March 16, 2026 marked the centennial of Jerry Lewis' birth. He was part of the fabric of Las Vegas for nearly 70 years.
Oct. 28, 1948, marked the Las Vegas debut of the team of Dean Martin and Lewis. The duo had become a national sensation through radio, TV and nightclub appearances. Their three-week run was a hit in Las Vegas, and they kept coming back. Later, they were among the array of stars at the Sands. Then, in 1956, they broke up. After their final show July 24 in New York City, Lewis and his wife Patti went to Las Vegas on vacation. He said, "I was unable to put one foot in front of the other with any confidence. I was completely unnerved to be alone."
On Aug. 4, Judy Garland was sick and couldn't perform at the Sands. Her husband Sid Luft asked Lewis to fill in. He did. He remembered, "When I was done, the place exploded. I walked off the stage knowing I could make it on my own." He made his official Las Vegas solo debut at the Sands in December 1956, with a five-year contract to play the Copa Room. He also performed there with Sammy Davis Jr. Lewis kept performing in Las Vegas until his final performance here in October 2016 at the South Point, as he put it, for his friend Michael Gaughan.
Lewis appeared at several Las Vegas properties, including the Riviera, where Martin was once a part-owner, and the Orleans. He was one of the first headliners at Caesars Palace. He and Martin co-starred in two films based on the radio show "My Friend Irma." One of them, "My Friend Irma Goes West," was filmed and set partly in Las Vegas, at the Flamingo.
But Lewis' closest association with Las Vegas, for many people, was through his annual Labor Day weekend telethon for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He started raising money for the MDA in 1952. The Labor Day telethons began in 1966. In 1973, it moved from New York to Las Vegas, airing from the Sahara until 1982, when it moved to Caesars Palace. It also aired once from Cashman Field Center. Lewis' final telethons were held at the South Point. The programs aired for more than 21 hours, with local cut-ins, and many of you will remember Gus Guiffre as a host and firefighters holding boots at intersections for drivers to put in money for, as they were called, Jerry's Kids.
Probably the most famous telethon moment was in 1976. That year, Frank Sinatra came out on the stage at the Sahara and said, "I have a friend who loves what you do every year and who just wanted to come out." Out came Dean Martin. He and Lewis hugged and Sinatra said, "I think it's about time." They actually had appeared together a couple of times years before. Lewis asked Martin if he had been working. After that moment, they remained in touch.
Lewis would speak to Martin from Las Vegas. He moved there in the early 1980s with his second wife Sandee and lived in the Scotch 80s until his death in Las Vegas in 2017. The Strip resorts dimmed their lights for one of the leading lights of Las Vegas entertainment.
