Jerry Lewis
Serious allegations against the US comedian
A new short film accuses Jerry Lewis of abusive behavior on multiple counts.
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A new short film reveals what Jerry Lewis’ female colleagues have allegedly endured behind the scenes.
Former co-stars and colleagues of US comedian legend Jerry Lewis (1926-2017) accuse him in interviews with the “Vanity Fair” sexual assault and sexual harassment. The women all met Lewis at the height of his Hollywood career.
The story and an accompanying short film are based in part on interviews conducted by Emmy-winning Allen v. Farrow documentary Amy Ziering (60) and Kirby Dick (69).
“I wanted to leave so badly”
Among the interviewees is Hope Holiday (91), who played alongside Lewis in the film “I’m Still Available” (1961). She tells of an incident in his dressing room. There he is said to have locked her in and started to talk and masturbate in a suggestive way. “I didn’t know what to do, so I just sat there. I wanted to get away so badly. I wanted to get out of there, but I couldn’t.”
Afterwards she didn’t dare to report Lewis to the US actors’ union, the Screen Actors Guild. “He was a big shot at Paramount. I was under contract to him and Paramount, I didn’t want to jeopardize that, so I better kept my mouth shut.”
“I could see he was angry”
Karen Shape (87), who played with Lewis in “The Dude on Duty” (1964), also tells of abusive behavior after a dress rehearsal: “He grabbed me. He started stroking me. He opened his pants. Honestly said, I was speechless,” she said. “I raised my hand and said, ‘Wait a minute. I don’t know if that’s a requirement for your leading lady, but that’s something I don’t do.’ I could see he was angry. I felt like that never really happened to him.”
After her rejection, Lewis reportedly refused to continue rehearsing with her and banned almost the entire production from speaking to her. “If anyone talks to you… we’ll be fined,” a crew member reportedly told her.
“The Dark Side of a Hollywood Icon”
More women have their say in the film “The Dark Side of a Hollywood Icon”: Jill St. John (81), who played alongside Lewis in “The Shopkeeper” (1963), Anna Maria Alberghetti (85), who played for ” Cinderella” (1960) worked with him, the Oscar-nominated author Renée Taylor (88) and the singer Lainie Kazan (81).
Lewis has been one of Hollywood’s biggest stars since the forties – also thanks to his successful duo with Dean Martin (1917-1995). At 33, he signed a seven-year, $10 million contract with Paramount, making him Hollywood’s most expensive actor. He has been married twice and has seven children. He died in August 2017 at the age of 91.