Jerry Lewis - Cracking Up (1983)

You either love him or you hate him. He is either a genius or he is a self-indulgent egomaniac. I happen to be in the camp that feels that Jerry Lewis is a comic genius. This is a guy who took a "record act" and made it into art. Whether it's "The Typewriter", "Cute", "Chairman of the Board" or "Be My Love", Jerry performs pantomime like nobody else. He makes it look so easy, but you know that he put hours into perfecting his routines. This is where you see the pure Jerry, without plot, without his "auteur" movie attitude, without gags that don't pay off. At the start of the show, Jerry does some stand-up comedy. Even though it's not his shtick, he is still effective. Of course, there's plenty of that famous Jerry Lewis singing. Technically, he knows what he is doing, even though his voice may not be the most pleasing. I happen to love his singing. There's also dancing and a little magic. He communicates well with the audience. Some of the material is a little suggestive, but Jerry never crosses the line into trashy shock comedy. Yes, you get to see Jerry's egotistical side alternating with "the kid". The only unnecessary part of the show is a long stretch where Jerry conducts the orchestra in Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue". Sure, it spotlights Jerry's long time pianist Lou Brown, but I want to see Jerry doing his thing! I have had the treat of seeing Jerry Lewis live in a theater. You never know what he will do next. You never know if he will ask for audience participation and then go on a tirade making the audience very uncomfortable. I LOVE these moments.This "caught in the act" show is a good representation of what you would see if you have the treat of seeing Jerry Lewis in a night club.