I'd never call myself a huge Jerry Lewis fan.  But I take an interest in pop culture history, and Jerry was a big fixture of pop culture for a long time.

About a year ago, Whisky linked to an article about Jerry and Dean's 1976 reunion.  Which got me thinking about how long Jerry Lewis had been around.
1976 was 20 years after the duo had broken up in 1956.  And Martin and Lewis had been together for 10 years before that, from 1946.
Talk about a guy who's been in the public spotlight for a long time!

Inspired by Whisky's blog post, I spent a couple days or so watching old Jerry Lewis Youtube clips.
Aside from the natural charm of a talented entertainer, I was fascinated by how thoroughly the camera had documented the aging process that is the human condition.

Now that moving pictures are old technology, this won't be remarkable in the future.  In another 100 years, we'll have lots of celebrities who we've seen grow old in front of the cameras.

But at the moment, we're just now coming to the end of the first generation of movie stars.
Jerry Lewis was remarkable not only because he started so young, but because he continued staying in the public eye right up until he died.  (He's not the first Golden Age Hollywood celebrity to pass away, but he's the only one I can think of who stayed in the public spotlight right up until 90.  He was still working and giving television interviews right up until the end).

Here's Jerry Lewis in 1952, when he was just bursting with energy he couldn't contain.

Dean Martin Jerry Lewis on Bob Hope Bing Crosby US Olympic team telethon 22 June 1952



(Incidentally, this clip is also the cause of the Jerry Lewis--Bing Crosby feud).

And here's Jerry Lewis 24 years later, (somewhat) mellowed out with age, at his surprise reunion with Dean Martin

Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin Reunion 1976 MDA Telethon



And here's 90 year old Jerry Lewis from just last year giving an interview:

Jerry Lewis - Creative Until You Die | THR



It's the human condition illustrated in 3 videos.  And it's what time has in store for us all.  We all go from the youthful kid bursting with energy to the old man.