to be on the Telethon and many many of the families came back year after year. "The fact is, appearing on the telethon gave many of those children a sense of pride and they came back year after year to show the accomplishments they made had made. Just one example is a boy named Damien who came on the Telethon in the 50's, He wore braces and walked with crutches. He came back a year or two later and had no crutches. He came back a year or two after that, and had no braces, just a cane. He came back once again a year or so later and walked unaided. He ended up a wrestling champion in college and remained friends with my father for life. "I now Co-Host the telethon with Florence Henderson in NY." - Brad James
We should congratulate these folks for the good work that they do, and give generously to this worthy cause. Like this page? Hate this page? Do something productive right now and make a donation to the United Cerebral Palsy Organization.
|
The Labor Day Telethon starring Jerry Lewis and "his kids" is a timeworn tradition. From the fifties into the current century, the biggest stars of Broadway, Hollywood and Las Vegas appeared with Jerry on this fundraising variety show, giving us memorable performances by a wide range of celebrities. From cheesy Vegas lounge acts, to major motion picture stars with something to plug, this fantastically successful venture has been a yearly orgy of hilarious histrionics on the part of the host and guests - and an opportunity for the audience at home to see entertainers they haven't layed eyes on in decades. Talent like Andy Williams, Steve and Eydie, Glen Campbell, Charo and the like.
In addition to the national broadcast, local stations would do cut-ins with regional stars asking for donations to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Because the show was broadcast live, and over the course of a whole two days, sometimes hosts and guests found themselves saying and doing things they wish they hadn't. Did Jerry really call that guy a "half-a-person" because he had no legs?
"I clearly recall Mr. Lewis, bow tie untied, ruffled shirt partly unbuttoned, sweating profusely, starting to talk about his motivation to do the telethon. It's about 4 or 5 in the morning. In hindsight and after hearing revelations concerning Mr. Lewis' prescription drug addiction during that era, I have always wondered how chemically enhanced the moment was.
Since
1966, Jerry Lewis has helped raise an estimated $2 billion for "Jerry's
Kids."
Jerry
Lewis tells us the reason he does
the telethons - he's on a mission from God!
Jerry
reveals why he's not ashamed to
be ashamed.
Who
can forget when Jerry sang
a plea for his kids - set to the Barry Manilow / Donna Summer song,
"Could This Be the Magic" The lyrics were totally inappropriate,
"Help me to help them come - come - come along with me." - WHAT?!?
You may know the
self-proclaimed "King of the Cranks", he's most famous for his many
unscheduled exchanges on The Larry King Show.
In July, 2003, he
made an appearance on Fox's Good Day Live, with Steve
Edwards interviewing him about the death of Bob Hope. Janks claimed
to be one of Bob's writers of 40 years - then, after a couple of minutes
of the ruse, Janks asked if Steve would like Howard's Stern's balls
on his chin! Even then the producers didn't cut away and Janks got in
a few more invectives.
Janks is carrying
on a great tradition of performance art (not unlike the 90's band 'Negativeland'),
and has released a CD compilation of his greatest bits. You can get
more info on this CD at captainjanks.com.
It's a terrific
package with a bunch of hilarious pranks pulled on all sorts of TV personalities.
Hey, it's only fair - radio and TV shows have been pulling pranks on
their audiences for decades (See also: Candid Camera).
In this audio exchange
from The Jerry Lewis Telethon,
Janks catches Jerry off-guard.
C.P.
Telethon (Hot Monkey Love) (Please
don't try this at home, CLICK
HERE AND GIVE TO THE MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY ASSOCIATION!
|
"If
it's pity, we'll get some money. I'm just giving you the facts. Pity?
You don't want to be pitied because you're a cripple in a wheelchair,
stay in your house."
Genuine
show business high points from telethons of the past include Frank Sinatra's
surprise reunion of Jerry Lewis with his former partner Dean Martin
and musical numbers from almost every major Broadway show for the last
four decades.
Andy
Johnson remembers, "In 1974 or 1975, I came down with an ear infection
over the Labor Day weekend. Being in discomfort, I was unable to sleep.
Since this was the era before 24-hour per day Superstations, the only
thing on in the wee hours of the morning in Columbia, South Carolina
was the Jerry Lewis/MDA telethon.
"My
recollection is that he says something like, 'They ask me why I do it.
Well, maybe I'll say someday. However, they're going to have to come
across with the big bucks before I tell this story. Then maybe I'll
say.' That struck me as a peculiar statement for the host of a charity
telethon. Years later, whenever I would see Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo
doing their Good Jerry/Bad Jerry routine, I always would think back
to that morning."
Guest
Kids
in communities all over the country held MD carnivals in their backyards
in the early-seventies, thanks to promotions from their favorite local
TV shows. 
Meanwhile,
back at 
He's
the telephone terrorist that somehow gets through the call screeners
and mentions Howard Stern's name at inappropriate times. This leads
Larry (and others) to turn blue and gives him a chance to display his
natural air of superiority over the rest of the world. Jank's pranks
provide an amazing (and rare) look at what happens when a modern TV
host's veneer crumbles on-camera.
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|||||||||||||
| |
 Contact Us / Survey Other Cool TV Sites TV Blog |
|
