Jerry Lewis on AM New York (1976)

our special guest this morning what the why is that holy Mack I never saw such a silly kid area code two one two eight seven or nine 100 what is that area called y21 287 I just watched that nice interview you obviously didn't have any impression on you at all did it no an actual fact no are you afraid of all the statistics with no why not I don't have any fears boy I feel bad no I don't I like to smoke and I smoke because I like it I could give it up if I wanted to I don't want to give it up what are you doing in town why why I'm here to get my chest checked you're also here because of the Frank Sinatra testimony watch it yes that's what Tuesday night yes where is it it's at the Waldorf Astoria what are you doing what are you hanging around with all those big shots like Frank Sinatra why he's my friend he is a great guy he's a friend of yours that's right I just said that I know that's what you did say you know on this show you know dad let me get rolling here with Jerry let's go now David Harvey just had Johnny he's a good pal here's another good pal yours too that's the reason you're here this morning I'm not Jerry Lewis in Nashville you know because of MD I interviewed him four times down there in Tennessee and he was gracious to get up at 7 o'clock in the morning once we get a 90-minute show I want to ask you some tough questions ok did you know you know who Judith Exner is don't you yes I do Judith Exner is the woman who allegedly had relations with the late President Kennedy from 1960 to 1962 and I also had a very long affair with Marie Antoinette now the reason I gotta ask you these questions I hope we don't get mad at me she has some comments about you in her new book did you know that no I didn't know that would you like to know what she's saying about you not particularly shall I tell you anyway though why that's perfectly all right here's what I got to say no she's written a book it's gonna be about her relations with Sam Giancana who was a mafia guy in John Kennedy and she knew Frank Sinatra very well because apparently they were regional and and she knew Jerry Lewis and she says this an egomaniac who would run up thousands of dollars in studio bills by playing basketball in a court insisting that he insisted be set up in the studio causing the film crews to have to wait several hours before they could continue shooting Jerry Lewis would let anyone who wanted to play basketball with him to do so as long as they let him win is that a true story I just a cheap shot no it's probably true I think that's just as valid as the affair she had with John Kennedy how what kind of a woman was she what is truth actually the same woman as she's always been but tell me seriously I want you I wanted to reading about this she has the sensitivity of Zsa Zsa Gabor and probably that's only exceeded by the same brain she's a lightweight in your judge she's actually half an amoebas well now why would she this didn't why would she because she looked at her bank balance and since she's too old to be a streetwalker anymore she decided well this is a good shot I'll make some money that's all it is John Kennedy I doubt very strongly ever Neuer you you think that's not a true story I know it's not John Kennedy yes it was a very special man and he should be allowed to rest and she's a all right maybe she shouldn't be pandering you think it's a being up your program by talking about this kind of garbage well let me you let me disrespect let me respectfully disagree with you if I'm who's gonna stop it well no I'm gonna do it because the fact of the matter is the book is going out and it'll sell a lot of beer a lot of national magazines are doing want me to tell you how I can get every front page of every newspaper today without press agents and without cost all I have to do is walk out of the studio and molest a child on the street I'll get front-page headline but if anyone wants to hear about some of the good stuff I've done no one's gonna buy that don't you understand I understand it in town well let's get on to something we will all productive we will and I just wanted to let's discuss your personality and what you're gonna do about it would you suggest that goodbye well I hate to get off to a bad start with George right now but their only reason I brought this out I haven't rereading the Village Voice last night well that shows anyway so it was in there I said I gotta ask Jerry Lewis because I've asked you the hard question in the previous time because it's another choice is a newspaper that has to reproduce the material that is given to them they're only printing what she said and what she is but you did meet her she worked for me she did really yes Judith Exner work for you yeah in what capacity well that's hard to say she have a paying job oh yes she was paid well now what deductions are we to make from that you do what you want with it I'm just giving you some more garbage to play with is this true though no area code 2 1 2 8 7 oh all you scandalmongers out there call Jerry Lewis with your question you're on the air our special guest is the great cheering sure omnia what is your question place on quite a few dramatic show but particularly a one with Benny painting and you are such a great actor will you be doing any more dramatic roles in the future well I've done a couple of comedy appearances that turned out somewhat dramatic Oh no not not right away except the film that I made in Europe which will release this fall called the day the clown cried is a very heavy dramatic so you're on the air with Jerry Lewis we have many questions for the saying to have anything to do with people now I can only tell you that the information that I was expounding on was information relative to the cause and cure hopefully so that we don't have children being born and disabled by muscular dystrophy the side effects of that information ultimately will be in our hands from researchers and some pretty good pathologists and God willing they'll they'll be involved with those who are now afflicted I don't know that information I don't know how much money have you raised from the Labor Day Labor Day telethon yes 80 million dollars 89 that's only ten that's only ten years but for the 26 years the total is two hundred and three million five hundred and eight thousand six hundred and sixty how many I know about some was there was an installation in Nashville it bears your name yes because of what you've done M&E at the School of Medicine at Vanderbilt University how many hospitals or wings or do you open ten this year in MD we I just came from the University of Virginia where we established the Jerry Lewis neuromuscular Research Center and we break ground at UCLA in August which will be the 11th facility we're now in 14 countries around the world with 765 of the top pathologist and researchers all over the world including Russia and Japan and 26 years ago they told me I didn't have a prayer no one would hear me understand me moreover they wouldn't work for every year that we talk about this M&D you hear me the impression that muscular does I'm sorry what did I say you said MD and I don't believe that things that important should be abbreviated muscular dystrophy that you call us s what we get the impression that a cure is imminent or in the next year or two it is what what could you make any prediction at this point or judgment I can only tell you that my research people at the Institute and they call it the house of jerry-built which is a very special place right they were they were very very anxious and excited for me to know that for my 50th birthday they thought they would give me the cure and my 50th birthday is but 16 and 7 23 days away I doubt that it's gonna happen because this was told to me last year for my 49th birthday but if they were that close to an approximate time then I must assume it's not far away out of the 203 million dollars that you've raised I know there's some fat in there because you have to pay for various things what percentage of that money that you're 94 cents of every dollar goes to research 94 cents that's right and that's what it was 26 years ago so that the machine that I am proud to say that I built the organization is so well oiled and it's such a super operation with love people we haven't because of economy inflation and the like changed those statistics yeah so that of that money 93 to 94 cents of every dollar goes to research as of 1949 to the current day our special guest is Jerry Lewis area code was I threw call us after this commercial break of your phone I promise a lot of [Music] [Applause] [Music] our special guests tourism you're on the Oh what is your question please go ahead yes go ahead please I'm trying to find out is what are the visiting hours for the maternity ward what was the question shopping ban I think I was for the maternity ward which one I think you're talking about you're on the air what is your question please oh my name is Richard de Weston hi Richard all right you remember me but back in 1974 February last year we are 1975 excuse me we did the Mike Douglas show as the humbug oh yeah you did a terrific thing with two other kids right right are you and where what happen was we taken your advice and got out of the business we take we took your advice about playing clubs about finding the act we'd like to know if you have any more advice now that like we've sort of branched off and a cup of us are in a comedy team now and we you know whatever thing they never work like if you have some advice for you know like young people getting up and you know the only advice I can ever give young people is what I tell my sons if you want to do something bad enough and you really want to do it do it how much out of every 365 days are you putting on an MD and how much in your career at this point are you semi-retired in terms of your career well not really but 26 years ago I gave 10% of my time to my kids and 90% of my career and now it's gone the other way because she get the involvement now is 365 days a year we've been in pre-production meetings for the telethon as of six weeks ago so that it's now a 9 to 10 month preparation of just getting the show on with 215 stations as you know we have as opposed to one station it changes the texture and I have to do an awful lot of work and corporate setups getting the guys with the fat-cat money and going in Nashville and visiting the independent stations and the affiliates and keeping everything together you don't put that team together in 20 minutes you're on the air which you elected a hundred and six percent this last year is that yeah the pledge was 18 million eight hundred and sixty eight thousand six hundred and sixty-four dollars we collected 19 million seven hundred thousand cash in the bank already that was only a hundred and sixty three days ago that I went off the air to made twenty three weeks and it's a tenth year in a row we got over a hundred percent with this economy and the inflation the loving on Labor Day these people are super they're there for me I want to ask you some would you like to leave a call why are you so close to it like this you get eaten your real close touch I mean you walk in it close you have stunning eyes down you think sorry mate yeah you look a lot like Ruth hussy do you think you a bigger star we'll say in Europe than you are here I mean it I don't know but for example the friendship had Jerry Lewis revivals retrospectives you've gone there do you think maybe you're a bigger star outside of this Collies husband in Europe yes do you think the American critics have been unkind to you no they're just stupid but you do think they've been unkind you know I don't think they've been unkind they just don't particularly like an abrasive obnoxious comedian that's all what if they would like to sit with me toe to toe sometimes you'll find that they also of the brain what are you expecting to be kind to me I realized I shouldn't be kind why have you been so unkind for example well because comedy is very fragile and it's not the kind of a thing that all people like particularly expounded upon by certain abrasive obnoxious loud raucous characters and my brand of humor is such that can indeed be offensive to a lot of people now if you know critics as I know them there is somewhat snobbish a little above the norm and that kind of jar is their whole carriage when I go now you do that to John Simon and he does four pages on why Freud should live in your toilet do you think John when was the last motion picture you made the day the clown cried finished it in 1970 January 75 you're on the air with Jerry Lewis your question please why are you so choked up at everything I say that read the chart on the wall ace high you're on the air what is your question please which son one two three four five or six you're right it was run yeah oh no no no no that's number two son yeah of it the brown hotel yeah my six foot four elephant yeah yeah he has a full meal we have to take a GI loan and not having been in the service makes it very difficult just like to say that I think you a fantastic actor thank you the greatest movie that you ever made to me the fellow thank you very much thank you yeah you're on the air with Jerry Lewis go ahead please yes could I talk to that man some more after the show you can yeah what's your name Helen that was my father's name oh yeah please what is your question I am NOT lecturing I wanna ask you a question many years ago I think there was a rumor that you did have a heart condition and I noticed you still smoke I don't know two and a half packs a day had a heart attack over a year ago 26 I'm going in for it triple bypass give me a favor people a great guy you've made me laugh for many years I have two grown son all right I want it on TV how old I am but we're pretty much at the same age bracket why don't you quit I'm still trying I'm gonna be the house stay on the line that's a good question I think your jury would like him I think you'll be all right darling if you had the mental attitude that I had about this lifestyle and the whole human condition which is a very psychological and philosophical one I'm sure you could do anything my whole point of view is that there isn't anything that you can't do if you want to do it bad enough I don't think smoking is going to be injurious to me the individual I would suspect that it is a dangerous thing for people to do and we wouldn't have the Surgeon General and some pretty good medical minds proclaiming don't do it if it wasn't dangerous I won't accept that because it doesn't fit in with my human condition so I make it that it's safe and mentally I think that I'm beating it I smoke two three four packs a day sometimes I don't really smoke them it's a prop I puff three or four maybe I smoke a pack and a half totally but I will not allow anything to happen to me because I have a lot of stuff I have to do yet I haven't even begun I have a lot of laughter that I want to create and a lot of good stuff for my kids and for my and just in general I won't have anything happen to me and I think that you can indeed structure your life in such a way if you do use that marvelous tool up here for positive thinking and nothing wrong will happen to you now on the 26th of March I strongly and respectfully recommend you think in terms of one aspect and that is that the doctors are nuts and you'll get in and out of there quickly and you'll be fine you can even smoke but you've got to really concentrate it how can you say it what I can say and I damned people are Leia but how can it be true in the face of the fact that 300 throw of those facts the 300,000 Americans die every year from the effects of smoking probably using yourself as a god person you know I see myself as someone who will probably die just like they will in a year or two but until then I'm gonna say I ain't oh I see in other words you're not kidding yourself you think you may die but you're willing to risk is what I think that the individual in on on the basis of what I believe my energy and my my psychological output is I think I can deal with anything I wouldn't recommend that to people I don't impose my thinking on other people I think other people should do what doctors tell them and follow the advice of the Surgeon General who clearly indicates warning the Surgeon General has determined that cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health that's a generalization I do not accept that I read the other side that says schmuck what are you doing this very interesting that woman's phone call was very touching here I'd love here as a woman who is anonymous you don't know her we had this great feeling for me the fact of the matter is that I feel that Jerry Lewis over the years has been abused by a lot of people by the critics by segments of the American public and here is a woman who is you know beneath that who wants to give you the greatest gift she can give you which is health and her love and concern and that's what it is and that's why I wanted her to know that I will be very careful to take good care of myself while doing an awful lot of things that are wrong and I'll be okay we'll have more questions for Jerry Lewis after this time you know if I [Music] our special guest is Jerry Lewis he went out to get something out of his briefcase hey guys right now come on we put a hand Michael you've got some letters here some very hard for me with this this one is insane oh you're not interested in knowing that in Reno it just indicates here that yes that was Jerry Lewis playing golf every day for the past several days at Reno's Brookside etc etc Louis last 18 holes resulted in a very credible 67 credible now that's a newspaper man a very credible 67 okay you want me to discuss this young who wrote it Tom Maguire is a sports so he's insinuating that she didn't do no no no he's DS P printed the facts but it's incredible what does that mean he's it by using that adjective well I don't know how does that sound to you is it suggesting that it was okay where is that idea 67 his last 18 resulted in a very credible 67 that's an understatement of all time well he's probably as a nine or ten handicapper so this was from Scotty Scotty's 19 this is one of your children one of my son no no no there's one of my son well this is your son yeah my kids are my MD eight kids this is one of my sons I just want you to see like the letter we read in this great okay he's got a lovely girl that he's crazy about see so he writes dear his father they won't call me Father except Gary calls me Dad and Ron calls me pop all the others call me father I just wanted to write you this note to thank you for being such a wonderful father and a good friend your kindness and understanding towards dee dee and I has really been fantastic I will always treasure our talk in Las Vegas that meant so very much to me we talked about a lot of things and I've been waiting to talk to you for quite a while and I don't think mama could ever sit me down and talk to me as realistically as you did I hate not having you home and I need to talk to you I love you so much for treating me like an understanding adult Mike my capabilities and my maturity tell me I'm almost there dee dee is the first person who is who has my maturity of who I've gone with who sentence huh she's never tried to change me she accepted me for what I am not who I am of course I'm proud of Who I am you know what I mean she once wrote to me most people like you because they love your father I like your father because I love you etc etc and he finishes the letter please don't show this letter to mama it could be hazardous to her health I know you know what I mean you know what I mean how do you keep it very stern very very very much the disciplinarian but the fun that we have based on just a father and his son there's no different than these fathers and their kids these fathers and their kids have a relationship whatever that is and their children relate to them on an individualistic basis and if they want to create laughter it's their ship always Jerry Lewis was in a jam and you only had a dime and could make one call who in the earth who a night on this earth after all his time in showbiz is leading a very eventful life of 50 years who would you place that called who is the person you know would walk on the thin ice for you to help you I would need a hundred dimes you feel you have that many friends yes you're a lucky man don't you yeah that thing about if you have five when you die well I'm into using my toes and then so I'm very wealthy man but that that I get is only because I put it up it's coming back you can't have that kind of friendship with people like David Hartman unless you love them first or whoever starts that is not important but to sustain a relationship you have to do things like flying into New York to do a show or whatever it is it's not doing our show well doing this show was a mistake but you make those mistakes every year you do it sure sure whatever year because you have been very good to me Ryan you've been kind to my kids and in Nashville the station was sensational say wherever people from Nashville would go I would go and I told you that when we talk to the Nashville my appearance is with you there were out of affection and appreciation and when your office called that didn't change when I heard you had a show in New York and they said would you do it that's my way of repaying you let me tell you about I don't want it because I don't make them all Horton from this I know you don't I don't either incident double-park by Jerry Lewis that kind of guy who when we did a show in Nashville he was on for 90 minutes he phones me from Los Angeles afterwards this fact me for putting him on the show you're on the air with Jerry Lewis your question please yes I'd like to thank all the children and all the people at the hospitals and muscle disease in New York City I just want to reinforce what he already knows and that's how much we love and admire him thank you very much do you have a child in the hospital are you a nurse there no I work for in a summer program for special education did you work did you work with Ethel cosmos no I don't know that name this is about four years ago in the summer program I see well thank you for your help and I appreciate your call a couple of final questions for Jerry Lewis go ahead please yes go ahead you're on the air game I heard that he had parked Blue Monster throughout yeah where did you hear that congratulate Thank You parring the Blue Monster was possibly one of the biggest thrills in my life because I didn't know how tough the course was when I played it and being a late starter I've only played golf since I was 45 not quite five years and I'm self-taught and I went to scratch in July of last year and now I'm I'm playing to a four handicap is that important reconnected or El Camino Doral is in Miami the Blue Monster is what it's called it's a very long spread and a tough golf course I was two under par coming into the 17th tee and then they proceeded to tell me how tough the course wasn't I bogeyed 17 and 18 a wound up hiring the court I know what I want to ask you this is show business questions like finished yes your cuz I went a little and that is what was the greatest greatest applause you ever got when was the moment when you really greatest applause yes the greatest single moment on the stage you think the London Palladium opening night when was that 1968 that was a standing ovation not the kind that people do because they read about it our special guest this morning is al goldstein who is a friend an old friend apparently you've never met a juror Lewisham no but you will you wrote a story about him yes me to death yeah how come well our job is is to throw zingers at people and sometimes it's on comput when you meet the person face to face but we we had some dirt on you weed we probably run in saying we have some good stuff from you in two weeks about me Mike yeah remember that night right who can forget and not Capone question before gadgets but screw magazine deals with pornography why would Jerry Lewis being in a paper like that somebody was throwing saps at Jerry and we just all I just it was it was in the course of an interview uh-huh now we're gonna talk about the fact that I'll go Steen faces a very serious court case March 9th for which you could go into the slam well I could drop the case what are this morning I've been indicted in Wichita for mailing screw across Dave Lawrence I get 65 years and/or $650,000 fine or they could cut my my diners club cotton him at least let's show this morning some of the gadgets that Alex brought with us Jerry Lewis loves most super gadget show actually demonstrate it what we're talking about this is a corkscrew and now everyone in the world you see that right there are screws yeah but this one is so big that if you if you don't if you can't handle a cork with this corkscrew you should have yourself committed it's really sensational it's just a good big corkscrew that's all and if you drink wine they slide it how did I wind up beating this of course is a that's a phone basically right wait once whoo Eddie you're kidding and how's more day me someone on is it connected I don't know what that is what's this right here this is uh this is Billy Barty's theme with drunk this is a leather case and you see this alright oh well this is what oh yeah this is dictaphone no this is this man you know I was wrong all the cops wear this you can you wire your subscribe link it now why are you representing why why do you have these things well I publish a newsletter called gadget there it is right now which is a sold by subscription at Goucher the 116 West 14th Street as 11 copies for 10 books and what we do is we test toys so here's one I'm sure Jerry would love because he's when the first shoulders to this camera right here and keep it still not great they've only made a hundred of this one it's a calculator with the Pulsar watch with a calculator built-in so you press this I think the light blocks it in there then you just multiply with a twelve times tried twelve times two well there's none either right Jerry twenty-five Jerry no can you see that maybe you can't but it does what it does yeah there it is and you just works on the nylon tip oh that's so heavy yeah not much with that reaching people it sells for $39 $39 903 what the hell Holy Smoke that's a lot of loot that one and what about this particular suitcase here what do you have oh that's yeah I've got this if you got a way to share this with me this is a portable telephone and you have the ypj pyl that's the New York let's chop this up so we can get a good it's the New York base phone unit it's the same as in your car and it's battery-operated and you can charge it and it's about said I paid 1,700 how much is this about twenty-two now is this working right now it should be that's phony ABC can we do that without you can you do that against the law yes I know that but you can put someone on there yeah let's try yeah I got an operator hello operator oh we can't hear them obviously we couldn't hear them on the ear though you watt what room the three of us haha Oh kitty Oh Stan Oh oh yeah we can't hear on the you know it's really it's cutting out because of the the steel in the building what is this retail 400 it's by $2,200 here's another interesting item you know calculators the big thing I packed it it even starts I just bought this my son you can kids can start very young working with with mathematics here and that's lay it out Mickey Mouse a calculator as he knows Elvis by the way we test them for gadget a lot of times we test garbage but we try and expose it at least and unlike Consumer Reports which deals with things practically when you approach things away Jerry wood it's fun and then and if you've never grown up as most as most men haven't this is the it's a great it's a great it's a great way of having a good time buying toys this is marvelous for penlight batteries and that's your whole battery source and this is great for children because you multiply subtract add and there's it clear clear it's the same as any calculator what do you have at home Jerry I know I have six kids nobody in terms of electronics what do you have what do you want I've got it all well me you've got a lot of stuff yeah me TV says the N for example yeah I have no I have the Sony convention system projection system I have a 33 room house in the house I would say there are 15 televisions 15 televisions approximate would these but these fit into your lifestyle with that phone for example be a good idea if I use the phone I have that me have that you know get one in the car or one another one where they are I have one in a briefcase I have one of my galoshes something this is beautiful I'd like to get that for my little boy now what do we have here what are these movie this is a little car that races oh that's nice that's an Evel Knievel isn't it the crashes when your body falls out and goes I and you press the button for blood and band-aids that's a Richard Petty turn that's like it's an evil creative and it's a radio-controlled car and it's just it's great it's great for kids there's no wires or anything it sells for about 40 bucks it's a lot of fun you can use it to carry cigarettes of Jerry one cigarettes and it'll be batch there what about this is Panasonic what is that one my favorite this is an older toy that'll tell you what my mother's by depressing it there's a vocal cord on tape see it's a talking clock radio built by Panasonic which is a subset of Mitsubishi in Japan oh she loves her drive I've always wanted her to say I love you well it's 809 she would get the personal notice let us talk about if we can you will talk about these couple of things right here well what is this this is a think tank it can you just handed me Stanley [Music] it's kind of a if you're right in that I must tell you in all eyes there are certain staging problems I say it's here does anyone said this is not becoming off the way we wanted no it's really it's go ahead we turn this around if you if you're blocking on something or you don't have a line for a woman or you're integrating somebody's not going someplace you spin this around and this will steer ethically free-associate your next course of action let me tease and if my case has quit its favorite gadget bring in that gadget and hold this microphone al I want to get something for its really interested well Jerry you have six boys right yes I only have one ah they introduce you introduce your wife a Gina my wife Gina and my you know Stanley we met can I read something about al goldstein that Jerry Lewis will appreciate here on the current issue of you in New York it's an old one it said what's the most important thing you've learned about love and here's what al goldstein writes here's the editor of screw magazine he's facing the possibility of a jail sentence for 150 years whatever it is 65 and you write this it's a very good question I usually can be flip but will sound thinking love is very precious and very special and this is not going to help my public image but love cuts to all the trivia and claptrap of life it's spiritual and I'm thinking particularly about when I'm with my son when I'm with him I get a feeling that this is where everything is at not with the money I make or with running a paper or keeping like a hot shot I'm a controversial figure and when I have them in my arms everything's really great I know this sounds funky Estelle I can't believe I'm saying welcome that's nice we have to go thanks very much to jury Lewis be back with a final load thanks to Al and your family thanks for coming on fine load out to this time on [Music]

Channel: givethechanceakid

Views: 69,672

Keywords: jerry lewis, new york, am new york, interview, 1976, rare

Id: IZYD4MS7r3Y

Length: 35min 42sec (2142 seconds)

Published: Sun Oct 15 2017