Getting the Boot

Jerry Lewis made me laugh when I watched him on television shows like the Ed Sullivan Show. I never got to meet him, but my Aunt had a picture taken with him when she helped with the Muscular Dystrophy (MD) Telethon.

It all started in the early 1950’s when singer, Dean Martin, and comedian, Jerry Lewis, were the hottest act in show business. They were asked to co-host the very first four-hour MD telethon. Then in 1956 Jerry continued to host it alone.

On Labor Day weekend in 1966, the first official weekend long Jerry Lewis Telethon for muscular dystrophy took place. It raised just over one million dollars.

Over the years, Jerry Lewis's annual Labor Day telethons raised more than 2 billion dollars in donations to fight MD. The biggest single donations have come from the Firefighters Association, who have given more than $250,000.

Many of the biggest celebrities in show business have either hosted or appeared on the MD telethons over the years, including Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and three of the Beatles, ultra-reclusive Joe DiMaggio and even U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

But the all-time highlight in telethon history was the reunion of Jerry Lewis with his former partner Dean Martin in 1976, staged by their mutual friend Frank Sinatra. It was an incredible moment in television history, being Martin and Lewis' first public appearance together in 20 years. The two tearfully hugged, kidded around, cracked a few one-liners and sang.

Many people wonder why Lewis was so committed to the telethon until 2011. Although no one knows the exact reason, some believe that a childhood illness may have inspired him. As a two year old he developed a strange and potentially crippling disease. His grandmother, although a very strict Jew, cooked him bacon and "crammed it into his mouth" to help fight off the impending sickness. The memory of a debilitating disease may have had at an impact on his dedicated fight against muscular dystrophy.

Firemen continue the tradition of supporting MD by standing in traffic with a boot to collect money. Today’s gift was a donation to help give muscular dystrophy the boot.

In Giving,
Robin