"Jerry & Me" - The Time We Interviewed Jerry Lewis - by Patty Mooney

Happy New Year, everybody!

As you know, you are as pertinent as your latest blog post. But if you have been blogging for years, many of your articles have gone unread and unnoticed by many. And who bothers to ever read your stuff beyond the current week? I mean, if you had readers who were going that far back into your blogroll, you might even think they were stalking you.

So, I would like to introduce my latest idea that struck me today as I was cruising around on my mountain bike at Mission Trails - "Retro Wednesdays!" You know that great quote, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle?" Why couldn't it apply to a blog?

Here's a blog from January of 2009 about the world's greatest living comedian, Jerry Lewis. Enjoy! And let me know what you think about "Retro Wednesdays."

Patty Mooney poses with Jerry Lewis on his boat in 2006 (Photo by Mark Schulze)


Many times we are asked who was the most interesting person we have interviewed for our broadcast clients. We have met quite a few celebrities. Vince Vaughn and Jewel both stand out as talented yet humble people who were gracious to the crew, whereas a sailor and a basketball player, both named Dennis, gave the sound operator cause to worry about retrieving the lavalier mic in one piece.

The man who comes to mind as the most interesting is a comedian by the name of Jerry Lewis. We were hired to shoot Jerry giving a video homage to his good friend, Norm Crosby, who was to receive an award. Our crew arrived at the marina where Jerry moors the boat he lives on when he is not in Las Vegas. We set up our equipment quickly, put a lav on Jerry and were about ready to begin the interview when Mark, the shooter, said, "Mr. Lewis, if you would move to your left about half a foot then you would not be back-lit."

Jerry responded, "This ain't the Academy Awards, kid. Let's just get this show on the road."

Jerry turned out to be what we in the business refer to as "a one-take wonder" and as we wrapped the equipment, I asked him what he had thought when Don Rickles had referred to him as a "Jew whale" at the 2003 MDA telethon. He laughed and said, "I love that guy!" Jerry explained that at the time he had been on steroid medication that had ballooned him out an extra 63 pounds. Although Jerry still had medical issues, he felt much better and had lost a little weight. He was also delighted to have just written his book, "Dean and Me: A Love Story," which has garnered high ratings on Amazon.com.

We would like to say thanks to Jerry Lewis, for delighting us all with your comedy for six decades!