A Character from an Early Age
Lewis became a “character” as early as his teenage years. He would pull pranks in his neighborhood, like sneaking into kitchens to steal food. In the tenth grade, he dropped out of high school, and, by age 15, he had already developed his own act. In his “Record Act,” he would mime lyrics to songs as a phonograph played offstage.
Jerry Lewis and Family. Source: Shutterstock
He did a show at a burlesque house in Buffalo, but it didn’t do well, and no more shows were ever booked. To get by, Lewis worked for a while as a soda jerk and a theater usher at the Paramount Theatre and Loew’s Capitol Theatre in New York City. Then, a few wise words from his father’s friend put him back on the right path…