The Jerry Lewis Show

The show was marked by several technical difficulties. National newspapers of Monday, October 20, 1958, ran the following review of the show: "Variety of Calamities Trips Jerry Lewis Show, By HARRIET VAN HORNE-A spectacularly overstated commercial on the Jerry Lewis Show involved plunging a Timex wrist watch into the simulated jaws of hell. Strapped to a propeller blade, the watch was immersed in a vat of water, then whirled about like a dervish. It came up out of the foam still bravely ticking. The same cannot be said for putty-faced, rubber-kneed Master Lewis, who was subjected to almost equal ferocity in the course of his first fall show on Saturday Night, NBC. In one hour, every calamity that can befall a performer befell poor Jerry. There was a deluge of water that wouldn't stop deluging, but even John Cameron Swayze couldn't haul him out of the drink and cry, 'You see. Waterproof, shock resistant and indestructible.' Mr. Lewis, after all, is only as vulnerable as any other performer whose technicians throw him to the wolves. You name the mishap and Jerry had it. Cues were missed, lenses flipped, cameras focused where there was nothing to focus on. There were stage waits long enough for the Hallelujah Chorus. Directions from the control room went out over the air. In sum, bedlam. The routing of the show apparently was changed during the performance, resulting in such embarrassing lines as, "Hold up the card so I can read it!" The backstage noise occasionally rose to a crescendo. Mr. Lewis worked hard, mugging, screaming, crossing his eyes and so on, but it just wasn't his night. No performer, however free and easy his style, can surmount afflictions of this sort. Though he delivered a proper little thank you speech at the close, Mr. Lewis gave one the Impression that he was counting lo 10 under his breath. On the face of it though, I'm inclined to doubt that this would have been one of Mr. Lewis' better efforts, even with an efficient technical crew. Those of us who rejoice in Madame Helen Traubel's occasional TV appearances found little to rejoice over on Saturday night. The sight of this great Wagnerian soprano in a Dutch bob wig and floozy dress, miming to a recording by Keely Smith, is something opera lovers won't soon forget. In no sense does this disparage the talents of Miss Smith, a gifted singer. But it's a tired, overworked stunt, this record miming. And to an artist of Miss Traubel's stature, it's demeaning. As for the rest of the show, well, there was a sketch involving cascades of water. And a spoof of a TV commercial for peanut butter that had Jerry creeping across the stage on his knees like a dying man, inching his way across the burning sands to a tiny oasis. It was so distended, so overwrought that we lost the joke. Let's hope Master Lewis fares better next time."