Jerry Lewis was mostly known for two things. Foremost, he was a comedic actor who starred in hilarious films like the original version of The Nutty Professor.
Secondly, he started a famous telethon that he held every year over the Labor Day weekend to benefit children who suffered from muscular dystrophy. While his on-screen movie antics and his charitable work justifiably made him famous, there’s a slightly less-known side of him that’s also pretty darned impressive: he could really dance!
The fast-footed dance scene shows Jerry Lewis dancing the jitterbug with his co-star, Shree North. The footage is from a now-forgotten dance film called “Living It Up.”
In addition, the scene has Lewis singing in his trademark nasal, funny style. While he’s not much on the ears, he is quite impressive on his feet. Other than the dancing itself, the other amazing thing about the choreography is how it manages to showcase Lewis’s comedic side. Lewis tended to play shy, nervous characters, and this is an interesting break from that.
One of our favorite things about the internet is its ability to bring back to light some of the cool and amazing things we’ve forgotten about over the years.
This video of the famous humanitarian jester cutting a rug was just the thing we needed to brighten up our day! To be honest, it also made us want to sign up for some dance classes. When your grandparents say, “They just don’t dance like they used to,” they’re absolutely right!
