Originally Posted By teddibubbles I am so Happy to see Jerry Is still with us! I cant wait to see the shows line up of stars!
Originally Posted By RAM1984 This is something I look forward to every year. When my children were little they would walk down our street to collect money. We would take them to the local venue and one year they got on television. My family was always big Jerry Lewis fans and I always dread the day it becomes the "Jerry Lewis Memorial Telethon." I hope he will be with us for many more years.
Originally Posted By SuzieQ This is the 40th year, I believe. Jerry Lewis is now 80. Sadly, we no longer watch the telethon. The days of a-list celebrities who drew viewers are over.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 Jerry looks better this year than he has in at least a decade-- I am flad for that.... we watch in and out- but if the A list celebrities don;t have time for this, I could care less -- I watch for the research updates - and to see who the celebrities are who really care
Originally Posted By SuzieQ I can read about the reseach on the net or in magazine articles. Let's face it, the chance to see the big celebrities used to be the big draw. Families had the telethon running in the background all day, pausing their activities to watch when someone really famous came on. With the ease of getting research news, etc. these days, the appeal of making the telethon a family event has waned. I think it's kind of sad, personally. I've had a big disucssion about this very thing going with about a dozen friends this weekend. We all remember growing up watching every Labor Day Weekend. None of us do any more. We were trying to figure out why that was, and the above is about all we came up with.
Originally Posted By wonderingalice I love Jerry Lewis... have ever since I was a child. It was so neat to see him in the opening number yesterday - leading the orchestra out on our LV Strip... He looks great! SO much better than in the last few years when he was struggling with his lung ailment, etc. RAM1984, we used to do the same thing when we were kids. It was so exciting to be involved that way. The local NBC (back when it was broadcast on NBC affiliate even put me and my friends on the local feed once - with our little cans of coins. Go Jerry!
Originally Posted By RAM1984 I agree vbdad55. About 32 years ago a friend of ours came over on Labor Day. He was talking about the telethon and said that since he had no money to donate he felt he should at least support it by watching. Every since then we have watched it as much as possible. If we have to leave we record it. I will never forget the year they brought out Dean Martin. To see those two make peace was a highlight of my life. (My family never missed a Martin and Lewis movie.) He made be old and have had some major health problems but he still has his sence of humor. And I do like to know how the MDA is using the money. Not that the research isn't important cuz it is; I love to see how many children get to go to camp. That has to be so great for them.
Originally Posted By wonderingalice ^^That year with Dean was so awesome! Not a dry eye in the house! Of course, there are always tears flowing off and on during the telethon, but that was an amazing moment!
Originally Posted By RAM1984 Thanks to you too wonderingalice. And isn't it interesting that as I type Maureen McGovern is singing the White Rabbit's I'm Late.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 You can get info on the web - but the human interest stories that are 'live' on the stage bring them home for me. I used to be a phone volunteer here for a number of years when I was younger... I guess I would like to think that the reason the MDA telethon is on is for the kids/families that need it -- not just for some overpaid hollywood type to make an 'appearance' on....I prefer the ones who actually WANT to be there.. so I do not miss the parade of hollywood...but I realize there are those that do...but they are watching the telethon for different reasons than me..to each his own...I guess it used to serve more people, today it doesn't have enough 'flash' to be in in cause I guess....
Originally Posted By DAR I haven't watched it in years. And maybe this me being cynical but is the money really doing any good? I always well we need to do more research. Well you would think after forty years something would happen.
Originally Posted By RAM1984 There have been great strides made in treatments. The money also goes for braces, wheelchairs, summer camps, therapy, family support, the list goes on and on.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 as far as doing any good- go to the MDA site and see all the item over the last 20 years especially-- different form of the diseases now treatable that were fatal. etc. This is a long haul not a short term issue only money can be thrown at-- but yues significant progress has been made. Jerry brings out the families where a child now lives a fiarly normal life where 20 years ago what they had was a death sentence. and I have a nephew who works an MDA camp up in Wisconsin -- ask them how much those camps mean to the families of severely hindered children....
Originally Posted By vbdad55 It is encouraging -- and yet you'll see virtually none of this on local or national news because, they're too busy with Brittany's latest pregnancy, or what the latest political agenda from some far left or far right wing nut job group is marching for. here's a good recap of one years worth: <a href="http://www.mdausa.org/telethon/media/pdfs/press/TelethonMarksYearofMajorResearchAdvancesforMDA.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.mdausa.org/telethon /media/pdfs/press/TelethonMarksYearofMajorResearchAdvancesforMDA.pdf</a>
Originally Posted By wonderingalice One thing I was waiting to post until I could confirm that my ears didn't deceive me... I think Ed McMahon might've tipped a couple back right before the telethon began... He introduced our Mayor, Oscar Goodman, as "the Mayor of Los Angeles." *LOL* Hiccup. ;-)
Originally Posted By RAM1984 ^^Was that before or after Jerry asked him if he had remembered his Depends?
Originally Posted By wonderingalice ^^*LMAO* Whoa! Definitely before THAT (I didn't see the Depends bit)... It was right at the very beginning, just after they showed Jerry directing the Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra on the Strip.
