R.I.P., Jerry Lewis - Granite Grok

R.I.P., Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis MDS TelethonJerry died today.  I grew up watching all of his zany movies of which almost all were funny but some, even as a child, had moving and serious parts to them as well.  His movies with crooner Dean Martin were just the best.  But that’s not what I remember best about Jerry.  The MDS (“Multiple Dystrophy Society”) Telethon was ALWAYS watched when I was growing up – it was all about Jerry’s Kids.  Sure, lots of money was raised (and I remember waiting for each and every update to be introduced by long term MDS sidekick, Ed McMahon) especially during the last hour; will they make it, will they make it?  Most years, yes, but not all years.

I also remember the family across the street as they started to do an MDS carnival. Small at first in our middle class neighborhood but each year it grew larger and larger.  Even while the beginning years raised only a few hundred dollars (back in the 60s, that was a pretty good sum of money) with kiddy games, auctions, and food sales, all of us neighborhood kids ended up helping out with the set up and running it.  It finally got to the point where hundreds of people would come and the money raised almost hit $10, 000 one year.  THAT was a big deal – our kids helping Jerry’s Kids and it was a big deal watching our playmates handing over that check on live TV on the local Boston channel that carried the telethon that year.

Later, I’d call in personal donations during those Memorial Day shows.  Sadly, it petered out over the years and then, even when donations were still reasonable in size, Jerry was “let go” by the MDS Board as they decided to go in that detestable phrase “a new direction”.  The consequence is now that MDS has faded from most peoples’ minds.

One thing was sure – talented and perhaps big ego driven in his professional career that might have spilled over into the Telethon – is that he loved those kids, each and everyone of them.  And I still look back in time and remember (as being one of the “older kids” running the “swimming pool fishing pole game” year after year – for Jerry’s Kids.  A very small thing in the larger scheme, but one that has stuck with me through the decades – helping other.

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