Chris Lewis Pursues His Father Jerry Lewis’ Elusive Holocaust Film After 30 Years

Chris Lewis Pursues His Father Jerry Lewis’ Elusive Holocaust Film After 30 Years

Chris Lewis has embarked on a relentless 30-year journey to find his late father Jerry Lewis’ most controversial and unreleased film, which has never been fully screened to the public.

In 1972, Jerry Lewis departed from Hollywood to Europe to write, direct, and star in a film titled “The Day the Clown Cried.” This dramatic piece features Lewis as a circus performer who, captured by the Nazis, finds himself in a concentration camp. As the harrowing plot unfolds, he forms bonds with children before tragically leading them into a gas chamber.

The production faced numerous challenges, ultimately resulting in the film never seeing an official release. Currently, only small snippets of footage have been made available, while a recent documentary titled “From Darkness to Light” explores the behind-the-scenes turmoil surrounding its creation.

Chris shared his enduring quest with Fox News Digital, stating, “I have been looking for the film for the last 30 years. It’s been a 30-year quest. And we have had some pieces found. There’s a rough cut that’s 30 minutes shy of the final version. I have made that one of my personal goals, to try to find the elements of the film and then see if we can get the rights, or find out where the rights are, and try to put them together.”

Jerry Lewis passed away in 2017 at the age of 91. This year, he is being honored at the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, where Chris is set to appear for the screening of the aforementioned documentary.

On his quest, Chris revealed that he received his father’s blessing to search for the lost film. He recalled, “My dad gave me all the production materials for the film, including his shooting scripts. I’ve been archiving my dad’s life since the ‘70s. I’m like the keeper of the flame. I’ve read through hundreds of documents, and it was fascinating to me. But as the decades passed, I feared that the film could be lost forever. However, I’m determined to locate the missing elements and piece everything together.”

The Troubled Production Journey

The complications around the film began during its initial scripting stages. According to reports, Joan O’Brien and Charles Denton were among the writers for the screenplay. Problems mounted when Lewis discovered that O’Brien had not been compensated for her work and that the story rights had not been secured.

In his memoir, Jerry Lewis recounted that his producer had “skipped town” without fulfilling financial obligations for the rights and other expenses. As the production progressed, he faced mounting legal issues. Ultimately, Lewis estimated that he personally lost around $2 million due to bounced checks, lawsuits, and debts that rendered the project unviable.

Chris expressed the gravity of the situation, stating, “It was embroiled in so many legal battles on three continents that it was just absolutely impossible to release it. The producer skipped town with the money, never paid the writer for the rights. It’s been said that Joan O’Brien saw the film and she hated it. That’s not true. I have a letter proving that she was in tears when she saw it. She was just a little disappointed that he didn’t use more of her dialogue.”

Chris elaborated on his father’s struggle, revealing, “The film just could not be put together. There were some negatives in France, some in Sweden. It was a French-Swedish co-production. The producer torpedoed the whole thing from day one. My dad could never get any of the big studios to support his 117-minute final cut when he was attempting to sell it. Ultimately, he gave up in 1974 and returned it to Sweden.”

Uncovering Lost Footage

Reports indicate that although Jerry Lewis retained partial negatives of the film, he communicated to Chris that more footage might be located in France and Sweden. In 2016, a 30-minute sample of the film was leaked online, which rekindled interest. The following year, French film critic Jean-Michel Frodon claimed to have seen a cut of the movie in the early 2000s.

Additionally, when the Library of Congress acquired Jerry Lewis’ extensive archives in 2015, Rob Stone, the moving-image curator, disclosed that the library held whole negatives, which are not scheduled for release until 2024. Currently, the library has partial negatives and around 90 minutes of unedited camera rushes without sound, along with behind-the-scenes footage.

Chris Envisions a Future for the Film

Despite the challenges, Chris remains hopeful that the film could possibly find its audience someday. “I always see the glass as half-full versus half-empty,” he stated. “I’m optimistic that with the rough-cut footage that is available, if we can find any of the footage shot in France, we could at least piece together something. But, regrettably, when Europa Films went out of business, they discarded many films that they couldn’t identify.”

Chris openly admitted, “My dad’s final cut may have gone in that dumpster.” In Jerry’s lifetime, his perception of the film evolved significantly. At the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, he described it as “all bad.”

In later years, however, he reflected on the heartbreak associated with not being able to release the film, revealing the emotional struggle he faced in not finishing the project.

The Legacy of Jerry Lewis

Chris emphasized the lessons he believes one can take from his father’s life, saying, “Laughter is very healing. I’ve encountered numerous stories worldwide about how my dad’s humor has assisted people during their toughest moments. He would often say, ‘I was falling down and making faces. What are you talking about as important?’ Yet, I would remind him that he touched lives.”

Ultimately, Chris reflects on his father’s awareness of the impact he made, saying, “He knew he was loved, and he was content with what he accomplished. Jerry acknowledged, ‘I’ve done it all, and I’m satisfied with my journey. I wouldn’t change a thing.’”