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Following his death Sunday at age 91, Jerry Lewis’ obituaries all laud him for his manic-comic genius and his influence on everyone from other comedians to pioneering filmmakers like Martin Scorsese and writer-directors Mel Brooks and Woody Allen.
The obituaries also celebrate his tireless fundraising efforts, via his famous Labor Day telethons on behalf of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
But they can’t avoid the fact that Lewis could be a major pain in the you-know-what, “a mercurial, egomaniacal, often polarizing figure with a roller-coaster career,” in the words of Chicago Sun-Times film critic Richard Roeper.
True to this duality, Jerry Lewis gave interviews in his last year to promote is final film “Max Rose,” in which he was difficult — grumpy, aggrieved, impatient or suddenly abandoning the interview halfway through the agreed-upon time.
In fact, Lewis made pop culture news when he gave a now famously awkward interview with the Hollywood Reporter that ended up going viral.
The writer, Andy Lewis, even described the interview as a “train wreck.”
He met with Lewis as his home to talk about “Max Rose,” a poignant drama in which Lewis plays a jazz musician dealing with the death of his wife of 65 years. No one remembers “Max Rose,” which was a critical and box office disappointment, but people remember the interview.
The writer sat down with the star in Lewis’ Las Vegas home, at the end of a photo shoot during which Lewis complained about the amount equipment in his house, the number of people involved and how the shots were set up.
“By the time we sat down for the interview about an hour later, Lewis had worked up a full head of steam, and it seemed like he was punishing (the Hollywood Reporter) by doing the interview but being as uncooperative as possible,” Andy Lewis wrote.
But the writer acknowledged that the interview, as uncomfortable as it was, was pretty “funny.” Or, the writer said, the interview “weirdly” proves a certain point: that 90-year-old Jerry Lewis “is vital and completely engaged.”
In an August 2016 interview with USA Today writer Bryan Alexander, who had interviewed Lewis before, the legend seemed slightly less aggrieved but still made it “clear with a yawn and a not-subtle look at his watch that he doesn’t relish interviews.”
Finally, Lewis sat down with comedian Marc Maron last August for Maron’s WTF podcast. Maron held off airing the interview for several months because it initially seemed like such a disaster.
Maron was catching Lewis while on his press junket for “Max Rose.” He thought he worked out having an hour with Lewis.
The interview, actually went along pretty pleasantly with Maron, an obvious fan and fellow comedian, getting Lewis to chat easily about his early life and career, including his love for one-time comedy partner Dean Martin and his successful solo movie career through the 1960s. Lewis was generous, forthcoming, funny and seemed to be having a good time.
But then, midway through the interview, Lewis suddenly decided to bail out with no explanation.
“It was an awkward moment for me,” Maron said in the podcast, before replaying a clip of their interaction.
“I’ve been sitting here a half hour and that’s it,” Lewis said, ending the interview.
“We’re done?” Maron asked.
“Yep,” was Lewis’s blunt response.
