Jerry Lewis Telethon 1993: 46 million in less than 10 minutes

[@johnsjohnson448]

When "Steve and Eydie" are on a show, it was always worth watching. This was probably the last good year of the Telethon.

[@thewipsportstalkfan3160]

I always thought too. I thought that the show went downhill after they rebranded the show as Stars Across America. Ed and Jerry were getting up there in age and appeared less on the show the type of Talent that the old Telethon had was either retiring or dying out and the Stigmata of telethons in general regardless of intention was "unfashionable"by the mid 1990s I remember a lot of telethons were trying to call themselves something else like "Celebration" for BS public relations reasons eventually a lot of them went off the air shortly thereafter but MDA hung on as they were the only ones to survive the new millennium i myself stopped watching it by 1997 or so but came back when it moved back to Las Vegas and when Jerry and Ed were still hosting the show. When Ed left us a big part of the show died and I think part of Jerry died too Jerry's unceremonious firing killed the event without giving him a proper retirement the attempts to revive the show without him failed miserably. Apparently Jerry and MDA made amends before he died but the Charities reputation hasn't been the same since

[@johnsjohnson448]

@@thewipsportstalkfan3160 Thank-You for the essay. It is terrific! 1999 was still good, but the following years saw more pre-emptions and the Telethon was carried on smaller stations (UPN/WB) that did not have the strength of WGN or WWOR. Sad, age reaches all of us. LOL.

[@shawneldridge4465]

I use to love watch this on the📺 every time they did this. It was great to see everyone come together and start helping out the way they all did. Like I had said before, it's a shame they stop showing this on television. Somebody else could have taken over and continued this. I do miss and I love every minute of this. I'm just glad we had something This brilliant on at the time.

[@thewipsportstalkfan3160]

Long-time fan here, I was an avid fan of the original Telethon when Jerry ran it. I have a a theoretical reason why these type of shows aren't on the air today. Around the same time I'm talking the 1990s this type of show was among the last of its kind an old-fashioned wholesome variety show that was becoming rare to find in the United States because of taste in entertainment changing. The old-time entertainers like Jerry Lewis and Company were mainly in the Twilight of their careers retired or no longer with us. The media companies started homogenizing Talent and became ever more Fashion Trend and style conscious the younger talents found venues like this "corny and outdated" Technology like the internet also offered a year-round alternative to doing telethons like this. In Jerry Lewis case he continued to show until he was too old to do so and the final Telethons he had hosted show that the events were nearing their end. Even after Jerry left the Telethon they tried with a team of new hosts and it didn't work. Jerry was the soul of the Telethon. The show died when he was kicked out

[@johnsjohnson448]

I am laughing hysterically. No pottie breaks. LOL. It is terrific! Thanks for the good thoughts.

[@CShannon1991]

AWESOME!!!

[@jeffpiegari4942]

Any more whole telethon

[@CShannon1991]

I LOVE THE TOTE BOARD ACTION!!!!

[@johnsjohnson448]

Today it would be all flashy and on a high-tech video monitor.

[@CShannon1991]

⁠@@johnsjohnson448Which are fine but I like older electronic styles such as this one in this 1993 tote montage & even the ones with the “eggcrate” technology used on game shows back in the day.

[@johnsjohnson448]

3:44 Jerry was such a dismissive prick. I love it! LOL.