August 21, 2017 • 7 mins
Why Murphy and Sam bonded over Jerry Lewis growing up.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
And a little bonus after the show podcast this morning,
just sort of in tribute to the legendary Jerry Lewis.
And this is, by the way, not your mama's podcast.
So that's not going to sound like super old or
anything like that. I'm just saying because he look, the
man was ninety. Meant, his appeal crossed a bunch of
different generations, and so you know, I mean, I guess
our generation primarily knew him for his time on the
(00:22):
Muscular distri Fe Association.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Telethon, something that your parents watched, which they.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Watched too, I mean, and that was a that was
a Labor Day tradition and he did that from I
guess I started on radio before it was TV from
nineteen forty seven until twenty ten, where he was kind
of forced to retire. I think after that.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I remember the first time when I first in my
life started to meet you guys, Murphy and Sam and
getting to know you, I realized that he in his
comedy is one of the things that you guys bond over.
Maybe you don't realize that, but you used to always
throw around these Jerry Lewis jokes and I'm like.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Oh, okay, of course, we realized that, well, so genius. Yeah,
my dad turned me on to him. Yeah, because we
used to watch every now and then, uh, you know
in New Orleans growing up that have a Jerry Lewis marathon.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Oh yeah, other.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Than yeah, like four or five movies, you know. Oh,
so you'd sit there and it was just like, oh,
this is funny. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
See, for me, it was TBS. I mean when TBS
was doing all the that's all they pretty much did
in the eighties were you know, old movies, you know,
recycled again, and so they would do the marathon every
now and then. Nutty Professor obviously was you know, was
the big one. But but I never knew anything much
about their time period as Lewis and Martin the comedy
team that was really my grandparents, you know generation.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
But is it Martin Lewis or Lewis and Martin, Martin
Lewis mar Martin Lewis.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Okay, I'm just asking, but I just it's really funny.
I remember, I guess through my parents getting excited about things,
not knowing why. I was excited about that big reunion
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis did on the on the
Muscular districty telethons.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
My parents were not into that. We were in the country.
I didn't have It wasn't introduced to me.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
We'd be like, this is the Dean's going to show up?
Speaker 1 (02:04):
What right? What does that mean? But it was exciting.
Here's a clip of it.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
Say you working.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Six weeks a year at the Megham.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
And six days I do a roast. Yeah, Dean, I
guess was pretty much drinking all the time. Yeah he was.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
I remember that.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
That was that him pretending like he was drinking or
was he really hitting it?
Speaker 1 (02:33):
You know, it's funny. If you asked any of my
grandparents at the time, they just thought it was his act. Yeah,
I know, they're just making fun. But then you know,
the TMZ part of it tells you that, Yeah, I
think a lot right, you know. I mean they were
part of that rat pack thing in Vegas, even though
Jerry Lewis wasn't part of that Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin,
Sammy Davis Junior thing. But that's all that crowd was about.
(02:54):
You know, everything you ever you know watched on then.
So maybe that's kind of why Dames and Booze right, Yeah,
part is legendary and I don't know. Maybe maybe it
doesn't matter today, maybe he doesn't. The cross blending of
stars and celebrities and TV shows isn't as big of
a deal as it used to be. But anytime he
had some superstar show up on the telethon, that was
a really big deal. And I told Jody that, you know,
(03:16):
when I was looking at some of the retrospects over
the weekend when he passed away, I never realized that
Johnny Carson, when he was still doing The Tonight Show,
also made an appearance on the telethon because on the telethon,
remember Ed McMahon, who was Johnny Carson's sidekick on The
Tonight Show, was also Jerry's sidekick on the Muscular District Death.
So he showed up one year and here it is only.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Be fitting in proper for you to make the introduction,
although I would love that thrill and that joy.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
Well, have you ever said here is.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
The way I say it along gating like that? I
don't even think I would be capable of doing.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Oh, anybody can do it. It's, you know, just the
thing I've done it for.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
You know, if anyone can do it, Let me get
this lady sitting here at third row.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
I see No, Now, why don't you do the first part.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
I'll do the second part.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
No, I want just have the joy of knowing that
the gentleman is on my show, and you're going to
do the introduction just like you always do, but make
it special because he deserves it, all.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Right, And now, ladies and gentlemen, he Johnny Oh yeah,
Johnny Goss. I don't stop it there.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
I love Johnny anyway now I'm joking.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Walks out of the stage. Just little moments like that.
We're just it was something about that generation of entertainer
where they would when they would pool themselves together and
other celebrities would show.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Up, like it was a mass appeal, you know, and
everybody kind of depended on them. There's Johnny kind of
love Johnny Parson. You know something that you guys don't
maybe realize. My other association with Jerry Lewis is when
I first started working, before I met you guys, I
worked in TV for a short short and that's when
I realized I didn't belong there. I didn't it wasn't
(04:53):
for me. Well, I got in a job. I don't
know how many months I was there, and I was like, oh,
Labor day's coming up or we all, no, we work
labor day because we worked the telethon. Yeah yeah, And
so I was, you know, I was not there. I
was at a remote at our you know, local but
it was an all day job to work the telethon
(05:13):
because you had to be ready when it was time
for you to go live to the local portions of that.
So this is such a labor of love for anybody
who's ever worked in television. If you're you know, attached
to that network that he worked with, you worked labor
day for that reason.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
I worked the telethon a couple of times because, you know,
one of the the first couple of years they made
me do it, or they asked me to do it.
They put me on overnight, I guess because nobody wanted
to do it, because you know, back then the telethon
went for like all night.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
It truly was twenty four and a couple of twenty
four hours over a couple of days.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
I being there at three in the morning, seeing okay
and the number to call if anybody listening.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Yeah, yeah, that's it. I mean, it's a bygone air
in time. But he was a he was a pioneer
when it came to that, and he raised two point
four billion, I think is the number that we said
raise Mustard just forssociation.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
And it'll be interesting to me to see. And ninety
one is a long live. To live to ninety one
is as a mirror, not a miracle, but it's it's
a full life. It's a full life for anyone. But
to do what he did and give the world what
he gave and to have his struggles, his biopick will
be incredible if they bring it.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
You're right about that.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Somebody's probably maybe had already been working with him on it.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
And I kind of remember as a kid. I remember
him having the heart attack and the bypass surgery and
that's when he quit smoking. He smoked like four packs
of cigarettes a day. And before he had that heart attack.
Can you even imagine live to ninety one, and he
was addicted to pain killers I guess for about a
fifteen year time span two So you know, well, you're right, Jody,
it will be one heck of a biopic.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Yeah, I don't know if you remember, but even you know,
speaking of smoking during the telethon back in those days,
it's like you're sitting here raising money for MDA, and
he'd be over there at the podium.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Let's check the top. Boy. It's funny our girls in
any time they see like old YouTube videos of like
like John Lennon on one of those old late night shows,
anybody would walk out. Yeah, it just it was a
very very different, you know time. But anyway, bygone air.
And I guess he's fortunate, he's blessed somehow. Many to
ninety one, A lot of those guys didn't
And a little bonus after the show podcast this morning,
just sort of in tribute to the legendary Jerry Lewis.
And this is, by the way, not your mama's podcast.
So that's not going to sound like super old or
anything like that. I'm just saying because he look, the
man was ninety. Meant, his appeal crossed a bunch of
different generations, and so you know, I mean, I guess
our generation primarily knew him for his time on the
(00:22):
Muscular distri Fe Association.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
Telethon, something that your parents watched, which they.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
Watched too, I mean, and that was a that was
a Labor Day tradition and he did that from I
guess I started on radio before it was TV from
nineteen forty seven until twenty ten, where he was kind
of forced to retire. I think after that.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
I remember the first time when I first in my
life started to meet you guys, Murphy and Sam and
getting to know you, I realized that he in his
comedy is one of the things that you guys bond over.
Maybe you don't realize that, but you used to always
throw around these Jerry Lewis jokes and I'm like.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Oh, okay, of course, we realized that, well, so genius. Yeah,
my dad turned me on to him. Yeah, because we
used to watch every now and then, uh, you know
in New Orleans growing up that have a Jerry Lewis marathon.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Oh yeah, other.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Than yeah, like four or five movies, you know. Oh,
so you'd sit there and it was just like, oh,
this is funny. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
See, for me, it was TBS. I mean when TBS
was doing all the that's all they pretty much did
in the eighties were you know, old movies, you know,
recycled again, and so they would do the marathon every
now and then. Nutty Professor obviously was you know, was
the big one. But but I never knew anything much
about their time period as Lewis and Martin the comedy
team that was really my grandparents, you know generation.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
But is it Martin Lewis or Lewis and Martin, Martin
Lewis mar Martin Lewis.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Okay, I'm just asking, but I just it's really funny.
I remember, I guess through my parents getting excited about things,
not knowing why. I was excited about that big reunion
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis did on the on the
Muscular districty telethons.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
My parents were not into that. We were in the country.
I didn't have It wasn't introduced to me.
Speaker 3 (02:01):
We'd be like, this is the Dean's going to show up?
Speaker 1 (02:04):
What right? What does that mean? But it was exciting.
Here's a clip of it.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
Say you working.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
Six weeks a year at the Megham.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
And six days I do a roast. Yeah, Dean, I
guess was pretty much drinking all the time. Yeah he was.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
I remember that.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
That was that him pretending like he was drinking or
was he really hitting it?
Speaker 1 (02:33):
You know, it's funny. If you asked any of my
grandparents at the time, they just thought it was his act. Yeah,
I know, they're just making fun. But then you know,
the TMZ part of it tells you that, Yeah, I
think a lot right, you know. I mean they were
part of that rat pack thing in Vegas, even though
Jerry Lewis wasn't part of that Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin,
Sammy Davis Junior thing. But that's all that crowd was about.
(02:54):
You know, everything you ever you know watched on then.
So maybe that's kind of why Dames and Booze right, Yeah,
part is legendary and I don't know. Maybe maybe it
doesn't matter today, maybe he doesn't. The cross blending of
stars and celebrities and TV shows isn't as big of
a deal as it used to be. But anytime he
had some superstar show up on the telethon, that was
a really big deal. And I told Jody that, you know,
(03:16):
when I was looking at some of the retrospects over
the weekend when he passed away, I never realized that
Johnny Carson, when he was still doing The Tonight Show,
also made an appearance on the telethon because on the telethon,
remember Ed McMahon, who was Johnny Carson's sidekick on The
Tonight Show, was also Jerry's sidekick on the Muscular District Death.
So he showed up one year and here it is only.
Speaker 4 (03:38):
Be fitting in proper for you to make the introduction,
although I would love that thrill and that joy.
Speaker 1 (03:43):
Well, have you ever said here is.
Speaker 4 (03:45):
The way I say it along gating like that? I
don't even think I would be capable of doing.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
Oh, anybody can do it. It's, you know, just the
thing I've done it for.
Speaker 4 (03:52):
You know, if anyone can do it, Let me get
this lady sitting here at third row.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
I see No, Now, why don't you do the first part.
Speaker 1 (03:58):
I'll do the second part.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
No, I want just have the joy of knowing that
the gentleman is on my show, and you're going to
do the introduction just like you always do, but make
it special because he deserves it, all.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
Right, And now, ladies and gentlemen, he Johnny Oh yeah,
Johnny Goss. I don't stop it there.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
I love Johnny anyway now I'm joking.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Walks out of the stage. Just little moments like that.
We're just it was something about that generation of entertainer
where they would when they would pool themselves together and
other celebrities would show.
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Up, like it was a mass appeal, you know, and
everybody kind of depended on them. There's Johnny kind of
love Johnny Parson. You know something that you guys don't
maybe realize. My other association with Jerry Lewis is when
I first started working, before I met you guys, I
worked in TV for a short short and that's when
I realized I didn't belong there. I didn't it wasn't
(04:53):
for me. Well, I got in a job. I don't
know how many months I was there, and I was like, oh,
Labor day's coming up or we all, no, we work
labor day because we worked the telethon. Yeah yeah, And
so I was, you know, I was not there. I
was at a remote at our you know, local but
it was an all day job to work the telethon
(05:13):
because you had to be ready when it was time
for you to go live to the local portions of that.
So this is such a labor of love for anybody
who's ever worked in television. If you're you know, attached
to that network that he worked with, you worked labor
day for that reason.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
I worked the telethon a couple of times because, you know,
one of the the first couple of years they made
me do it, or they asked me to do it.
They put me on overnight, I guess because nobody wanted
to do it, because you know, back then the telethon
went for like all night.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
It truly was twenty four and a couple of twenty
four hours over a couple of days.
Speaker 3 (05:44):
I being there at three in the morning, seeing okay
and the number to call if anybody listening.
Speaker 1 (05:49):
Yeah, yeah, that's it. I mean, it's a bygone air
in time. But he was a he was a pioneer
when it came to that, and he raised two point
four billion, I think is the number that we said
raise Mustard just forssociation.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
And it'll be interesting to me to see. And ninety
one is a long live. To live to ninety one
is as a mirror, not a miracle, but it's it's
a full life. It's a full life for anyone. But
to do what he did and give the world what
he gave and to have his struggles, his biopick will
be incredible if they bring it.
Speaker 1 (06:22):
You're right about that.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
Somebody's probably maybe had already been working with him on it.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
And I kind of remember as a kid. I remember
him having the heart attack and the bypass surgery and
that's when he quit smoking. He smoked like four packs
of cigarettes a day. And before he had that heart attack.
Can you even imagine live to ninety one, and he
was addicted to pain killers I guess for about a
fifteen year time span two So you know, well, you're right, Jody,
it will be one heck of a biopic.
Speaker 3 (06:44):
Yeah, I don't know if you remember, but even you know,
speaking of smoking during the telethon back in those days,
it's like you're sitting here raising money for MDA, and
he'd be over there at the podium.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
Let's check the top. Boy. It's funny our girls in
any time they see like old YouTube videos of like
like John Lennon on one of those old late night shows,
anybody would walk out. Yeah, it just it was a
very very different, you know time. But anyway, bygone air.
And I guess he's fortunate, he's blessed somehow. Many to
ninety one, A lot of those guys didn't
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