Slow Burn
Decoder Ring | Jerry Lewis’ Lost Holocaust Clown Movie
Feb 26, 2025
Shawn Levy, author of 'King of Comedy: The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis,' dives into Jerry Lewis’s infamous unproduced film, 'The Day The Clown Cried.' He discusses the film’s audacious premise of a clown in Auschwitz and its status as a cult curiosity. Levy reveals the challenges Lewis faced in tackling such a sensitive subject and explores the film's mixed legacy, questioning the appropriateness of combining humor with tragedy. The conversation sheds light on Lewis's controversial career and the cinematic balance between comedy and serious themes.
58:52
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Quick takeaways
- Jerry Lewis's attempt to create a Holocaust drama showcased the challenges of balancing humor with profound historical sensitivity and personal redemption.
- The Day The Clown Cried evolved into a cult phenomenon, illustrating the stark contrast between artistic intention and audience reception regarding tragedy and comedy.
Deep dives
The Ambitious Premise of The Day the Clown Cried
The Day the Clown Cried presents a provocative narrative involving a clown who entertains children in a concentration camp before their execution. Jerry Lewis, who directed and starred in this film, was inspired by an idea about how a clown's existence would be unbearable in a world devoid of children. The idea stemmed from the real-life experience of Joan O'Brien, who was deeply influenced by her post-war visits to Europe, where she reflected on the vast number of Jewish children lost during the Holocaust. Despite its heavy subject matter, the film's intention was to showcase a story of personal redemption intertwined with one of the darkest chapters in history.
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