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PRESENTING DEAN MARTIN AND JERRY LEWIS: 1952 Promotional Booklet

May 9th, 2008 by Scott Marks

By now some of you must be asking yourselves, “Will he ever run out of Jerry Lewis items to post?”

NEVER!!!

This 16 page booklet was issued just as the boys were making their mark on the movies and it makes for fascinating reading. As my buddy Chuck said, “There’s magic in them thar booklets, big golden nuggets!”

While the text is purely the stuff publicists dreams are made of, it’s surprising how much truth is packed between its pages. There are stories of Jerry’s work as a “drowner” and numerous descriptions of the duo’s legendary off screen antics. Jerry grew a beard for an outdoor photo shoot and when inclement weather threatened to put the kibosh on it, he stapled his facial hair to the floor to ensure an indoor shoot.

Collier’s writer Bill Davidson also gets off some sharp insights into the reason behind the comedy team’s enormous success. “They are closest, perhaps, to the Marx Brothers of the early days, with Lewis, in his more explosive moments, approaching the wild ad-lib exuberance of Groucho and Harpo combined; and Martin resembling Chico and Zeppo.”

The only piece of Lewisiana that I passed on greeted me while standing outside of Jerry’s room at Chicago’s Drake Hotel. Legend has it that Mr. L never wears the same pair of sock twice. The maid’s cart was sitting outside the door and there on top of the pile was a pair of white, lightly soiled crew socks. I contemplated the footwear like a hungry homeless person staring at a turkey dinner, but even in the depths of my fanatical obsession could not bring myself to pocket them. It is a mistake that I lived to regret.

The booklet came to me, as so much of my Lewis collection did, while working at Flashback Collectibles on Clark St. in Chicago. It’s one of the cornerstones of my collection and one that I am delighted to share with you.

Read the entire booklet here.

Links:

Jerry Lewis photos
Dean Martin photos

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