Comedian Paul Rodriguez, at podium, expresses the comedians’ support Friday for Jerry Lewis to be reinstated as host of the annual Muscular Dystrophy Association Telethon. With him are, from left, Norm Crosby, Jason Stuart, Angelo Tsarouchas, Larry Miller, Jamie Masada (front) and Tom Dreesen.
LOS ANGELES — Jerry Lewis’ separation from the Muscular Dystrophy Association is not a laughing matter for some comedians.
Paul Rodriguez, Larry Miller, Tom Dreesen, Norm Crosby and others have joined in support of Lewis, the 85-year-old comedian who the MDA said is no longer its national chairman and will not appear on this year’s telethon. The Tucson, Ariz.-based association announced earlier this week that the organization was parting ways with him after 45 years.
“If this is the way we’re going, we should also tell grandpa we don’t need him for Thanksgiving,” joked Miller.
The funnymen told reporters gathered at The Laugh Factory comedy club Friday in Hollywood that they want the MDA to feature Lewis in some capacity on the upcoming telethon.
“He’s not dead,” said Rodriguez. “He’s very much alive.”
The comedians said they hadn’t spoken with Lewis since the separation was announced, but Laugh Factory owner Jamie Masada said they supported Lewis “regardless of why he was dismissed.”
Dreesen speculated that the MDA told Lewis that he would be phased out of the telethon, and the group was fearful of what Lewis would say during the six-hour broadcast.
“There’s no way they would give him the microphone for five minutes,” said Dreesen.
The Muscular Dystrophy Association announced that legendary 85 year old entertainer Jerry Lewis will no longer serve as their national chairman and he won’t be back as the host of their telecasts, which he initially brought into the spotlight. CBSNews.com’s Ken Lombardi reports: Video
How could they fire Jerry Lewis?? – Ken Levine
Thank you, Jerry for 45 years of great work. Now get out. That’s essentially what the MDA has done to telethon host/face of the charity Jerry Lewis. Oh, I’m sure he drove them crazy. I’m sure executives dove out of their 20th floor office windows when they heard he was in the building. But without Jerry there is no telethon. I mean, seriously, you’re replacing one of the icons of show business with Nigel Lythgoe? (Who???)
The program will also be shortened this year from twenty hours to a mere six. And I bet they still have trouble filling the bill. Good luck getting Tony Orlando this year.
Once upon the time the Jerry Lewis telethon was a highlight of the year. Twenty hours of the highest camp, schmaltziest schmaltz, cheesiest cheese, and glitziest entertainment ever assembled on one stage. And it was all live. Jaw-dropping moments were as common as a check of the tote board. I even wrote about it a couple of years ago.
Jerry created this faux Vegas main showroom format, which was already dated in 1966 when he first introduced it. Over the years it became a time piece. Singers still in tuxedos and formal gowns – at 7:00 AM. Wayne Newton — the major headliner. Lounge comics trotting out material that I’m sure killed in 1955. Puppeteers. Bird acts.
And it was all held together by Jerry. No comedian has ever taken himself more seriously, and in an unintentional twisted way, that only made him funnier. One minute dripping sincerity, the next crossing his eyes and acting like a moron. Genius! Sheer genius!
Add to the mix the fatigue factor. Put someone like that on live television with major sleep deprivation and by hour 15 you’ve got real theater. Crying, badgering, doing rat pack racial slurs. You never knew what you were going to get… from moment to moment. And again, that was the brilliance of it all. That was the appeal. Once Jerry took his tie off you were on high alert for hilarity.
Plus, it was all for a really good cause.
Say what you will, Jerry raised millions and millions for MDA. His telethon became a part of American culture. He is 85. You knew it was just a matter of time. But to not let him go out in a dignified way, on his own terms, that’s unconscionable.
As far as I’m concerned there is no more MDA telethon. And it’s too bad because Nigel’s kids need the help just as much as Jerry’s.
Thanks again for everything, Jerry. I’ll never be able to hear Rockabye My Baby With a Dixie Melody ever again without crying… and laughing.
This is just another example of what is wrong with America! I am absolutely not a fan of Jerry Lewis style comedy, especially not when he was young. He was waaaaay too silly for me. But Jerry Lewis is the Muscular Dystrophy Telethon and Jerry’s Kids and Adults have received the donations and all the results from them for one reason and one reason only… Because of Jerry Lewis and his hard work and dedication.
America’s lack of respect for their elders and for the knowledge they have and the service they have given is a huge part of our failure as a people and as a nation. The youth culture and ignorance and disinterest is much of what has brought us to the place we now find ourselves in and is part of the plan of the Progressive Movement that has gripped and destroyed this nation.
Shame on MDA!! I support the the comedians and other groups fighting to bring Jerry back. I hope some you decide to join me! I will also not be supporting the telethon this year with my donation if Jerry is not reinstated as the host!!
I guess in the future, if we don’t wake up, we will have less of these old people in the way and less of these types of problems because if ObamaCare goes into affect there won’t be many 85+ year-olds around because the *death ( oh sorry… rationing) panel will have denied most of them a treatment by then that will cost them their life and keep us from being bothered these old troublesome folks. 🙂
* Under ObamaCare, people over 78 will require the okay of a government administrative rationing panel to receive any major treatments, procedures or surgeries. Darn that Sarah Palin for being right…
Support Jerry Lewis, seniors and the knowledge seniors possess and America needs!!
Ask Marion~
Dedicated to Jerry Lewis and the repeal of ObamaCare:
New Car for Senator Reid
Sen. Reid goes to a local GM dealer in Washington, D.C. With the
Intention of buying a brand new vehicle.
Harry looks around and finds one he likes. After going back and forth
With the salesman, Harry settles on a price of $45,000.
Harry and the salesman go back to the office to complete the paperwork.
Harry works out a 4-year payment plan, and signs on the bottom line.
The salesman shakes Harry’s hand and says, “Thanks Senator Reid, the
Car will be ready for pickup in 4 years.”
Harry says, “What are you talking about? Where are the keys to my new car?”
The salesman replies, “No, you don’t understand Senator. You make
Payments for 4 years… THEN we give you the car.
You know, just like your health plan”.
Harry, with a choking voice, says to the salesman, “But that’s not fair”.
And the salesman says, “Yeah, No shit!” 😉
askmarion 
I am 26 years old, and I have watched the MDA telethon my entire life, as has my family dating back to my great grandparents. I have admired Jerry as long as I can remember, and he is the face and the drive behind this telethon. For him to be dismissed in this manner is disgusting, and I will NOT be volunteering my time or money this year. This truley is a shame, for the kids and adults who suffer from these debilitating diseases will still need the help and the money, and now they wont receive alot of it due to the fact that Jerry has brought so many years of laughter, joy, and support and will no longer be apart of it. REINSTATE JERRY!!!!!!
On this video titled “The Revolution Against Medical Tryanny with Dr. Joel Wallach” Dr. Joel Wallach in an interveiw stated that he did work on muscular dystrofy inwhich they figured out the cause and gave the info to Jerry Lewis. Jerry Lewis then presented the info to the MD Foundation and they fired him. You can search for this video on YouTube and move the time line to about 41:01 to make sure you don’t miss it and listen for two or three minutes.
Moral of the story: Having sick kids and not solving the problem will keep the “reseach dollars” rolling in. It’s like all the money given in the name of “Cancer Reseach”. These things are the biggest rippoffs. The only solution they are interested in is something they they can patent. They are the gate keepers and their job is to shut the door on all non-patentable solutions.
I will not watch anymore or donate.
Did Jerry Lewis have a son with duchenne MD?
As far as I know, Jerry has two children with MD. I do not know any specifics. M~
You people are disgusting for holding out on the pledges that help research the cures that might help children. That is what is truly pathetic. Jerry Lewis is a grown man…let him grow some balls and deal with it. Yeah, life is not fair! Tell it to the kids!
Sometimes standing strong for what is right ends up being the best for everyone?!?
WITHOUT JERRY THERE WILL BE NO TELETHON. HE HAS DEVOTED HIS LIFE TO MD WORKING MANY MANY HOURS EVEN WHEN HE WAS SICK. IT BREAKS MY HEART THAT I WON’T BE WATCHING THE MDA TELETHON. HE HAS AND W3ILL FOREVER BE THE BEST. HE IS LOVED BY MANY FAN’S AND I HAVE BEEN ONE SINCE THE FIRST TELETHON WAS BROADCAST. GOD BLESS HIM FOR THE GREAT WORK HE HAS DONE FOR HIS KID’S.
Hey Marion,
What does your backward right wing agenda have to do with Jerry getting unfairly canned. I’m a 61 yr. old cancer researcher who lost my job at a non-profit cancer center (while Dumya was president, he cut NIH funding for medical research and we went under) I am now working for a very small biotech. We have no benies and I must pay $400/month for catastrophic medical insurance (it covers everything above a 10k deductible only). When ObamaCare goes into effect in 2014, I’ll be able to get greatly reduced rates as the states will by into a group pool from the private insurance companies. This will bring rates for people like me, way down. Quit spreading your ridiculous lies. Death panels?? Sarah know-nothing Palin??? Get a grip…Quit listening to Faux News and crybaby Glenn Beck. Quit spreading lies…
First of all if you don’t like my blog… don’t read it. I read tons of blogs and information from all perspectives. I never leave a rude comment… just information.
I am sorry you lost your job at the non-profit. I am also near your age and without health insurance; pretty much starting over. However, America and our kids and grandkids cannot afford ObamaCare and our nation cannot afford the philosophy that is behind it and survive.
I was not a Bush fan either and some of the people you are belittling I actually know personally… and will leave it at that…
We baby-boomers, as a group, took more than we gave and didn’t do a good job of watching what was going on around us and now we are going to pay as a group at the other end. And some of the things we thought we deserved were just plain unrealistic. We also were not good care-takers of, although flawed, the greatest nation that ever was, our heritage or passing down what is important to the next generation.
I don’t lie! I share my educated and informed ‘opinion’ and information. And I bet I am much more informed on this subject and most of the ones I post than you. Too many people of our generation drank the Kool-Aid and smoked a whole lot of other things and went from being hippies to yuppies and embraced the nanny-state concept for our Golden Years. Perhaps mankind was not meant to retire or at least not as comfortably as we of our generation wanted and expected to? A nation cannot have a population live into the 90’s and 100’s and retire at 55, 60 and 65 and collect benefits for 40+ years. Europe has shown us that socialized medicine and the benefits of socialistic democracies can’t and don’t work! I have family there and saw this coming long ago…
At 59, I work and volunteer about 18-hours a day, 7-days a week. I have my own business and am also trying to get a job with some people I believe in, to help make a difference. And my husband, who is also my age, is starting a new company on less than a shoestring… and I am not expecting the government to help me/us with much in the future.
Again… I don’t lie and if you don’t like or respect what I say, so be it. But if you do not have constructive questions, comments and answers or want to carry on a constructive exchange, I will not post you comments again. I don’t mind if people disagree with me. In fact it is healthy and what makes America great. What I don’t like is people voluntarily reading my blog and calling me names.
Marion~
Marion,
Regarding your statement “We baby-boomers, as a group, took more than we gave” leaves me somewhat baffled. What are you referring to? I know I’ve been paying into a system of Social Security and Medicare all my life, (I am 53) and have never received anything back at this point. I think that is pretty much the case with most baby-boomers. So in essence, we’ve given far more than we’ve received. Also, I’ve received no subsidies from the government and have had to pay taxes my entire life that most large corporations have been able to avoid because of lobbied loopholes in our tax system. Please don’t lump me into the basket that you seem to have put all baby-boomers in.
I said as a group and am not pointing my finger at any one individual. I am almost 59 and have paid in all my life (working since I was 15) and have never collected a penny for anything either. And my statement probably refers more to a state of mind than anything else. The people in the White House are children of liberal babyboomers who are now in the second generation of so-called Progressive liberal thinkers who believe in the nanny state and think they are smarter than anyone else. They think little of America, duty, history, patriotism, history or God. They and their parents thought they were and are the center and deserve best for often doing the least and respecting little. The idea that you can retire at 55 and collect enough on your pension and then social security for 40+ years without considering the affect is selfish. Many of us boomer are responsible and value the things that keep a society going and have passed that on to our kids, but many have not.
Because we such a large population group, and again as a group were spoiled by parents who wanted to spare us the hardships that their generation and that of their parents went through, we made our will happen but lacked the discipline, respect and values of our parents and grandparents. I will go back and see if I can find the post about that subject. And again I am talking as a group.
Oh America. When will you realise that no matter how big a nation is, it is no stronger that its weakest people, and as long as you keep a person down, some part of you has to be down there to hold him down, so it means you cannot soar as you might otherwise do.
Not siding with H. Powell or you. Just taking note that he did NOT call you any names.
The MDA is finished. From twenty-one hours to six hours, and without Jerry Lewis?
So the MDA feels that Jerry Lewis is too old? The MDA itself has grown old, bureaucratic, and irrelevant. They’ve just committed suicide.
Someone sent proof of a cure for the disease to Jerry. The next thing we know, he is no longer doing the telethon.
You hit the nail ryght on the head, I heard the same thing on the Joyce Riley show on 9/20/12 and from the Doctor’s own mouth who discovered the homeopathic cure for Cystic Fibrosis and Muscular Dystrophy. Upon learning of this cure fom the doctor Jerry Lewis immediately reported this information to MD Headquarters and was abrutly fired for his sincere humanitarian efforts who raised over a billion dollars for over 45 unselfish years of his time. Such is the power of big pharma and the grovelinmg greedy doctor community that could care less of the human condition.
I’d like to see proof of that, Paul. I’ve had dealings with the company claiming this.
Our son had Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
My husband was looking into it, researching everything about the ingredients of their products, and the claims they were making. He requested information and scientific proofs from them.
We got emails from people of all levels of their muti-level marketing company, including some at the top. The proofs they offered were testimonials and hype. ” You just have to believe” kind of stuff.
My husband presented what his research pointed to, that many of the compounds in their product were actually harmful to the human body They got really ugly, and they still couldn’t produce anything concrete, or scientific.
My husbands final email to them was a request to meet, personally with someone at the top to review their “proof”. He never got an answer.
( The friend who tried to get us into the product acted like we had attacked her religious beliefs).
this is sicking .. jerry was the heart of the mda telethon , and by not having him there its ridiculous , i dont agree with this at all ,. for him to be fired is madning , he will be missed so much, i have watch and been donating since i was little and now no i am not watching this 6 hour show , i will be donating how ever cause i know jerrys kids still need the help , bring him back you retards , you have killed the show … and the mda foundation with out him
WOW! Sad that he is gone; I know over the years I have donated to the cause just because he made me feel guilty enough. Plus, sometimes, he had darn good entertainment.
From Canada, we pay much higher income taxes and don’t really worry about our health care, it’s there for everyone when they need it.
Ok ,the crybabies bawl if they have to wait for the old knee or hip replacement,but really other than that, it is super terrific!
But you do have to pay -it just comes out of every ones’ pocket.
It will be a long time before they find someone of Jerry Lewis’ quality to give up their free time to fight for the cause.
On this video titled “The Revolution Against Medical Tryanny with Dr. Joel Wallach” Dr. Joel Wallach in an interveiw stated that he did work on muscular dystrofy inwhich they figured out the cause and gave the info to Jerry Lewis. Jerry Lewis then presented the info to the MD Foundation and they fired him. You can search for this video on YouTube and move the time line to about 41:01 to make sure you don’t miss it and listen for two or three minutes.
Moral of the story: Having sick kids and not solving the problem will keep the “reseach dollars” rolling in. It’s like all the money given in the name of “Cancer Reseach”. These things are the biggest rippoffs. The only solution they are interested in is something they they can patent. They are the gate keepers and their job is to shut the door on all non-patentable solutions.
DR Wallach makes this claim, but has Jerry Louis backed it up? I’m sorry, but my experience has been that these people will say whatever it is that will sell their product.
Regarding “Dr. Joel Wallach”- he is not a medical doctor, and has offered no proof to his claim. Nor has his claim received any traction in the press. Sorry, but it is as phoney as the death panels claim above No, there are no death panels, and no, “Dr” Wallach’s claim is not true.
Jim… almost everyone has now realized that ObamaCare has provisions for rationing through a panel of non-medical bureaucrats… which when you do the math will turn out to be death panels for many… including seniors and special needs patients. One of the things we all need to learn to do (if you don’t have inside contacts) is read between the lines; perhaps you are young and haven’t mastered that yet…
You might want to check out:
Obamacare to Herd Disabled Seniors to Bare-Bones Medicaid Plans – https://askmarion.wordpress.com/2012/05/02/obamacare-to-herd-disabled-seniors-to-bare-bones-medicaid-plans/
And
Meet the ObamaCare Mandate Committee – https://askmarion.wordpress.com/2012/02/18/meet-the-obamacare-mandate-committee/
But I think we are quite a bit off the topic of this post.
Since you have studied it, and know exactly what Wallach claims, can you explain to me how it is that you know it is false? What specifically is it about his claims that don’t make sense.
If you wait for it to come out in the national news, you will be waiting a long time. Your government shuts down real cures, and the media follows suit.
Paul, see my reply above. The “cure” is a mineral supplement, the main ingredient of which is aluminum. Selenium is supposed to be the key to curing MD, but their really is’t a great amount of it in the product.
Wallach is indeed a doctor, and is a veterinarian as well. He discovered many years ago that 60 minerals plus 16 vitamins doubled or even trippled the lifespan of dogs. He then used the same vitamin/mineral formula on humans and has cured pretty much every disease there is, including muscular dystrophy in children. He sent Jerry Lewis the papers to prove it, and when Jerry took this information to the board he was fired. Why you would suggest he is not a doctor or has no proof is beyond me, or do you have a learning disability?
mel, have you personally reseachered the product? Are you, by any chance, associated with the company?
MDA Treating Jerry Lewis with no respect like that is shameful. To bad the ones who deemed themselves qualified to do this, are stupid or to young to know. Jerry Lewis is the heart and soul of MDA. No one will have the charm and clout to get the greats on stage. I have watched the telethon since the beginning. So many wonderful memories eating popcorn, trying tostay awake longest. So sad my money isn’t going to MDA this year, just because of some big shot Asshole treating a man of this calibre like crape and no respect. The money they lose we will be able to point a finger at stupid over there.
nothing. Sad for MDA losing money but, not respectful
Lgoing to MDA. They should have know that, we the kids
To MDA
I think what you did to Jerry Lewis is terrible. I have been watching him allmy life and I am 63 years old now. I watched him since I was a kid and I even went around to collect money or MDA
I really think you got rid of him because of his age, that’s bolony. He should be there till he can’t because of himself, not because you fired him. I don’t even know how you could fire him , especially all the time and things that he put into this. All the big companies, etc. I believe came because of him. So you think he is too old, well like someone else said MDA is just as old. so maybe you should resign, if there is no more MDA, what will all the people and children do to get a cure, and it is so close.
I always loved Jerry Lewis and I think you should bring him back, it will never be the same without him. BACK WITH JERRY LEWIS may God bless him for all his has done and his family also, especially his KIDS like he always said on TV
Thank you
Elizabeth Santoro
i will not ever watch anything if jerry isnt back on the telethonmhes done so much for the kids and there is no replacement
I have been a supporter of The Amazing Jerry Lewis and his cousins for almost 36 years I started watching Jerry Lewis and helping him with donations through 7-11 when they used to give out the bags that said donations for Jerry’s kids. I was 14 years old and I can say Jerry helped me turn my life around knowing how lucky I am to have all my limbs, good health.
THANK YOU JERRY LEWIS FOR ALL YOU DONE JERRY MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU SAFE IN HIS LOVING ARMS. Until we meet again my griend Jerry.
P.S I know these kids need help, but I turned away from the telethon unless they bring Jerry Lewis Back.
JERRY LEWIS IS, THE MDA ! He moved me to realize, it’s time to reach out to the hurting people. As a professional musician, I was mostly interested in the Entertainment. Who was conducting ? Who wrote the Musical Arrangement ? Oh ! They’re still performing, after so many years ? As the years went by, I noticed something in Jerry. He put his Whole Life behind supporting Research for a Cure for MD. His KIDS were really important to him. This lead me to begin to give what I could afford. In the early 1990’s, I received a call from a Mr.Archer, a Comedian & Instrumental Impressionist. Also, a member of The FRIER’S CLUB. He knew Mr.HENNY YOUNGMAN, The Great King of The ONE – LINERS. Well, to shorten the story, I wrote, in colaboration with Mr. Archer, an arrangement for Mr.Yougman, called , ” AUDIENCE ” . To my surprise, Mr. Youngman performed it, at the end of his act, on The JERRY LEWIS MDA TELETHON. Jerry was in tears & Henny received a standing ovation. What a Blessing ! Of course I became a regular supporter of JERRY’S KIDS. When I heard the news of the removal of Mr. LEWIS, I took it like a relative had just Died ! It was too much to take. After All he did for MDA, they would dismiss him, like an old cow ? BRING JERRY BACK !!! I will not support MDA any longer. When JERRY is Back, MDA will have The RIGHT LEADER ! Thank You ! Ben 5:14pm 2 / 26 / 2013
I just have to say that the MDA has changed, greatly, over the years.
My brother had Duchenne MD, and they helped with his needs. We helped with the research. My sister and I gave, all told, quarts of blood for them to work with, as they tried to find the cause of both the disease and it’s symptoms. My brother consented to be a human test subject, as they tried to find a treatment for the symptoms.
We were told, after extensive blood tests, that I was not a carrier ( this was in the 1960’s). They were wrong. NO blame here, just stating facts. They now know it is easier to find that someone is a carrier, than to know that they are not.
When my son was diagnosed, MDA paid for all the tests, and gave us free, semi-annual appointments with his MD doctor. I, again, was a test subject, in early 1977. They paid for my daughters testing (for carrier status. positive.) when she was an infant, that same year.
About four years ago, I contacted the local MDA office to ask for testing for my 3 grand daughters. The representative asked if we had a Doctors prescription. I explained that it had been in the family for several generations. No matter, still needed a MDs orders, and did they have insurance? No? Well, maybe we could work something out…
I to will not support MDA without Jerry
i think it stinks removing jerry lewis after so many years of love and true dedication to the MDA he was all about his kids, and finding a cure for MD it s really sad that these idiots fired him before realizing the facts that there was a possible known cure and for these idiots continuing to make money to keep their own pockets filled and to heck with giving and finding a cure when there are jerrys kids who are still in desperate need of help . i for 1 have been avid lover of jerry lewis and his understanding and dedication to the MDA i was saddened to find out they cut out a lot of the regular strong entertainers and along with Allison Sweeney have also been removed, whats WRONG WITH YOU MDA when you removed and fired jerry lewis you removed his entire family along with him your a bunch of sad pathetic people , i have always made my yearly donation to the MDA due to having a cousin of my own with md who is also blind, and deaf and mentally handicapped well i for 1 will no longer be saving my pennies, nickles, and dimes to donate to the MDA until you all decide to bring jerry back i ask you all HOW CAN YOU ALL SLEEP WITH YOURSELF S AT NIGHT AND NOT HAVE YOUR CONSCIENCE GET TO YOU? you all should be ashamed of yourself s for hurting the 1 man who loved his kids and still does and always will he was the heart, soul, and strength behind the MDA i ashamed for ever giving you my hard container of my loose change which i have saved over a period of 1 year well i will just be placing it into my bank account. you will never see any of my donations after this ive been an avid watcher of the telethon since my early child hood years, and now being 46 years old i will no longer support the MDA AND THEIR TELETHON ITS NO LONGER JERRY’S TELETHON AND ITS NO LONGER ABOUT JERRY’S KIDS its about the bureaucrats stuffing their pockets for their personal needs. SOOOOOOOOOOOOO SAD will be backing team jerry all the way.
god bless you jerry for all your hard work and effort don’t ever give up hope on yourself and please don’t give up on your kids who still very much need your love and support dealing with MD. GOD BLESS FROM LINCOLN CITY OREGON.
More Info: Jerry’s Kids No More: How Jerry Lewis Got Pink Slipped by MDA by Roger Friedman (Originally Posted on 08.18.11) – http://www.showbiz411.com/2011/08/18/jerrys-kids-no-more-how-jerry-lewis-got-pink-slipped-by-mda AskMarion~
EXCLUSIVE: Jerry Lewis–the Hollywood legend–has been kicked to the curb by the Muscular Dystrophy Association. After 45 years, he’s out as their public face, and the host of their annual TV telethon. Indeed, the telethon itself is pretty much cooked: it’s been reduced to six hours from its traditional twenty one and a half and air just on Sunday night, not even on Labor Day itself. All the drama of staying up overnight, will Jerry make it, will they reach their goal: it’s all over.
What you don’t know is that no one ever told Jerry. And that last fall, after the Labor Day telethon was over, the MDA people made the decisions and never informed Lewis.
Lewis finished last year’s MDA telethon with a flourish. He was 84, and had done the show since 1966. He’d actually been hosting MDA telethons since 1952–fifty eight years, folks, since before he was in the Rat Pack with Dean, Frank, and Sammy!
So it was more than a surprise when in early October the MDA board issued a press release about the following year. Did you miss that press release? So did Lewis. No one told him about it beforehand. And the release didn’t mention his name. It was then that the MDA board signaled they were ditching Lewis, who made awareness of Muscular Dystrophy an international phenomenon.
Here’s the link to it: http://www.mda.org/news/101006telethon-format.html. You’ll notice that Lewis’s name is mentioned only in passing, as a reference to his on camera reunion one year with Dean Martin. Otherwise, it’s like he had nothing to do with MDA or the telethon at all.
Earlier this summer, MDA announced, tersely, that Lewis would not be appearing on this year’s Labor Day telethon. This was after a statement from Jerry in May that this year would be his last.
It’s more than a little dispiriting. Lewis worked like crazy for MDA for most of his life. Many times he had to fight accusations that he was pocketing the dough that came in. The MDA kids became known all over the globe as “Jerry’s Kids”– it was shorthand that built from grassroots efforts. Was he a high maintenance front man? Undoubtedly. But like Sharon Stone with AmFAR, Lewis gave a high profile to a disease and a cause that most people didn’t care about.
The facts: Lewis is not mentioned anywhere on the MDA’s Form 990 tax filing. No salary, no expenses. The head of MDA, a man named Gerald Weinberg, got $373,000 last year. All told, in 2009 MDA disbursed $53.5 million in grants. They claimed $75 million, however, in salaries and other compensation. The top executives earned a total of about $1.4 million. The main outside consultants reaped a total of $6 million. Again, Lewis’s name doesn’t appear at all.
The one disturbing thing about the MDA’s Form 990: sixteen cash disbursements totaling almost $3 million. There’s no indication where that money went or what it was used for other than, vaguely, “research,” in Europe and Asia. Similar unspecified cash payouts have appeared on previous tax filings.
Now the clock is ticking down to Labor Day weekend. MDA says Lewis will not be on the show, which indeed will run just from 6pm to midnight. When I spoke to him yesterday, Jerry told me: “I can’t talk about it until after Labor Day.” Will he beam himself into the broadcast, like the Green Goblin in “Spider Man”? Frankly, why bother? Jerry Lewis is bigger than MDA. He’s a legend. But it is true, no good deed goes unpunished. And in today’s culture, you’re not rewarded at the end of a great, long run. You’re kicked in the ass. But Lewis knows how many kids and families he helped. And they know it, too.
The whole real MDA Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon is over, my friends. In its place will be this sort of lame, lackluster generic show with a bunch of blond commentators who have no history with Las Vegas or entertainment. It’s another sign of the times.
when Jerry asked the MDA to just look over the data from Dr. Wallach, he was fired. All the skeptics, nay sayers, ask yourself the question: what progress was made with the 600 million dollars Jerry Lewis raised over the years? Any? According to the annual report for 2011(go to their website and search it), the MDA had 156 million income from the public, spent 38 million for research…that’s 24 cents to a dollar according to my math -not very efficient. Just for comparison, the MDA had 50 million in pension related expenses. You be the judge, do you really think that a cure will come from them and dry up this rather large “non-profit” organization? Who will pay those pension expenses? WAKE UP! The time is now for action, actions that really get rid of this disease and related ones..In the near future you will be able to read about it, then see it rather than just reading data.
HERE’S THE REAL REASON WHY THEY FIRED JERRY. FOLLOW THE MONEY FOLKS. HE FOUND OUT ABOUT THE CURE. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EN7OssCf1vk
Three yrs ago a friend of mine developed schizophrenia. After trying numerous medications they finally found a med that sorta worked, however the side effects caused her to drool profusely at night, she was incontinent of urine and 1/3 of her hair fell out the first month, and many more detrimental effects. I found that 1000mg of niacin and 1000mg of Vit. C given together twice a day with an omega 3 can cure schizophrenia. She started to take this and in 9 days she was amazingly better. She has now been off of all drugs for over 2 1/2 yrs., taking only the vitamins and has perfect mental health. Cost for vitamins: $12.00/month. Prescription meds over $300.00/month. Lab work for prescription meds every 3 months $100.00. FOLLOW THE MONEY!