We’re celebrating Labor Day this week by republishing a classic episode from last year all about the television event that became synonymous with not only this holiday, but also its enigmatic (and problematic) host - Mr. Jerry Lewis. Enjoy!

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It’s that time of year again - Labor Day Weekend. And we all know the two most important things about that day: it’s the final chance to wear white clothing (thank you, Elle Woods), and it’s also when the nation used to tune into the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s annual fundraising broadcast, or as it’s better known, the Jerry Lewis Telethon.

Rob teaches Ray about Good Jerry and Bad Jerry; the early days of Martin and Lewis, their subsequent break-up, and their unexpected reunion; how Lainie Kazan earned her Actor’s Studio stripes while singing Barry Manilow; Joan Crawford’s questionable poetry choices; and why MDA eventually disassociated itself from the very man who popularized its fundraiser and championed its cause.

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TEAM

Ray Hebel

Robert W. Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

ARTICLESEPISODE CLIPS

Opening Credits for the MDA Telethon

Lewis and Martin Reunite

Lewis on Female Comics

Lewis on Refugees

Lewis Uses a Gay Slur

“Bad Jerry” (Lewis on Larry King)

Lainie Kazan Sings “Copacabana”

Joan Crawford Reads Poetry

Jerry’s Final “Never Walk Alone”

Jerry Lewis’s Song on His Father’s Will

Early Jerry Lewis Telethon Clips & Audio

ADDITIONAL MUSIC & SOUND EFFECTS

“Happy Bee”

• Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

• Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Additional Sound Effects from Final Cut Pro, iLife, and Logic Pro