Gary Lewis & the Playboys recorded some memorable hits in the 1960s, such as “This Diamond Ring” and “Everybody Loves a Clown.” I always knew the songs, but for a long time I did not know that Gary Lewis was the son of the great Jerry Lewis. And that the two talents once hosted an episode of the NBC variety series Hullabaloo together.
In the episode, which you may watch below, Gary and Jerry open with the Beatles song Help! And then Jerry introduces his son to sing “Everybody Loves a Clown,” while playing a little prank on the younger Lewis.
The episode also features Joannie Sommers, Barry Maguire (“Eve of Destruction”), and Paul Revere and the Raiders (watch for Goldie Hawn appearing as a dancer behind them). Check out the episode from September 20, 1965 for an entertaining glimpse back at the humor and music of the 1960s. And don’t miss the train wreck of a musical medley with all of the guests, including Jerry Lewis singing 1960s songs, Gary Lewis on a Bob Dylan song, and Maguire somehow making “Hang On Sloopy” sound angry.
Unfortunately, the father and son did not remain as close as they appeared on the TV show. The two men later became estranged (with Jerry Lewis disinheriting Gary and his brothers).
As for Gary, although his band features different members than from their heyday, Gary Lewis & the Playboys still tour. Check out the band’s website.
I have tried out a number of movie podcasts, and one of the best is The Important Cinema Club. Listening to hosts Will Sloan and Justin Decloux feels like hanging out with your friends in the basement talking about movies. But only if your friends knew a ton about movies and were able to talk about them without being smug or making you feel like an idiot.
In The Important Cinema Club, Sloan and Decloux explore great films, but they also talk about not-so-great movies. They take a light-hearted approach, so you never feel like you are listening to movie snobs who think they know more than you.
Although they do know more than you, Sloan and Decloux are not afraid to explain why they do not like a classic like Gone With the Wind while also heaping praise on Godzilla movies or the work of Jerry Lewis. One of their recent episodes was devoted to Looney Tunes, and when they turned their focus on Steven Spielberg they decided to focus on his lesser-loved works.
So, one of the great things about The Important Cinema Club is the range of topics. In one episode, they will be talking about Starship Troopers while just a few episodes earlier they devoted an episode to Vincente Minnelli. You will likely start listening by skipping around to episodes about movies you have seen. But you also should listen to the episodes about movies, stars, and directors you have never heard of. Sloan and Decloux have a ton of knowledge, and The Important Cinema Club is one of the most educational podcasts I have found.
But most importantly, the podcast is fun. The best part is the interaction between Sloan and Decloux and their sense of humor. You can tell that they really like each other and that they love movies. Their self-effacing humor makes all of their knowledge both accessible and fun. These guys know their stuff, but they also know how to have a good time. In some ways, they are using their podcast to do what Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert did with television by elevating the conversation about movies while also making the conversation entertaining and fun.
Host Justin Decloux writes about movies, while hosting another podcast called Loose Cannons with Matthew Kumar. He is an editor at FilmTrap.com and also has written and directed films. Will Sloan writes about movies, and has written for NPR and other places. His blog and other writings cover other topics in addition to film.
Most of the podcasts are free. But once you start listening to The Important Cinema Club, you might want to support the podcast through Patreon and gain access to bonus content.
If you do not trust my recommendation, listen to my new “friends” Will and Justin tell you why you should listen to The Important Cinema Club.
What is your favorite movie podcast? Leave your two cents in the comments.
One of the most famous movies-that-you-cannot-watch is The Day the Clown Cried, a 1972 movie that Jerry Lewis co-wrote, directed, and starred in. The controversial film about an imprisoned circus clown at a World War II concentration camp has achieved legendary status both for being an obviously bad idea and for being shelved by Lewis. But a new BBC documentary The Story of The Day the Clown Cried provides some never-before-seen images from the lost movie about the fictional clown Helmut Doork along with some insight into why Lewis did not want anyone to see the movie.
If you just think about how a movie about a clown at a concentration camp possibly could go wrong, you may not need to know much more about The Day the Clown Cried. But for everyone curious about how a film got made that ends with Lewis’s clown leading children into the gas chamber at Auschwitz, the BBC documentary, presented by Jewish comedian David Schneider, is revealing.
To make the 28-minute documentary, Schneider used footage of Jerry Lewis discussing the film and also sought out other people connected to the making of the movie. Check out the complete The Story of The Day the Clown Cried below.
In 2015, Lewis donatedThe Day the Clown Cried to the Library of Congress with an agreement that the movie will not be shown for at least ten years. So, if you are curious, you may get to see the movie in 2025 (although the movie itself was never completely finished due to financial and production problems).
Until then, you will have to satisfy your urge to see a comedian in a Holocaust movie by watching Roberto Benigni in Life is Beautiful (1997).
What was Jerry Lewis thinking? Leave your two cents in the comments. Photo via YouTube.
The Atlantic recently posted an interesting article about the famous scene from The Errand Boy (1961) where Jerry Lewis imitates an Executive in time to the music of Count Basie Orchestra’s “Blues in Hoss’s Flat.” I recall seeing the movie as a kid, and the wonderful Jerry Lewis scene has stayed with me ever since.
Apparently, many other remember the scene too, making it one of the most admired scenes from a panned movie. Seth MacFarlane negotiated with Lewis for permission to feature Peter Griffin on Family Guy recreating the scene. Another fan, Manoj Sharma, posted his tribute on Youtube, where he courageously recreates the scene in perfect time to Jerry Lewis in the background. Like Lewis’s original, this clip gives me a big smile. Check it out.
For more about the famous scene, make sure to check out The Atlantic article. The tune, “Blues in Hoss’s Flat,” was composed by Count Basie band member Frank Foster and is from Basie’s album whose title might have inspired Lewis, Chairman of the Board (1959).
What is your favorite Jerry Lewis movie? Leave your two cents in the comments.
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