Jerry: The King of comedy

10 April 2012

When it comes to comedy legends, Jerry Lewis is ensconced in the pantheon of all-time greats. Fifty years ago he performed at the London Palladium alongside his erstwhile partner Dean Martin, and this Sunday he returns there to collect a Lifetime Achievement Award and to appear as part of the High On Laughter fundraiser for drugs and alcohol charity Turning Point Scotland.

In the past two decades Lewis has arguably become better known for his more considered acting roles in films about stand-up - Scorsese's King Of Comedy and Funny Bones alongside Lee Evans - but he'll always be remembered for his earlier pre-subtext madcap lunacy in classics such as The Nutty Professor. It was these unforgettable comic turns that famously made him an icon in France, where he was presented with the Legion Of Honour in 1984.

It is less well-known that in 1977 he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Lewis is joined on the bill by US jester Emo Philips and British acts including Boothby Graffoe, Earl Okin and Shelagh Martin.

Sun 8 Sep, London Palladium, Argyll Street, W1 (020-7494 5054).

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