History of the Jerry Lewis Telethon for the National Muscular Dystrophy Association
Before iconic comedian Jerry Lewis died in 2017, he was a part of the annual telethon for The National Muscular Dystrophy Association for many, many years. Lewis appeared at the very first telethon on television called New York’s Damon Runyon Memorial Cancer Fund Telethon in 1949 with his then-singing partner Dean Martin. Milton Berle hosted the telethon and was responsible for paving the way for many telethons to come, raising money for various charities around the world.
By the early ’50s, Lewis and Martin continued to grow in popularity and were asked to host a telethon for a disease called muscular dystrophy. By 1966, it was called The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon and hosted each year on Labor Day to continue to raise money for the disease. The telethon was the first of its kind to raise over $1 million, which shocked skeptics who said people wouldn’t be home to watch television on the national holiday.
Courtesy of Christopher Lewis
How much money has the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day raised?
Over the years, the Labor Day telethons went on to raise over 2 billion dollars. One of the most memorable telethons was in 1976 when Frank Sinatra staged a reunion of Lewis and Martin and they had their first public appearance together in over 20 years. It was truly wholesome.
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Jerry Lewis & Ed McMahon
Ed McMahon, known for being Johnny Carson‘s announcer and sidekick, became involved with the telethon in 1968. By 1973, Lewis asked McMahon to co-host with him. He was inspired by Carson’s Carnac the Magnificent character and would predict the total number of funds, often with shocking precision! When he died in 2009, the telethon that year paid tribute to him with a special video narrated by his longtime friend Lewis.
MDA/Getty Images
Celebrity guests at the The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon
Of course, a telethon would not be complete without some celebrity guests to entice fans to help contribute to the cause. Many of the Muppets appeared over the years, plus Larry King, Tony Orlando, Casey Kasem, Carol Burnett, Johnny Cash, Doris Day, Bee Gees, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin and so, so many more! Music legends took the stage for iconic performances, all in the name of helping out kids with muscular dystrophy. Check out the full list of celebrity guests here and relive some of the moments and performances on the official YouTube page.
Many have wondered if Lewis knew someone with the condition or why it became so close to his heart. The truth is we don’t really know why Lewis became synonymous with the foundation and telethon, but he did help raise life-changing amounts of money for children with muscular dystrophy. In recent years, the telethon was hosted by comedian Kevin Hart, although it truly hasn’t been the same since Lewis stepped down in 2011.
Remind 
Classic Comedy Duos
March 2021
Chuckle at television & films funniest comic duos.
Buy This Issue