LINK[blockquote]LAS VEGAS (AP) — After 45 years, Jerry Lewis is retiring as host of the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Labor Day telethon.
The 85-year-old comedian and Las Vegas resident issued a statement Monday through the Tucson, Ariz.-based Muscular Dystrophy Association calling it time for a “new telethon era.”
He says he’ll make his final appearance on the six-hour primetime telethon Sept. 4 by performing his song “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”[/blockquote]
[blockquote]The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon (also known as The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon) is hosted by actor and comedian, Jerry Lewis to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA), syndicated to approximately 190 television stations throughout the United States. It has been held annually since 1966.
As of 2009, the telethon had raised $2.45 billion since its inception.Starting in 2011, it will be seen the Sunday evening before Labor Day for six hours; from 1966 to 2010, it was seen for up to 21½ hours, starting on the Sunday evening preceding Labor Day and continuing until late Monday afternoon. MDA calls its network of participating stations the "Love Network". The show has originated from Las Vegas for 28 of the 45 years it has aired.
[/blockquote] From
wikipediaWhatever your opinion of Jerry Lewis is, he has been working at this project for literally decades...and under a great deal of pain in the later years. It is amazing that, given several decades of what can charitably be called "poor health," Mr. Lewis has continued to devote himself to the MDA. His work, although very public and very high profile for at least one weekend a year, has gone largely unrecognized.
To date (according to his wikipedia page) Mr. Lewis has been nominated once (1977) for the Nobel Peace Prize, has been awarded the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award at the 81st Academy Awards and was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Chapman University during the 2010 MDA Telethon.
If ever there was someone who was under-recognized for his humanitarian work it is Jerry Lewis. It is one of life's bitter and cruel ironies that a know-nothing from Chicago is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his
alleged potential to make a difference in the world while Mr. Lewis has largely been ignored for his actual humanitarian achievements.
