Editing Jerry Lewis (section)

==Style and reception ==
=== Comedic style ===
Lewis "single-handedly created a style of humor that was half anarchy, half excruciation. Even comics who never took a pratfall in their careers owe something to the self-deprecation Jerry introduced into American show business."<ref name="Mclellen">{{cite news|last=Mclellen|first=Dennis|date=August 20, 2017|title=The Slapstick, The Telethons, The Laaady!|newspaper=LA Times|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-jerry-lewis-20170820-story.html|access-date=April 16, 2020|archive-date=April 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200417153318/https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-jerry-lewis-20170820-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> {{quote box|
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| quote = Jerry Lewis was the most profoundly creative comedian of his generation and arguably one of the two or three most influential comedians born anywhere in this century.
| source = ''The King of Comedy'', 1996
}} His comedy style was physically uninhibited, expressive, and potentially volatile. He was known especially for his distinctive voice, facial expressions, pratfalls, and physical stunts. His [[improvisation]]s and ad-libbing, especially in nightclubs and early television were revolutionary among performers. It was "marked by a raw, edgy energy that would distinguish him within the comedy landscape."<ref>{{cite web|last=Romano|first=Aja|date=August 20, 2017|title=Jerry Lewis, Legendary Standup, Actor-Director, and comedy Misanthrope, is Dead at 91|url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/8/20/16176098/jerry-lewis-comedian-filmmaker-obituary|publisher=vox.com|access-date=February 21, 2018|archive-date=February 21, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221161446/https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/8/20/16176098/jerry-lewis-comedian-filmmaker-obituary|url-status=live}}</ref> Will Sloan, of ''[[Flavorwire]]'' wrote, "In the late '40s and early '50s, nobody had ever seen a comedian as wild as Jerry Lewis."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Sloan|first=Will|date=March 1, 2016|title=Pure Unfiltered Id Reappraising Jerry Lewis|url=http://flavorwire.com/563565/pure-unfiltered-id-reappraising-jerry-lewis-brutally-unfunny-comedy|magazine=Flavorwire|access-date=February 6, 2018|archive-date=February 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206190328/http://flavorwire.com/563565/pure-unfiltered-id-reappraising-jerry-lewis-brutally-unfunny-comedy|url-status=live}}</ref> Placed in the context of the conservative era, his antics were radical and liberating, paving the way for future comedians [[Steve Martin]], [[Richard Pryor]], [[Andy Kaufman]], [[Paul Reubens]], and [[Jim Carrey]]. Carrey wrote: "Through his comedy, Jerry would stretch the boundaries of reality so far that it was an act of anarchy ... I learned from Jerry",<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Carrey|first=Jim|date=August 23, 2017|title=He Is Part of My Makeup. Jim Carrey on What He Learned From Jerry Lewis|url=https://time.com/4912006/jim-carrey-jerry-lewis-comedy/|magazine=Time|access-date=February 5, 2018|archive-date=December 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171227070602/http://time.com/4912006/jim-carrey-jerry-lewis-comedy/|url-status=live}}</ref> and "I am because he was."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Kreps|first=Daniel|date=August 20, 2017 |title=Jerry Lewis: Martin Scorsese, Jim Carrey, More Remember Comedy Legend |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/jerry-lewis-jim-carrey-deana-martin-more-remember-legend-w498595|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=February 5, 2018 |archive-date=February 6, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206073505/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/news/jerry-lewis-jim-carrey-deana-martin-more-remember-legend-w498595|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Acting the bumbling [[everyman]], Lewis used tightly choreographed, sophisticated sight gags, physical routines, verbal [[double-talk]] and [[malapropism]]s. "You cannot help but notice Lewis's incredible sense of control in regards to performing—they may have looked at times like the ravings of a madman but his best work had a genuine grace and finesse behind it that would put most comedic performers of any era to shame."<ref>{{cite web|last=Sobczynski|first=Peter|date=August 22, 2017|title=An American Original The RogerEbert.com Staff Remembers Jerry Lewis|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/balder-and-dash/an-american-original-the-rogerebertcom-staff-remembers-jerry-lewis|publisher=rogerebert.com|access-date=February 10, 2018|archive-date=February 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180211072201/https://www.rogerebert.com/balder-and-dash/an-american-original-the-rogerebertcom-staff-remembers-jerry-lewis|url-status=live}}</ref> They are "choreographed as exactly as any ballet, each movement and gesture coming on natural beats and conforming to the overall rhythmic form which is headed to a spectacular finale: absolute catastrophe."<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Finney|first=Alan|date=April 1070|title=Deconstruction Jerry: Lewis as Director: Some Basic Characteristics of the Fool |magazine=Melbourne Film Bulletin |number=12 |url=http://sensesofcinema.com/2016/jerry-lewis/jerry-lewis-the-fool/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180221222444/http://sensesofcinema.com/2016/jerry-lewis/jerry-lewis-the-fool/|archive-date=February 21, 2018|access-date=February 21, 2018 |via=Senses of Cinema}}</ref>

Although Lewis made it no secret that he was Jewish, he was criticized for hiding his Jewish heritage. In several of his films—both with Martin and solo—Lewis's [[Jewish identity]] is hinted at in passing, and was never made a defining characteristic of his onscreen persona. Aside from the 1959 television movie ''The Jazz Singer'' and the unreleased 1972 film ''The Day the Clown Cried'', Lewis never appeared in a film or film role that had any ties to his Jewish heritage.<ref name="heritage1">{{Cite book|jstor=10.5749/j.cttts86x|title=Comedy is a Man in Trouble |last1=Dale |first1=Alan |year=2000 |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |isbn=9780816636570 }}</ref> When asked about this lack of Jewish portrayal in a 1984 interview, Lewis stated, "I never hid it, but I wouldn't announce it and I wouldn't exploit it. Plus the fact it had no room in the visual direction I was taking in my work."<ref name="heritage2">{{Cite web|title=My 1984 interview with Jerry Lewis – The Bad and the Beautiful|url=http://www.lumenick.com/my-1984-interview-with-jerry-lewis/|access-date=June 29, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629140418/https://www.lumenick.com/my-1984-interview-with-jerry-lewis/|archive-date=June 29, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Lewis's physical movements in films received some criticism because he was perceived as imitating or mocking those with a physical disability.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Shearer|first=Harry|date=1979 |title=Midsection: Telethon |journal=Film Comment|volume=15|issue=3|pages=33–48|jstor=26747107 |issn=0015-119X}}</ref>&nbsp;Through the years, the disability that has been attached to his comedic persona has not been physical, but mental. Neuroticism and schizophrenia have been a part of Lewis's persona since his partnership with Dean Martin; however, it was in his solo career that these disabilities became important to the plots of his films and the characters. In films such as ''The Ladies Man'' (1961), ''The Disorderly Orderly'' (1964), ''The Patsy'' (1964) and ''Cracking Up'' (1983), there is either neuroticism, schizophrenia, or both that drive the plot. Lewis was able to explore and dissect the psychological side of his persona, which provided a depth to the character and the films that was not present in his previous efforts.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Pomerance|first=Murray|author-link=Murray Pomerance |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YKbrIsFaPvsC&q=jerry+lewis+neuroticism+comedy&pg=PA135 |title=Enfant Terrible!: Jerry Lewis in American Film|date=2002–2011|publisher=NYU Press|isbn=978-0-8147-6706-1}}</ref>

=== Directorial technique ===
During the 1960 production of ''The Bellboy,'' Lewis pioneered the technique of using video cameras and multiple closed circuit monitors,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/20/entertainment/jerry-lewis-dies/index.html|title=Comedian Jerry Lewis dies at 91, publicist says|last=Leopold|first=Todd|website=CNN|access-date=August 20, 2017|archive-date=August 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820184350/http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/20/entertainment/jerry-lewis-dies/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> which allowed him to review his performance instantly. This was necessary since he was acting as well as directing. His techniques and methods of filmmaking, documented in his book and his USC class, enabled him to complete most of his films on time and under budget since reshoots could take place immediately instead of waiting for the [[dailies]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

''Man in Motion,''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061947/|title=Man in Motion|access-date=July 31, 2018|via=imdb.com|archive-date=February 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170209073432/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061947/|url-status=live}}</ref> a [[featurette]] for ''Three on a Couch'', features the video system, named "Jerry's Noisy Toy"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGyntfAGkME| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/eGyntfAGkME| archive-date=December 11, 2021 | url-status=live|title="Man in Motion", behind-the-scenes featurette, 1966, Jerry Lewis, Janet Leigh |last=soapbxprod|date=October 19, 2011|access-date=July 31, 2018|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> and shows Lewis receiving the Golden Light Technical Achievement award for its development. Lewis stated he worked with the head of [[Sony]] to produce the prototype. While he initiated its practice and use, and was instrumental in its development, he did not hold a patent.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ocregister.com/2017/08/20/jerry-lewis-dies-at-91/|title=Comedian Jerry Lewis dies at 91|date=August 20, 2017|website=Orange County Register|access-date=August 20, 2017|archive-date=August 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170820203304/http://www.ocregister.com/2017/08/20/jerry-lewis-dies-at-91/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.cnet.com/news/video-assist-predates-jerry-lewis-patent/|title=Video assist predates Jerry Lewis 'patent'|work=CNET|access-date=August 20, 2017|archive-date=August 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821004817/https://www.cnet.com/news/video-assist-predates-jerry-lewis-patent/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Lewis screened Spielberg's early film ''[[Amblin']]'' and told his students, "That's what filmmaking is all about."<ref>{{cite book|first=Joseph|last=McBride|title=Steven Spielberg&nbsp;– A Biography|location=New York|publisher=Simon & Schuster|year=1997|page=168|isbn=978-1604738360}}</ref> The class covered all topics related to filmmaking, including pre and post production, marketing and distribution and filming comedy with rhythm and timing.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Total Filmmaker|first=Jerry|last=Lewis|year=1971|publisher=Random House|isbn=9780446669269}}</ref> His 1971 book ''The Total Film Maker'', was based on 480 hours of his class lectures.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.mda.org/jerry-lewis/biography.html|title=Jerry Lewis Biography|publisher=MDA.org|access-date=February 6, 2018|archive-date=February 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180206190332/https://www.mda.org/jerry-lewis/biography.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Lewis also traveled to medical schools for seminars on laughter and healing with Clifford Kuhn and also did corporate and college lectures, motivational speaking and promoted the pain-treatment company [[Medtronic]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

=== Exposure in France ===
{{quote box|width=30em|bgcolor=cornsilk|fontsize=100%|salign=center|quote="Americans are the people who, when the French decided that Jerry Lewis was a genius, never stopped to ask why, but immediately branded France a nation of idiots." —Biographer [[Jeanine Basinger]] in ''Silent Stars'' (1999).<ref>[[Jeanine Basinger|Basinger, Jeanine]]. 1999. ''Silent Stars''. [[Alfred A. Knopf]], New York. {{ISBN | 0-679-43840-8}} p. 65: Opening sentence to chapter entitled “Mabel and the Kops.”</ref> }}
While Lewis was popular in France for his duo films with Dean Martin and his solo comedy films, his reputation and stature increased after the Paramount contract, when he began to exert total control over all aspects of his films. His involvement in directing, writing, editing and art direction coincided with the rise of [[auteur]] theory in French intellectual film criticism and the [[French New Wave]] movement. He earned consistent praise from French critics in the influential magazines ''[[Cahiers du Cinéma]]'' and ''[[Positif (magazine)|Positif]],'' where he was hailed as an ingenious auteur.{{Citation needed|date=December 2022}}

His singular ''[[mise-en-scène]],'' and skill behind the camera, were aligned with [[Howard Hawks]], [[Alfred Hitchcock]] and [[Satyajit Ray]]. Appreciated too, was the complexity of his also being in front of the camera. The new French criticism viewed [[Cinematography|cinema]] as an art form unto itself, and comedy as part of this art. Lewis is then fitted into a historical context and seen as not only worthy of critique, but as an innovator and satirist of his time.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Film|first=Hollis|last=Alpert|chapter=le roi du crazy|publisher=The Bobbs-Merrill Co., Inc.|location=New York|pages=23–25|year=1968}}</ref> [[Jean-Pierre Coursodon]] states in a 1975 ''[[Film Comment]]'' article, "The merit of the French critics, auteurist excesses notwithstanding, was their willingness to look at what Lewis was doing as a filmmaker for what it was, rather than with some preconception of what film comedy should be."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Coursodon |first1=Jean-Pierre |title=Jerry Lewis's Films: No Laughing Matter? |journal=Film Comment |date=July–August 1975 |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=9–15 |jstor=43754397 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/43754397 |access-date=5 March 2024 |archive-date=April 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405105059/https://www.jstor.org/stable/43754397 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Curricula at universities or art schools, [[film studies]] and [[film theory]] were not yet [[avant-garde]] in early 1960s America. Mainstream movie reviewers such as [[Pauline Kael]], were dismissive of auteur theory, and others, seeing only absurdist comedy, criticized Lewis for his ambition and "castigated him for his self-indulgence" and egotism. Despite this criticism being often held by American film critics, admiration for Lewis and his comedy continued to grow in France.<ref>{{Cite web|date=August 21, 2017|title=The slapstick, the telethons, 'L-a-a-a-dy!' – comic and philanthropist Jerry Lewis dies at 91|url=https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-jerry-lewis-20170820-story.html|access-date=September 14, 2020|website=Los Angeles Times|archive-date=September 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200912205811/https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-jerry-lewis-20170820-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Appreciation of Lewis by "the French" became something of a stereotype and was often the object of jokes in American pop culture.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1349/do-the-french-really-love-jerry-lewis|title=Do the French really love Jerry Lewis?|date=October 1, 1999|publisher=The Straight Dope|first=Cecil|last=Adams|access-date=May 4, 2015|archive-date=May 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504175925/http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1349/do-the-french-really-love-jerry-lewis|url-status=live}}</ref> "That Americans can't see Jerry Lewis's genius is bewildering", says N. T. Binh, a French film magazine critic. Such bewilderment was the basis of the book ''Why the French Love Jerry Lewis.''<ref name=Poirier>{{cite news|last=Poirier|first=Agnes C.|title=Le Grand Jerry Lewis |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/opinion/sunday/le-grand-jerry-lewis.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220103/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/opinion/sunday/le-grand-jerry-lewis.html |archive-date=January 3, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|access-date=May 21, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 19, 2013}}{{cbignore}}</ref>