The Jerry Lewis Show
| The Jerry Lewis Show | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Variety, talk, comedy |
| Created by |
Elton Rule (original version) Bob Finkel (NBC version) |
| Directed by | John Dorsey Jack Shea Arthur Forrest |
| Starring | Jerry Lewis |
| Narrated by |
Del Moore Charlie Callas (1984) |
| Theme music composer | Charlie Chaplin |
| Opening theme | "Smile" |
| Ending theme | "Smile" |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 13 (ABC version) 45 (NBC version) 5 (1984 version) 63 (total) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Ernest D. Glucksman |
| Producer(s) | Perry Cross |
| Location(s) | ABC Vine Street Theatre |
| Running time | 120 minutes (ABC version) 60 minutes (NBC version) |
| Release | |
| Original network |
ABC (1963) NBC (1967-1969) Syndication (1984) |
| Original release |
First Run September 21, 1963 – December 21, 1963 Second Run September 12, 1967 – May 27, 1969 Third Run June 18, 1984 – June 22, 1984 |
The Jerry Lewis Show was the name of several separate but similar American variety, talk and comedy programs starring comedian Jerry Lewis that aired non-consecutively between September 21, 1963 – 1984. The original version of the series aired on ABC from September 21, 1963–December 21, 1963. The second version of the series aired from September 12, 1967–May 27, 1969. The final version of the series aired for a week in 1984.
Before The Jerry Lewis Show premiered in 1963, Lewis made several films and television appearances, notably as host on The Colgate Comedy Hour, with vocalist Dean Martin as the duo "Martin and Lewis", first formed in July 1946. In 1956 after 17 films, a radio series , 29 Colgate shows and many night club appearances, they parted ways bitterly. Both Martin and Lewis continued as successful, but separate show business superstars. Between 1957 and 1962 Lewis headlined several well received solo specials for the NBC and ABC networks. "The Jerry Lewis Show" was the comedians first foray into weekly television.
In 1963, the American Broadcasting Company, (ABC), purchased the Hollywood and Vine Street Theatre, also known as the El Capitan Theatre (not to be confused with the present-day El Capitan Theatre). The theater had been used in previous years for broadcast radio shows for the Mutual Broadcasting System. ABC decided to renovate the theater so to be used for several ABC television shows. The renovation took place of the whole theater. The cost to renovate the facility was $400,000.
The same year of the renovation, ABC decided to promote Elton Rule to head of the network. Rule had previously worked as general manager of programming for ABC's Los Angeles affiliate KABC. Rule and other executives at ABC hired comedian Jerry Lewis to do a show for the network and videotape it at the newly renovated theater.
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