Customer Reviews

King of Comedy: The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis

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Whether you love Jerry Lewis or hate him, you won't be able to stop reading this definative biography that corrects years and years of misinformation and paints a brutally honest picture of the entertainer. It's certainly a warts-and-all bio, filled with unflattering information, but its leveled with a real appreciation for Lewis's work as a comedian, actor and director. This biography gets beneath the skin and gives you a real insight to Lewis. He's not a monster but he's also not someone you'd want to spend a lot of time with off the pages of this excellent biography.

We all grew up watching Martin & Lewis movies and Jerry's solo projects, but there were those National Enquirer stories in the 1970's about Jerry being nasty to old people. Then a good friend of mine told me about when he worked at the Vegas Aladdin and saw Jerry Lewis completely lose his mind on a group of little children who'd talked their way backstage during a telethon to give him a donation. Jerry screamed every type of profanity at them. (A humiliated Chad Everrett hustled the kids to his limo for a ride home and my friend said he trembled in rage to keep from throttling Jerry).
When I saw Jerry on stage in the 1990's, I was stunned by the amount of swearing he did--even as I've seen him in interviews swear he never cusses on stage!
Obviously, any honest account of Jerry Lewis will have to try to reconcile the sweet, clumsy "nine-year-old" clown and the rampaging, egocentric monster. Shawn Levy has done that and I admire his book for not going too far one way or the other. I picked up the book to read about the unseen film, THE DAY THE CLOWN CRIED, and for any insight into the Martin & Lewis split (I'd also read Nick Tosches' DINO), and I'm glad I did.

For the people (including Jerry himself) who would dismiss this book as a "hatchet job," you only have to look at Jerry's behavior and quotes himself to see both sides of him: Jerry not only disowned one of his sons for talking to the Enquirer, he completely wrote him out of every biography of him ("Love hard, hate hard"); Jerry's dismissal of all women comics as "unfunny" and "predominately here to have children"; his recent interview with Bill O'Reilly where he declares that JFK never had an affair with Marilyn Monroe--because Jerry did! (Even O'Reilly, a man not known to be caught unawares, blinked, speechless).

Jerry's wretched behavior, whether drug-induced or simply chosen, can't diminish his contribution to entertainment, only diminish one's opinion of him as a human being. And I don't think Jerry cares what you think about him.
I can just see him as Buddy Love (a creation mistaken for Dean when it was really Jerry), lighting up a smoke and saying, "I've done it all, baby."

I have read several books about Jerry Lewis but I believe that Shawn Levy has produced the most in-depth work about Lewis. He is able to provide a fluid explanation to many unanswered questions about the career of Jerry Lewis.

He provides a detailed structured background into the creation, rise and fall of Martin and Lewis, which allows the reader to grasp why the act ruptured at the height of its success. Levy is the first writer to really provide concrete answers about the breakup, since both Martin and Lewis have always talked around the issue.

Levy also provides a back stage look at the solo career of Jerry Lewis allowing the reader to see why Lewis was never able to build an enduring successful career in the movies.

Actually, the best summary of the comedy of Jerry Lewis is on page 270, when Levy lifts quotes from a 1960s article written by comic writer, Al Capp. Capp's remarks totally sumed up why Lewis was brilliant with Dean Martin and such a flop in solo comedy roles. If you choose not to read the book, read page 270.

Though, I do not like the comedy of Jerry Lewis, I have always been impressed by personal interviews where it becomes apparent that Lewis is a gracious person, who has always credited Martin for the success of their act, whether he totally believes it or not.

Jerry Lewis has always been more impressive to me when he performed or acted as an adult rather than a child. Personally, Lewis did his best work in the movie "King of Comedy" and the "Wise Guy" television series, which were dramatic roles.

Shawn Levy has written a fascinating and objective critical biography of Jerry Lewis - an entertainment legend whose flaws and virtues cannot be denied. Levy tried to collaborate with Lewis on "King of Comedy," but found himself cut off by Jerry's volatility and distrust. It's easy to see why, since Lewis would prefer to emphasize the positive aspects of his life and work. Nevertheless, Levy delivers a balanced account of Jerry's enduring show-biz career and monstrous personal life - Buddy Love in the flesh. Whether you like or loathe Lewis, "King of Comedy" remains a compelling study of a multi-faceted artist unable to control his demons. Levy rightfully acknowledges Jerry Lewis' comic legacy and cinematic influence, but never lets the reader forget the pain and turmoil that lies within.

I love biographies that meet three criteria: 1)about an interesting person, 2)well researched, 3) well written. Shawn Levy has met all three in this compelling look at one of America's funniest and most controversial entertainers. Levy dug deep, talked to the right people, found the right materials, and put it together in a highly-readable and informative book. He has a hip, fast-moving, smart and fluid style of writing. I still think Jerry Lewis is very funny; now I know why he's also disliked by many people, and what drives him. I have new respect for Lewis. I also look forward to more books from Levy.

At the beginning of the book, Levy implies that he will trace Lewis's life as a parallel to American culture from the 40s to the present day. He does not deliver. What we are sold is a thoroughly researched, very well written account of a twentieth century comic and filmmaker as seen through Levy's jaded eyes. Too bad, because he would have made it if it hadn't been for his apparently irresisitible urge to put Lewis down. Levy decided, at some point during the writing of his book, that he didn't really like Jerry very much, and set out to convince us that we shouldn't either. His bias stoops to its lowest ebb during his "personal" interviews with his subject, wherein he snidely baits Lewis into explosions that any person (especially an artist) might react with. More below-the-belt tactics are sprinkled throughout the text, most noticeably with the cheap shots that become more frequent in the later pages and with the only partially representative quotations that have Lewis spewing vulgarities in nearly every sentence. Other than this overt bias, there are a few other things to take Levy to task over, some of which are commonplace with first editions (I read the hardcover version in 1996, so hopefully some of the mistakes have been corrected) and others of which demonstrate carelessness. An example of this would be Levy's description of the film "The Stooge," where several details concerning the characters and story are confused. As regards the films generally, Levy praises many of them at the outset and then, not wanting to sound too laudatory, undercuts his enthusiasm with more put-downs. In Levy's eyes, Lewis's creative genius as a filmmaker is nearly obliterated by ego, which actually places Levy's ego between the reader and the films as works of comic art. These films, especially those of the early-to-mid 1960s, deserve better treatment than this; Levy's opinions (there is little in the way of critical discussion) are discolored by his jaded lenses. Aside from the aforementioned cheap shots, this is the most irritating aspect of the book, especially in light of the promise of its title. On the positive side, Lewis's relationship with Dean Martin, its importance for both men and its dynamics, is convincingly related. Also effectively shown is the importance and ENORMOUS popularity of Martin and Lewis as popular performers. Between Sinatra and Elvis it was these guys, and anyone who second-guessed it before won't do so now. This biography is informative and enlightening throughout; unfortunately we're going to need a better one. Although it begins with promise, ultimately Levy's rigorous flailing at his subject produces a portrait of Jerry Lewis that is noticeably skewered by the author's prejudices and, perhaps most of all, by his unwillingness or inability to thoughtfully examine Lewis's unique contributions to comic film.

Balanced, unscrubbed bio of Lewis and his career. Great reading if you're into this genre of comedy entertainment. Obvious that the author conducted quite a bit of research.

Shawn Levy has written a no-holds-barred biography of the guy the French consider a genius, from his meteoric rise with Dean Martin in the 1950s to his erratic career as cinematic auteur to his work with Muscular Dystrophy. Jerry' s shown as an abusive father and distant husband who's ruined more than one major project with his tirades. His talent is exceeded only by his ego

Jerry Lewis is a genius, pure & simple. Read this tome & you'll discover a man as complex (and misunderstood) as Wagner. This IS Wagnerian... absolute glory & absolute dispair. It encapsulates what Jerry has always been about, but this isn't just shtick. It's the real deal. One would wish for someone as hell-raising & life-affirming as Lewis to lead a life-as-party existance--- he hasn't. And you'll read why. Still & all, he's called the shots for however many decades straight & how many people can say THAT? This man is a giant, & shall be remembered as such. I love you Mr. Levitch!!!

King of Comedy debunks many myths about Lewis, and presents a raw, painful picture of the real man. It's a picture that makes me happy he wasn't my father, and one which has soured my view of Lewis the comedian. I saw him earlier in this year in Melbourne (99) and the show was outstanding - I'm just thankful I hadn't read this book at that stage. Be warned, this well researched, balanced book may provide more information than you want to know. Still, he remains an outstanding comedian who has produced some great moments -- shame about the personal life.