Jerry Lewis, who died this week at 91, scored in just about every branch of show business: nightclubs, radio, television, concerts, movies and records. But it…
Jerry Lewis, who died this week at 91, scored in just about every branch of show business: nightclubs, radio, television, concerts, movies and records. But it was only relatively late in life that he tried his hand at a Broadway musical.
When he did, he became the only actor sued for refusing “to rehearse adequately for a play, ” as the suit put it.
The show was a 1977 revival of “Hellzapoppin, ” a zany vaudeville revue from 1938. Alexander H. Cohen, one of the most powerful producers of his day, enticed Lewis to star in the revival opposite Lynn Redgrave.
The lavish production, staged by “Guys and Dolls” writer Abe Burrows, featured a cast of 48 and a budget of $1.25 million, the most expensive show of its day. The hype was so great, NBC planned to televise the opening night live from the Minskoff Theatre.
But there was trouble from the start, largely, the press reported at the time, due to Lewis’ ego. Burrows tried to impose discipline on the freewheeling performer. But Lewis hated having to do a scene the same way every time. Burrows stepped down, replaced by Jerry Adler (who later found fame playing the mobster Hesh in “The Sopranos”) .
Lewis also disliked Redgrave. They had several numbers together, but Lewis insisted they be cut. Out-of-town critics thought it bizarre that the two leads had so little stage time together. When Redgrave got more numbers to do on her own, Lewis complained she was hogging the stage.
“We had a number for the two of them, ” Adler said at the time, “but he refused to rehearse it with her.”
By the time the show hit Boston, Cohen struck back. He shut down the production, telling reporters: “ ‘Hellzapoppin’ is being withdrawn for recasting and other repairs… because in my opinion it is not ready for Broadway.” Word around Shubert Alley was that “recasting” meant replacing Lewis.
The revival never made it to Broadway, but was in the news again a year later, when Cohen sued Lewis for breach of contract. The suit dragged on for three years until Lewis agreed to pay Cohen $39,000, claiming the legal battle was becoming too expensive.
Cohen relished his win and never missed a chance to zing Lewis, the longtime telethon host. “I have good news and bad news, ” Cohen once quipped. “The good news is that a cure has been found for muscular dystrophy. The bad news is that Jerry Lewis is out of a job.”
Asked in 1978 if he would ever do a Broadway show again, Lewis said, “No thanks, one burn was enough.”
But in 1995, at age 69, he replaced Victor Garber as the devil in a Broadway revival of “Damn Yankees.” Lewis got good reviews and by all accounts behaved well.
He had fun, too. He led the cast on an eight-rider bicycle to Central Park to play in the Broadway softball league. A photographer took a picture, but Lewis thought the photo was silly and that no one would run it. He said if it did run, he’ d buy the photographer a Lamborghini.
The photo ran everywhere.
Lewis made good on the promise, says press agent Peter Cromarty: He sent the photographer a Lamborghini anyway: the Hot Wheels version.
