King of Comedy
eBook - ePub

King of Comedy

The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis

  1. 1,005 pages
  2. English
  3. ePUB (mobile friendly)
  4. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub

King of Comedy

The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis

About this book

"[A] penetrating unauthorized biography, probably the fullest, most revealing portrait to date of the elusive star." — Publishers Weekly

Shawn Levy's fascinating biography King of Comedy - the product of vast research and interviews with contemporaries, admirers, foes, and even, briefly, Lewis himself—traces the story of a man who defines High American Show Biz.

At points along the time line of his career, Lewis has been the highest-paid performer in history in film, on television, and on Broadway. With partner Dean Martin, he was half of the most successful comedy duo of all time. He was the first director who debuted in talkies to direct himself. He was a direct, acknowledged influence on giants from Woody Allen to Lenny Bruce to David Letterman to Jim Carrey. He is a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor, has raised over $1 billion in charity, and was once nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. And, since the 1950s, he has been one of the most recognized faces on earth.

For almost that long, though, people have argued over what Jerry Lewis means. Is he a talented comedian or a grotesque mimic? A startlingly original director or a pretender to Chaplin's throne? A multifaceted entertainer or a megalomaniacal egoist? A tireless champion of the disabled or a tireless self-promoter who has confused America's charitable impulses with affection for him as a performer?

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Yes, you can access King of Comedy by Shawn Levy in PDF and/or ePUB format. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Information

eBook ISBN
9781250122605
Subtopic
Television

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Notice
  4. Dedication
  5. Prologue
  6. 1. Eight Hundred Mamas and Papas
  7. 2. Tummling Among the Nazis
  8. 3. Are You for Real?
  9. 4. The Playboy and the Putz
  10. 5. Gunsels, Dames, and Screen Tests
  11. 6. The Importance of Being Seymour
  12. 7. Everything
  13. 8. Home Movies
  14. 9. The Stooge Turns
  15. 10. The Wonder Clown
  16. 11. The Other Shoe
  17. 12. One-Man Show
  18. 13. Today You Are a Man
  19. 14. The Jewish Bataan Death March
  20. 15. Lawrence of Bel Air
  21. 16. Frogs’ Legs and Pratfalls
  22. 17. Levitch’s Complaint
  23. 18. Shirley Temple in Auschwitz
  24. 19. A Defeated Jew
  25. 20. “Why Am I a Criminal?”
  26. 21. Commander
  27. 22. New Mirrors
  28. Epilogue: J & I
  29. Filmography
  30. A Note on Sources
  31. Acknowledgments
  32. Index
  33. About the Author
  34. Newsletter Sign-up
  35. Contents
  36. Copyright