Happy Birthday to the "goofy partner of the suave, romantic Dean Martin."

Hey pallies, from the pages of the web pad ABA DSS comes this salute to Mr. Jerry Lewis on his birthday (clicks on title of this post to goes there). It was on this day in 1926 that as this prose coolly states, that the "goofy partner of the suave, romantic Dean Martin" came into the world.

By now some of you pallies maybe Dino-wonderin' if the dude who refers most often to Jerry Lewis as "the kid" or "the jer" has had a change of heart toward the goofy one?

Perhaps I have, after readin' Mr. Lewis' amore to our Dino, "Dean and Me: A Love Story," after watchin' clips from the Colgates, and after watchin' my two sets of Martin and Lewis films, I have come to understand Jerry's deep devotion and lastin' love for our Dino.

As was quoted in a recent post here at ilovedinomartin, Mr. Lewis said....

"Dino means more to me than a partner in a two-act. Outside of my wonderful wife, Dean is the person I’ve been closest to in my whole life. We’re so close that our minds think like one mind. There’s a very deep and profound love between Dean and me, and our act is good only because of this feeling of closeness."

As I have come to understand, Mr. Jerry Lewis always did, does, and will love our beloved Dino. So, it seems fittin' on this day of the jer's birth...yup, this Dino-holic will continue to refer to Mr. Lewis as "the jer" or "the kid" 'cause our Dino often did....we salute the Lewis part of the Martin and Lewis team and wish his our best.

Below the article you will find a couple of clips for your Dino-pleasure. First is that randy audio of our Dino and Jerry advertin' for "The Caddy." Second, is the recently discovered recordin' of "You Skinny Hebrew" that our Dino wrote and recorded for his loved partner on this birthday in 1953.

Happy Birthday to Mr. Jerry Lewis. Thanks you for all the great entertainin' moments that you provided with our beloved Dino....and even more thanks for lovin' our great and man and not bein' ashamed to say so. Dino-lovin', DMP



Who could have known that Joseph Levitch, the baby boy born on this day in 1926 in Newark, New Jersey, would someday wear the crown of the ‘King of Crazy’! Maybe his father had a clue when he introduced his five year old on stage at Brown’s Hotel in Loch Sheldrake, NY. Little Joey sang, Brother, Can You Spare a Dime. Today, that theatre bears the name of this actor, singer, dancer, musician, comedian, producer, professor, and humanitarian. Maybe you’ve been to the Jerry Lewis Theatre in the borscht belt in upstate New York. Certainly, you’ve seen Jerry Lewis perform.

Maybe your first experience was seeing him in his role as the goofy partner of the suave, romantic Dean Martin. From 1946, when the two performed together for the first time in Atlantic City’s 500 Club, till a decade later when the partners split; we were entertained with club appearances and no less than a dozen movies. The first, My Friend Irma, premiered at New York’s Paramount Theatre. The opening stage act starred Martin and Lewis in person.

Jerry Lewis’ mugging skills became the central force behind many of the movies the two made. Films like That’s My Boy and The Caddy catapulted him into stardom. From 1951 through 1959, Jerry’s name appeared in the top ten of box-office stars (6 years with his partner and 3 solo). In fact, in 1959, Paramount signed him to a fourteen-film contract for ten million dollars -- probably the most expensive contract signed with a performer at the time. He was back in the top ten from 1961 through 1964 and had received acclaim as Best Director for The Nutty Professor from the French.

Comedian, film star and director was never enough for the zany, talented Lewis. He had a top-ten hit in 1956, Rock-A-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody; his own TV variety show from 1965 to 1974 and he continued to make movies, work the club circuit, and teach film at USC. His devotion to supporting the Muscular Dystrophy Association is known world wide. There are few who have never seen the annual Labor Day Telethon for MDA hosted by the untiring Jerry Lewis. Undaunted by protesters he continues the quest to raise money to help those stricken with neuromuscular diseases.

And, undaunted by the fact that his talents have never been truly recognized by his fellow Americans, Jerry Lewis continues to entertain us. A cult hero to the French, he remains ‘Le Roi du Crazy’.