Sadly those writing about his 60+ year legacy of publicly doing good and making people laugh, feel it necessary to point out that he wasn't always politically correct... yet fail to reiterate the obvious: he grew up in a time when handicapped people were openly mocked and no 'A' list stars were putting much effort into raising money to support their cause.
As a kid I watched the telethon year after year and thought he was a hero.
Martin & Lewis’s popularity is hard to imagine today. I doubt any current artist even approaches what they had. His amazing longevity can be seen in how people were introduced to him. I was born in 70, and primarily remember him as the telethon guy, but for my parents he was a movie star, and older folks remember the act.
Gilbert Gottfried has a podcast where he interviews older Hollywood types and Jerry comes up quite a bit. I'm sure they will do a memorial episode soon if anyone wants to hear firsthand stories.
Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin were so phenomenally popular and accomplished individually, that I sometimes soft-forget that Lewis and Martin were the Lewis and Martin in Lewis & Martin.
And the only thing that makes me feel older than seeing this thread, 8 hours old, with only six comments, is my joints.
One of more arguments: "as a filmmaker of great personal force and technical skill, he made many contributions to the industry, including the invention in 1960 of a device — the video assist, which allowed directors to review their work immediately on the set — still in common use."
Jerry Lewis was the first nerdy (anti)hero in movies that I saw. I remember very little of his films, I was very young when spanish TV used to air them, but I can say his usual character was funny and likeable.
In death, we shed who we where in live- it becomes somewhat unimportant, what matters now lives on as our family and the thoughts we put into other peoples heads - our legacy.
I will always fondly remember the anarchic errand boy, mocking the grandeur of some peacocks at meetings.
I read that "first ten years" part and find it remarkable you were able to focus on that in the early parts - eg. the first year drooling all over yourself, spitting up, but still confusing Jerry and Jerry Lee ...
As a kid I watched the telethon year after year and thought he was a hero.