Born on March 16, 1926, in Newark, New Jersey, Jerry Lewis, then known as Jerome Levitch, grew up performing in a vaudeville family. He met singer Dean Martinin 1944. They developed a comedy act and performed in nightclubs like the Copacabana.
Profile
Comedian,
actor, director. Jerry Lewis was born as Joseph Levitch on March 6,
1926 in Newark, New Jersey. His father, Daniel Levitch, who went by the
stage name Danny Lewis, was an actor, master of ceremonies and
all-around performer. His mother, Rae Lewis, played piano for the New
York City radio station WOR and was her husband's musical director.
Growing up in a show business family, Lewis began following in his
parents' footsteps as a performer from a very young age. He made his
debut at the age of five, singing "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?" at
New York's "Borscht Belt" nightclubs in the Catskill Mountains.
A
decade later, at the age of 15, Jerry Lewis dropped out of high school
to pursue a full-time career as a performer. He devised a comedy routine
known as the "Record Act" in which he mimed and mouthed the lyrics to
operatic and popular songs while a phonograph played the songs offstage.
He took his act to the offices of several booking agents before finally
landing a gig at a burlesque house in Buffalo. His debut performance
fell flat, though, and unable to book any shows at more prestigious
venues, Lewis worked as a theater usher and soda jerk to make ends meet.
He grew depressed and was on the verge of giving up on his dream of
following his parents into show business when a friend of his father's,
the comedian Max Coleman, convinced him to give comedy another shot and
helped him land a performance at Brown's Hotel in Loch Sheldrake, New
York. This time his comedy routine received thunderous applause, and
among the enthused audience members was another comedian, Irving Kaye,
who helped the young Lewis book more Borscht Belt appearances.
In
1945, a 19-year-old Lewis met a young crooner named Dean Martin while
performing at the Glass Hat Club in New York City. A year later, when
Lewis was performing at the 500 Club in Atlantic City and another
performer suddenly quit, Lewis suggested that the club book Dean Martin
as a replacement. On July 25, 1946, Martin joined Lewis as a performer
at the 500 Club, and one of the greatest partnerships in the history of
American show business was born. Their act began with Martin singing a
song only to be interrupted by Lewis, with the routine soon devolving
into a hilarious improvised sequence that included ad-libbed insults,
food fights, and frequent banter with the audience. Billed as Martin and
Lewis, the duo became such an instantaneous success that in a matter of
months they went from earning $250 a week to earning $5,000.
Profile
Comedian,
actor, director. Jerry Lewis was born as Joseph Levitch on March 6,
1926 in Newark, New Jersey. His father, Daniel Levitch, who went by the
stage name Danny Lewis, was an actor, master of ceremonies and
all-around performer. His mother, Rae Lewis, played piano for the New
York City radio station WOR and was her husband's musical director.
Growing up in a show business family, Lewis began following in his
parents' footsteps as a performer from a very young age. He made his
debut at the age of five, singing "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?" at
New York's "Borscht Belt" nightclubs in the Catskill Mountains.
A
decade later, at the age of 15, Jerry Lewis dropped out of high school
to pursue a full-time career as a performer. He devised a comedy routine
known as the "Record Act" in which he mimed and mouthed the lyrics to
operatic and popular songs while a phonograph played the songs offstage.
He took his act to the offices of several booking agents before finally
landing a gig at a burlesque house in Buffalo. His debut performance
fell flat, though, and unable to book any shows at more prestigious
venues, Lewis worked as a theater usher and soda jerk to make ends meet.
He grew depressed and was on the verge of giving up on his dream of
following his parents into show business when a friend of his father's,
the comedian Max Coleman, convinced him to give comedy another shot and
helped him land a performance at Brown's Hotel in Loch Sheldrake, New
York. This time his comedy routine received thunderous applause, and
among the enthused audience members was another comedian, Irving Kaye,
who helped the young Lewis book more Borscht Belt appearances.
In
1945, a 19-year-old Lewis met a young crooner named Dean Martin while
performing at the Glass Hat Club in New York City. A year later, when
Lewis was performing at the 500 Club in Atlantic City and another
performer suddenly quit, Lewis suggested that the club book Dean Martin
as a replacement. On July 25, 1946, Martin joined Lewis as a performer
at the 500 Club, and one of the greatest partnerships in the history of
American show business was born. Their act began with Martin singing a
song only to be interrupted by Lewis, with the routine soon devolving
into a hilarious improvised sequence that included ad-libbed insults,
food fights, and frequent banter with the audience. Billed as Martin and
Lewis, the duo became such an instantaneous success that in a matter of
months they went from earning $250 a week to earning $5,000.
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