Jewish Film Festival – Jerry Lewis: The Man Behind the Crown

Jerry Lewis: The Man Behind the Clown
October 22, 4pm
The J, Staenberg Family Complex, Creve Coeur
$10 for the general public; free for Jewish Film Society members

Since the early days of television, Jerry Lewis has had audiences laughing at his visual gags, pantomime sketches, and signature slapstick humor. Yet Lewis was far more than a jokester. A groundbreaking filmmaker whose insatiable curiosity led him to write, produce, stage, and direct many of the films he would also appear in resulted in such adored classics as The Bellboy, The Ladies Man, The Errand Boy, and The Nutty Professor.

Lewis’s filmmaking career prevented him from being pigeonholed as a comic performer and launched his reputation as a driving force in Hollywood. Pushing boundaries with his technical innovations, unique voice, and keen visual eye, he soon garnered praise overseas, particularly in France among the cultural sophisticates.

Jerry Lewis and his friends candidly reflected on Lewis’s remarkable life and decades-long career. From his legendary partnership with crooner Dean Martin and his incredible rise to Beatles-like fame to his great love affair with the other side of the movie camera, director Gregory Monro invites audiences to rediscover Jerry Lewis as an influential artist, humanitarian, and visionary – the man behind the clown.

In addition, a short film The Man Who Shot Hollywood will also be shown.

Jack Pashkovsky lived quietly in a town lit up by a thousand stars. He practiced his art anonymously. By the time he was finished, he had compiled what must be the greatest collection of celebrity photographs never seen, until now. His photographs appeared fresher, more relaxed when they were away from the set, the portrait studio, the Hollywood première. The beautiful people looked like real people, and that’s what makes his portraits illuminating. They have a startling immediacy.

Tickets are available by calling 314.442.3179 or at the door.