Imagine sitting down for dinner, and instead of a peaceful meal, you’re doubled over in laughter because your dad just won’t stop making jokes. That was the reality for Christopher Lewis, son of the legendary comedian Jerry Lewis. “I can’t even tell you how many dinners I sat through where I couldn’t eat because I was laughing so hard,” Christopher exclusively shares with Closer. “My mom would get so frustrated with him. She’d say, ‘Jerry, would you stop and let them eat?’ But, you know, that only made him try harder to make us laugh.”
Growing up as the son of a vaudevillian, Jerry Lewis quickly rose to fame in comedy clubs as the wild and wacky half of the iconic duo Martin and Lewis. When his partnership with Dean Martin ended in 1956, Jerry seamlessly transitioned into a successful solo career in nightclubs and films. Not long after, in the early 1960s, Jerry began hosting his famous Labor Day Telethons for Muscular Dystrophy, an annual event that became one of his greatest legacies.
“He was involved in every single detail of his life — nothing escaped his attention,” Christopher says, acknowledging that his father’s relentless drive and extraordinary talents were both a blessing and a challenge. “First off, he was a genius. But second, he could also be a real pain in the neck.”
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At home with his first wife, Patti Palmer, and their six sons, Jerry could be both a fun-loving and a strict father figure. “We had strict curfews,” Christopher recalls. “If I was even half an hour late, he’d be in my face the next morning, wanting to know why.”
If Patti ever threatened to tell Jerry about the boys’ misbehavior, they quickly fell in line. “He never laid a hand on me, but oh my gosh, could he yell,” Christopher reminisces, adding that his conversation with Closer celebrates his participation in the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. “You really didn’t want to be on the receiving end of one of his yelling fits.”
Despite his stern side, Jerry loved simple pleasures at home, like foot rubs, sardine sandwiches, and playing basketball and baseball with his sons. “He was almost professional-level when it came to sports. He could throw that ball with incredible speed,” Christopher says. The family also spent a lot of time in Palm Springs, where they had a weekend home, and San Diego. “He had a boat docked on Shelter Island,” Christopher remembers fondly, describing many peaceful days spent fishing on the ocean — one of the places his father felt most at peace.
From Vaudeville to Miami: Jerry Lewis's Comedy Empire
When Jerry made his directorial debut with 1960’s The Bellboy, filmed in Miami during breaks from nightclub gigs, it marked the beginning of a new chapter in his career. “He wrote the script with the help of his close friend Stan Laurel,” Christopher explains. “In just 27 days, he shot the movie at the Fontainebleau. Then he edited it in the basement of the Sands.”
Jerry wasn’t just ambitious; he was also deeply caring. Christopher’s book, Jerry Lewis on Being a Person, is inspired by what he observed on the set of 1963’s The Nutty Professor. “During the first week of filming, my dad noticed that the crew wasn’t getting along,” Christopher recalls. “So he wrote a little book called Being a Person, offering advice on how to live a happier life — things like saying good morning, praying, and even buying a dog.” He distributed the book to the crew, and it worked wonders. “It made everyone nicer,” Christopher says, which inspired him to expand on the idea for his own book.
Not Every Venture Was a Success
Of course, not all of Jerry’s ventures were hits. “He launched a chain of Jerry Lewis cinemas in the early 1970s, and it was a colossal failure,” Christopher admits.
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In 1972, Jerry directed and starred in The Day The Clown Cried, a film about a circus performer entertaining children in a Nazi concentration camp. A new documentary, From Darkness to Light, delves into the story behind this never-released movie. However, Christopher feels the filmmakers missed the mark. “He wasn’t trying to make a comedy,” he explains. “He was aiming for a tragic, dramatic film.”
A Complex Marriage
Jerry’s personal life was as complicated as his professional one. Christopher’s mother, Patti, filed for divorce in 1980 after 36 years of marriage, citing Jerry’s infidelities. “She was the love of his life; she raised him, basically,” Christopher says. “She helped bring him under control, allowing him to focus on what mattered most.”
Though the divorce was both costly and painful, as they aged, his parents rekindled their friendship. “They exchanged letters and phone calls,” Christopher shares. “As they grew older, they realized how pointless the fighting had been.”
Christopher began volunteering at the annual Labor Day telethon at age 14 and believes it showcased his father at his best. “Watching him on the MDA telethon, working the phones, and seeing the genuine love between him and the families he was helping — it was something I eagerly looked forward to every year,” he says. “I think those moments revealed his true self, the most authentic version of him.”
