Does anyone remember the Jerry Lewis Telethon when it first started 44 years ago?

[LostInAnomie]

Did it have bigger stars and more talent back then? I can't imagine it lasting this long without there having been some pretty big stars back in the beginning. I wonder why today's big stars don't go on there.

[grantcart]

1. Frankly the big attraction were the kids and watching the numbers on the board

keep going up.


Seems like old hat now but it was emotional back then.


They had big stars but Jerry Lewis was the real star and he could be very funny.

[sandnsea]

3. A United effort

The whole country got involved. I can't think of anything that comes close to that anymore. It was a very unifying thing. I hate that we've lost that.

[TheDebbieDee]

8. The big attraction for me when I was a kid in the mid 70s was that

it was the only time a local station had programming for 24 hours..............granted, this was before cable was available.

[iris27]

13. He's been pretty funny this year, too.

"Ed, wherever you are, I hope you have your booze with you!" :)

[sandnsea]

2. We Had 3 Channels.

But yes, it was more like Comic Relief. Everybody loved Jerry Lewis. And everybody had a dollar so everybody could contribute to the firemen. It was a big deal.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

4. Oh, you bet he had stars, great big stars -

Sinatra, Jackie Gleason, all the big ones. It was a really wonderful show, and we watched to see the money numbers keep going up, and to see the big stars, and to see Jerry Lewis have a stroke or heart attack on camera.

What big stars? There aren't stars the likes of those guys, the Rat Pack and the glamorous women movie stars. Today's "stars" don't seem to do anything interesting or even look all that different from one another. When Angie Dickinson showed up, THAT was a big deal. Stuff like that.

Christ, am I old! Listen to me - I'm five minutes away from "Get off my lawn, you damn kids!"

And, of course, in the old days, we all called in pledges, with fake names and addresses. Fucking technology today has taken ALL the fun out of the Telethon, and now that it's entirely likely that Lewis will drop dead on stage, the thrill is gone...........................

[texanwitch]

5. I watched the whole show one year.

It was fun to watch.

I am sure they had some big stars on.

[LibDemAlways]

6. Many of Jerry's contemporaries are now deceased, so he can

no longer count on Frank Sinatra, for example, to stop by like he did in the old days. Dean Martin even came on one time, which was a big deal since they hadn't shared a stage in years. Yes, the line up used to be quite star studded. Of course those were the days when many of Jerry's friends were big stars and they'd come on to support him. Nowadays fewer entertainers are willing to make the effort to come on a show that no doubt attracts an older audience of people who aren't going to buy a particular performer's latest album anyway.

[Spinzonner]

10. And of course Ed MacMahon is now gone also

[pepperbear]

7. yeah, it used to be about sammy davis jr, soupy sales, and ann miller. n/t

[dhill926]

9. we used to have a pool....

when Jerry would cry....I know.....bad....but we did....

[lapfog_1]

11. drinking game when I was a cynical college kid

but when I was just a wee tyke, he had big stars and it was near mandatory viewing, especially near the end when he would break the record.

To be honest, I forgot it was even on again... until I saw this thread.

Without Ed, there really isn't any glue to hold it together... Jerry is great, but he can't do it like he used to.

[kskiska]

12. We are no longer exposed to those types of stars

Back in the 50s and 60s we had loads of variety shows on TV with stars that dated back to vaudeville. There have been some purportedly big stars who've died recently and I didn't even recognize their names. Many entertainers today are stuck in Vegas and are pretty much unheard of elsewhere. Back in the old days all entertainers - jugglers, comics, singers, musicians - received vast exposure on shows like Ed Sullivan, Perry Como, Dinah Shore, Milton Berle, Kraft Music Hall, Jackie Gleason, Colgate Comedy Hour, Flip Wilson, Sonny & Cher, and many, many others. Where are they to appear today?