Cherry Hill Resident Rick Saphire has All the Answers About His Friend and Client, the Late Jerry Lewis

In the early 1970s, Jerry Lewis faced a significant downturn in his career after achieving
fame with Dean Martin in 1946. For the first time, he found himself without contracts from
major studios and television networks. His nightclub performances were declining, and his
comedy style seemed outdated. Although he was undeniably talented, Lewis struggled to
engage new audiences and faced several failed business ventures. Nevertheless, he
continued to be recognized as a prominent entertainer and a dedicated fundraiser for the
Muscular Dystrophy Association.

When independent producers offered Jerry Lewis the opportunity to work on the film “The Day the Clown Cried,” he traveled to Germany to start production.

Rick Saphire, who was Jerry Lewis’s personal manager and is now the author of "The REAL
Jerry Lewis Story" now shares his insights regarding Jerry Lewis’s participation in the
unfinished film “The Day the Clown Cried.” Saphire points out that, beyond media reports of
Jerry’s withdrawal from the controversial Nazi drama in which he portrayed a clown working
for the Third Reich during the Holocaust, and leading children to the gas chambers, there
was considerable pressure from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) for Lewis to
distance himself from the project. This pressure arose from concerns that the film’s release
and potential success could harm Lewis’s image as a humanitarian, exposing him and the
MDA to ridicule. There was a real danger that the phrase “Jerry’s Kids” could acquire an
extremely unfavorable connotation.

With sincere concern for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and the young victims of the
dreaded disease, coupled with the intense anxiety of losing his connection with the MDA,
Jerry Lewis walked away from “The Day the Clown Cried.”

Four decades later, without explanation or fanfare, the Muscular Dystrophy Association
walked away from Jerry Lewis.

The local author and celebrity representative, Rick Saphire, will be hosting a book talk and sale at the Cherry Hill, NJ, Public Library on October 2025, at 1:30 PM. Saphire will provide a very entertaining multimedia seminar featuring his popular Jerry Lewis book and will announce the new audiobook.

Tickets for this event are free of charge, but reservations are a must. Please call Rick Saphire at 856-424-1064 to reserve your seat.

Rick Saphire