Two King of Hearts: The King of Rock and Roll and The King of Comedy | Two of the biggest hearts in show business, two of the biggest supporters of charity. One an entertainer, the other a comedian. Two different roads to fame.

Elvis Didn't Have One Particular Favorite Comic--He Liked several. But high on the King of Rock and Roll's list along with Milton Berle and Lucille Ball, was the in-comparable, King of Comedy, Jerry Lewis

|Elvis loved to laugh. He, himself, was noted as a prankster and always full of good humor. A good comic affected Elvis in a positive way. He grew up watching Abbott and Costello and The Bowery Boys. The first movie his dad had taken him to see was "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein," and he was hooked from then, on.

From Abbott and Costello, Elvis came to know the comedians/ comediennes popular in the fifties while he was starting out in the business of entertaining. Especially as a guest--and a sensation--both on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Milton Berle Show, Elvis came to witness, first-hand, the antics of some of the eras most notable entertainers. Berle, who could be a hard charger with a bad temper, had warmed up to Elvis, and Elvis enjoyed Berle's brand of humor.  "I Love Lucy," another popular sitcom of the period, obviously caught Elvis' eye as Lucille Ball became another favorite.

As the years progressed, Elvis found the comic lot changing, becoming more a switch from slapstick humor to modern craziness, to be found in the broad British troop of comedic genius, Monty Python, and more aptly, "Monty Python's Flying Circus." In the late sixties, early seventies, Elvis found the British comedy riotous and became nothing short of obsessed with the brilliant skits as performed by John Cleese, Eric Idle, Michael Palin, Graham Chapman, and Terry Jones. Elvis found their brand of humor absolutely beyond off-the-wall, the type of craziness/silliness that Elvis, himself, could on occasion spin off. Peter Sellers was another comedic talent fav of Elvis.


An early publicity still of Jerry Lewis
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But one comedian stands out among the rest as a true testament to conservative style, and with a heart as loving and giving as Elvis had. Jerry Lewis. Elvis enjoyed Lewis' movies and comedic skills, which he had been aware of since the days of the Colgate Comedy Hour of the 1950's where Elvis' first witnessed Jerry, and also had patterned his singing style to that of crooner, Dean Martin, half of the unique comedy team of Martin and Lewis.

Dean had been Elvis' favorite singer before others came along; he simply liked Dean's style, basing his own rendition of "Love Me Tender," Elvis first movie, close to the singing style of Martin. As Dean became an Elvis favorite, so became Martin and Lewis a favorite comedy team.

An interviewer once asked Elvis if he had heard the Martin and Lewis broke up to which Elvis said that he had heard something about it. The interviewer joked with Elvis, telling him that Hal Wallis was thinking of co-starring Elvis together with Jerry Lewis for a new picture. Elvis was stunned, surprised at least. "Jerry Lewis?" he quipped. Elvis was then asked if he thought Jerry and he wouldn't get along. "...it's not that," cited Elvis, "that's Dean Martin and it'll always be Dean and Jerry, nothin' else." Elvis meant it; that no one else but Dean Martin could ever stand beside Jerry Lewis as a comedy duo. Cut and dried, Martin and Lewis had made their permanent mark, even on Elvis.

The interesting portion of this story are the ironies between Elvis and Jerry, and following is a list of some of these:

•Of histories biggest Las Vegas entertainers, Elvis and Jerry Lewis come to mind. Elvis had grown increasingly tired of the Las Vegas circuit and a difficulty with management was beginning to stress him immensely before his untimely death in 1977. While Elvis was happiest being able to entertain his fans whom he loved, he was not happy with the situation in Las Vegas. Conversing over lunch one day with his pastor, Elvis was asked why he didn't just up and leave that industry, to which Elvis replied that though he would like to, he "could not just walk away" from it. Jerry was able to withstand the industry and to this day has a continuing 20-year contract to perform in Vegas. Both men knew Frank Sinatra, Jerry was very friendly with Frank while Elvis appeared on Frank's show and knew him though his (Elvis) acquaintance with Frank's daughter, Nancy, then engaged to singer, Tommy Sands. It was Nancy Sinatra who gave Priscilla Presley her baby shower. Both men became legends in Las Vegas and had earned a substantial portion of their capital from playing to audiences there for many years. The ironies began in Las Vegas where both men became vulnerable to the "management" and their rules and regs, both involved themselves with women and pills to help ward off constant pain, making each a victim of addiction. In Hollywood, the same but now they would have more in common.

• Elvis and Jerry shared a director out in Hollywood. Norman Taurog made several movies with Jerry, and when that pair's tenure ended, Taurog moved over to Elvis where director and star filmed nine (9) movies together.

Jerry Lewis, King of Comedy
photo ctsy of William Morris Agency

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• Elvis and Jerry shared a string of leading ladies:

Donna Butterworth:

Paradise Hawaiian Style- w/ Elvis

The Family Jewels - with Jerry

Celeste Yarnell:

"Live A Little, Love A Little"- with Elvis

The Nutty Professor- with Jerry

Joan Blackman:

"Blue Hawaii"- with Elvis

Visit To A Small Planet- with Jerry

Francine York:

"Tickle Me"- with Elvis

A total of six (6) films with Jerry

Other actresses sharing parts with the two men were Stella Stevens and Anita Mann.

Stella Stevens starred with Lewis in "The Nutty Professor," and with Elvis in "Girls, Girls, Girls." Norman Taurog directed both films.

Anita Mann was one of the young dancers who starred in several Elvis movies of the sixties including "Spinout." She turned her career toward choreography and is most recently the steady choreographer for Jerry Lewis' MDA yearly telethon.

Interestingly, Donna Butterworth, leading "little" lady to both Elvis and Jerry states on her My Space site that her heroes are: "Mother Teresa, Jerry Lewis, Elvis Presley."

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• Jerry Lewis is one who believes that comedic skills should be enhanced by one's own talent and skill and not by unleashing obscenities or crude language such as do some of today's younger set of stand-up comics. Elvis would have whole-heartedly agreed. It is an art to perform and a talent rare to be a great performer. Both men knew this enough to become as successful as they have. Elvis was not happy with but tolerated impersonators and sometimes encouraged early Elvis tribute artists, but also encouraging them not to make a living impersonating him but of promoting their own talents.

Lewis, back when, sometimes did impersonate the famous talents of the day and among his great impersonations of the time was James Cagney. However, Cagney was alive. Regarding Elvis impersonators, Lewis feels differently. On the MDA Telethon of 2006, Jerry hesitated about accepting an ETA performance on the show. While lunching with the telethon's director, Eddie Foy, Lewis commented on the idealogy of Elvis impersonators, saying: "Why can't they let the man rest in peace?"1

When Trent Carlini performed for Jerry, Lewis was evidently impressed and Carlini was allowed to perform but not witout h a compromise: that he (Carlini) would not "be" Elvis but would appear as himself singing an Elvis medley.2

Sadly, if Elvis knew that Dean Martin was not a fan, he would have been crushed. While Elvis admired Dean and Jerry, it was both Jerry and Gary Lewis who admired the King. On meeting Elvis Presley at the Paramount Studios where both were working on films, Lewis wrote in his memoirs that Elvis "...was the nicest young man I ever met."3


1,2- sources compiled from the
Las Vegas Review Journal, Aug.2006 | NORM: Elvis stylist wins over Jerry Lewis

3- "Dean and Me, A Love Story,"by
Jerry Lewis with James Kaplan, publ.
Doubleday, Oct. 2005, pp. 284

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Jerry Lewis, like Elvis, has become an American icon of history. The King of Rock and Roll and the King of Comedy. Two special and gifted talents with hearts as big as their legends. We thank Jerry for his timeless antics, and wish him the best in health and happiness going forward.

As a reminder, Jerry Lewis' Labor Day Telethon is almost here. Follow the link below and donate to Jerry's favorite charity. The spirit of giving was a passion of Elvis and is still with many Presley family members. We encourage and welcome all Elvis' fans to give generously for a cause. We urge you, too, to help Jerry's Kids once again as Jerry continues to raise awareness and billions for Muscular Dystrophy and other nerve-related illnesses, for the cure!

Muscular Dystrophy Association