The Most Infamous Unreleased Film Might Be Screened in 2024

Will Jerry Lewis' The Day the Clown Cried finally be released in 2024? Maybe. It turns out it might be more complicated than that.
#unreleased #lostmedia #libraryofcongress

[@johnpaulsylvester3727]

I actually contacted the Library of Congress about this. They said people can technically come and view the unedited print of the film after August of this year.

[@Anthonybchannel]

Right on.

[@justgivemethetruth]

How do you come technically?

[@islandboy4445]

​@@justgivemethetruth I'm pretty sure you have to go to a physical location, like the wicked witch episode of Sesame Street

[@marianparoo1544]

Copyright thing?

[@dmrr7739]

@@justgivemethetruth with figurative foreplay.

[@em23]

Damn i would love to attend a secret screening of this.

[@Microsave2]

Yes same FR

[@Drawingtillthecasketdrops]

Same

[@buttheadsexy]

agreed

[@alexharrison808]

Once this movie gets found, the lost media community will never be the same.

[@georgemaranville3305]

Yes. The chase is always better than the catch.

[@itsjay7235]

It’s not lost the library of congress has the film

[@handcoding]

@@itsjay7235If no one is allowed to watch or experience something, then it’s still considered lost media.

[@dolanvskaney]

Neither will the meme community, I fear.

[@bellevicious2862]

I think the porn song is bigger news.

[@AmusingLuis]

the idea that a movie like 'The Day the Clown Cried' reminds me of when Peter Griffin made a concept for a 9/11 movie named "September 11th 2000-Fun"

[@MrThisucks]

starring david spade as a plane

[@MASTEROFEVIL]

Starring David Spade

[@simonscott1121]

9-11 was a national tragedy.

[@RingoWaters-kl4vo]

@@simonscott1121that’s the joke

[@theknightsofawesomeness2701]

Reminds me of that tragedy

[@SonicXtreme99akaCreeperMario]

Honestly I wished Jerry didn’t mess with the script to make it more comedic, I get it that it might be daunting to do a dramtic role but there was no reason to do so

[@wallacetrottier3654]

Sorry, I was all ways under the impression that he fought to keep it grim and the studio wanted to lighten it up so Jerry and the director fought until there was no more funding and the studio shelved it

[@Lifesizemortal]

@@wallacetrottier3654 this is exactly what I heard

[@anthonylarosa1155]

original sounded very good too

[@mightyfilm]

The problem is, this subject matter would have either needed to be incredibly serious and straightforward, massively ironic, or consistently humorous and up beat up until a dark, depressing ending (like Life is Beautiful). Jerry adding his schtick in there sounds like bad 00's era parody film type humor (pissing ice?!? Really?!?). We can't really judge by opinions given by others who saw it, but it sounds like Harry has the mainstream "this was a bad idea" opinion, and the French director has the "everything is deconstruction" over thinking "Je suis un ARTISTE" level of pretending it's the most enlightening thing ever to sound smart type opinion.

[@malcolmdrake6137]

"Sonic..." doesn't know what he's talking about...😂

[@dolanvskaney]

Still can't believe Animaniacs referenced this once.

[@Oliviagarry69420]

What episode?

[@dolanvskaney]

@@Oliviagarry69420 "Hearts of Twilight"

[@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat]

And so did "mystery incorporated", lol

[@Oliviagarry69420]

@@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat again what episode (jfc there’s a lot of shows from my childhood who made that dark ass reference.)

[@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat]

@Oliviagarry69420 its called "the night the clown cried". The title kind of gives it away, lol

[@brohemianrhapsody5740]

I can see a future release if Lewis' estate argees to do what Arrow Video did with the release of Bruce Lee's Game of Death. Release all materials and the rough cut onto home media.

[@J0SHUAKANE]

There are still game of death scenes linda has not released.

[@Defrezus]

I wish they would release The Orphan with Bruce Lee. A pre-martial arts movie. I went to a screening in New York several years ago. I think it was only shown in NY and Washington state.

[@jack2breeze]

@@Defrezus They used scenes of The Orphan in Game of Death 2 as Billy Lo as a little disrespectful kid

[@humphreybogart6663]

​@@J0SHUAKANEReally? I didn't hear that. I bet if it ever does come out, that is when the rough cut footage is put out in 4K.

[@vangroover1903]

That would be like the Bullshido of Holocaust movies. Now that Kung Foo is gone, maybe they could get Steven Seagal to play a heroic anti anti-semite?

[@aarondaguio7179]

I think you got William Hurt and Richard Burton mixed up.

[@KenForee]

i did a spit take over here

[@shaneviosk4286]

@@KenForee Jerry would be proud.

[@adamkane4217]

Yeah, this is a really well researched video overall, but that's a pretty big error.

[@KenForee]

@@adamkane4217 agreed

[@shaneculkin7124]

AHH! I just came down here to say the same. Burton died in 1985, I believe.

[@SwaggyG_2102]

2024 is already gearing up to be one of the best years for found lost / locked media!

[@geoffhoutman1557]

Don’t forget to watch A BOY AND HIS DOG. Comes true this year

[@user-fh7zw6br4h]

What else has been found?

[@grysndotwav]

This is like slightly different but the song Can U Be is potentially going to leak soon. It’s been a grail Kanye west song for years now. 2024 pulling out all the lost media stops ong

[@MichaelMartin-qe5ye]

​@@user-fh7zw6br4hthe Wicked Witch on Sesame Street used to be one of the holy grails of lost media, but I think that was found in 2023.

[@marasmusine]

@@geoffhoutman1557 Oh, was that lost media? I saw it about 10 years ago at a friends house but I don't know how he got hold of it.

[@paulgerrard9227]

I ran into Jerry in Sydney. Literally. I walked around a corner and he stepped out of a car with a driver holding a umbrella so i couldnt see him. We collided and both apologised. I said omg...are you Jeery Lewis. He was much bigger in later years but you couldn't mistake him. Even the voice. The great Jerry Lewis... and he just said yes. I apologised again and he shook my hand thanking me for manners for what he said was his mistake. Then asked where do i go? He meant the tv station and i pointed and he wandered towards the door. Nice guy and not at all pretentious.

[@jbsrevenge6529]

Well that was one way to be on a given day. For your amusement, check out an interview he did in his home in his later years, when he was wearing a red and yellow ensemble (some are calling his ketchup and mustard dress). In it, he absolutely refuses to give any insightful answers and is extremely hostile for no apparent reason, after all he invited them in his home for the interview. I have heard more than a few stories about his temper and how he treated those in his orbit. I suspect he thought he didn't get enough credit for his innovations and he felt pigeonholed by his slapstick kid character. So he projects that onto the public writ large and walks around in public with a larger chip on his shoulder than his ego. And don't forget his fake showbiz persona, where he acts like the interviewer is his friend and he puts on a performance for the interviewer and the audience. Only to probably revert to his hermetic curmudgeonly footing before he has even left the studio. All in all, a mostly sad miserable life whose first kids he wrote out of his will. So in conclusion, congrats on an innocuous encounter with " his majesty" in which he didn't act like his regular self. If we gathered all those stories worldwide, we could put them all in a leaflet called, " The one instant I met Jerry, he didn't act like a bitter disengaged primadonna (but I knew he wanted to). Thanks for the memories Jerry.

[@shaneviosk4286]

@@jbsrevenge6529 What did Jerry do to you?...

[@jamesbingham1007]

@@shaneviosk4286 In the 1960's, the biggest show biz stars of cool, formed a clique' named the Rat Pack. Guess who wasn't invited.

[@TroubleToby3040]

@@shaneviosk4286 It is true that Lewis is infamous for being an a$$hole. It is a well established reputation.

[@1rjbrjb]

​@@jbsrevenge6529Jerry lived a long time. He had an ego and a temper. For the last 40 years of his life, he was a figure of scorn & ridicule except for the awful DeNiro movie that was somehow acclaimed. High energy charismatic performer in the first half of his career and technological innovator I'm sure you correctly identify the reasons for his bitterness. He was not (usually) a nice man but he was a great artist. Then again, there were probably a dozen or so sexual assaults...

[@boredstonervids]

This is the piece of lost media I wish to be found more than anything! As a young child watching all those Martin and Lewis movies, and parodies of Jerry in all Media, I just need to know for my self how bad or good this film really is.

[@louise_rose]

I'm from Sweden myself (where it was shot) and have heard about it before, but it doesn't sound like such a lost masterpiece to me. The shoot was difficult and it doesn't sound like Jerry Lewis had really thought through what he wanted to do.

[@kengruz669]

You can tell from the various clips shown right here how bad it is.

[@Brians7474-se6qv]

I saw some of it. It is nothing like the Jerry Lewis you remember. He is pretty much out of character in this movie. After seeing it, I realized why he hid it.

[@sunrisings292]

BAD

[@mightyfilm]

Anyone remember the Animaniacs episode that openly mocked how troubled this production was by parodying Jerry Lewis as Colonel Kurtz in a spoof of Apocalypse Now? Or the OTHER time where they just straight up had the same Jerry Lewis caricature as a clown that Wakko was afraid of? And the biggest surprise, an episode of the sitcom Yes Dear basically referenced it as a movie Kevin Smith made about a clown fighting in WW II. A cartoon that routinely makes way over the head references making fun of Hollywood and pop culture is one thing, but even a sitcom basically called everyone out on this film. Just saying, Mel Brooks would have made it work.

[@Tanzosh]

Its funny you mention Mel Brooks. Did you ever see Life Stinks? The only non-parody he directed outside of the 60's, it's a valient attempt to make a comedy about homelessness, and also pretty tone deaf (and I'm a huge fan of Mel Brooks).

[@mightyfilm]

@@Tanzosh At least it was funny and had a level of fun to it. It's not his best work, but at least it isn't nearly as shameless as this film probably is.

[@gateauxq4604]

FROINLAVEN! Animaniacs was wild and got away with so much. The reboot was not up to snuff.

[@mightyfilm]

@@gateauxq4604 It's not so much about getting away with stuff, so much as the writers would put so many inside jokes that they knew the audience wouldn't get as possible. The reboot was fine. It felt consistent with the Kid's WB seasons where the show was turning into "let's see what things we can parody," and the new writers clearly liked working with Pinky and the Brain more than the Sibs.

[@medes5597]

I am not remotely shocked, surprised or even mildly aghast that one of the most infamous, well documented and well known disasters in cinema history, which has multiple books written about it and has been discussed on everything from Letterman to Howard Stern was referenced regularly by other media. In fact I'd be more shocked if it wasn't referenced.

[@movieedge7370]

I could see this eventually getting a criterion release

[@marasmusine]

I was thinking "who would be brave enough to publish/stream this" and I thought Criterion too. But should it be edited, or is there so much interest and fascination that the rough cut could be released as-is? For example, there was enough interest in the Blade Runner workprint that it was released in the collector's box.

[@TheDigitalApple]

Hey ATL are you going to make an update video about Foodfight since the workprint and storyboards have been found?

[@AllThingsLost]

Yes, I have a few other videos I need to finish first, but it's in the works.

[@jadedheartsz]

@@AllThingsLost Are you planning on covering the entirety of The Journey of Allen Strange being found in English in late 2023? As the person who actually found it I have to say it's quite annoying to not see any of the lost media KZbinrs acknowledging such a great find.

[@darknesskingsized8996]

​@@jadedheartszI'm not diminishing its importance, but it doesn't seem like 90s nick sitcoms are popular enough for people to care.

[@kaiser9321]

Thank god they didn’t lose its original work entirely

[@bartolomeothesatyr]

@@jadedheartsz That Nickelodeon show from the turn of the millennium? Weird that that would have been lost, TiVo already existed by then and VHS had long since reached peak saturation.

[@greenockscatman]

No way man, there's no way. This is like the holy grail of lost media

[@gabepollock1641]

If this actually happens, I am going to lose my mind. This is one of my favorite Lost film stories of all time because of how shockingly absurd this all is once you get past the root of the film’s creation.

[@BeastiezCyZ]

If this really this is the holy grail of the lost media community, then when its screened in June there's def going to be some screenrecorders over there to get it out to the public.

[@jabril4real637]

Another lost media Holy Grail is the movie London After Midnight.

[@jasonyoung2071]

Now we just need to find that made for TV movie starring Gary Coleman as a teenage arsonist

[@greenockscatman]

@@jabril4real637 Absolutely. That's the film that got me interested in lost media to begin with!

[@SteveMenardDesignDXM]

The Italian film "Life is Beautiful", by Roberto Benigni was an overwhelming critical and commercial success, for what it's worth. Its themes-with the juxtaposition of comedy and melodrama-were effectively portrayed.

[@nelsonhill4625]

Yeah...in retrospect that movie was awful. I still can't believe he got an Oscar for that trainwreck.

[@humphreybogart6663]

​@@nelsonhill4625uh no. It is a masterpiece. Beautiful movie.

[@nelsonhill4625]

@humphreybogart6663 It was overwrought pap. When Jerry Lewis made a slapstick comedy set in the Holocaust, it was sealed away in a vault, declared unfit for human consumption. This is just proof that the Oscars can get it wrong. Personally I think because it was set (barely) during the Holocaust no one had the guts to call a turd a turd so they just ate all that maudlin shit up. Benigni making an ass of himself during his Oscar acceptance was the best thing to come out of that trainwreck.

[@Brians7474-se6qv]

This is not like that.

[@bezeel21]

@@Brians7474-se6qv The Same could be said for Robin Williams, Jacob the liar.

[@TankHardcheese]

**IF** (and that's a massive if) this movie is ever screened to the public, it'll be for a very exclusive public, like how Heartbeat in the Brain was screened "publicly" for the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London and nowhere else.

[@Dr.Pepper001]

It did show in Paris, France. I saw it. It sucked. But maybe I think that because I can't stand Jerry Lewis. He was an a-hole to his filming crews, and even to his family.

[@baseddoggie]

@@Dr.Pepper001 sure

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

you can be sure there WILL be a leak online. As soon as it is digitally available somewhere, there WILL be copies.

[@acewickhamyoshi8330]

We still have boutique movie ccinemas in australia . it used to sc4een rocky horror daily .. & art movieß

[@dashriprock9014]

Richard Burton looks a lot like William Hurt and William Hurt looks a lot like Richard Burton.

[@ferociousgumby]

UM

[@dawnsalois]

wha?

[@kevinivers]

He messed up there

[@brownrage]

Seriously WTF that is a ridiculous error

[@sonjacharles2457]

No they don't!

[@Maniac536]

I heard about this film a few years ago and told my dad about it and gave him a brief synopsis of the film. He said to me, “That makes some sense Jerry would want to make it.” and told me why. I had no idea Jerry Lewis was Jewish.

[@aahyes9068]

Easier for an actual Jew to get away with being a parody Jew.

[@mgconlan]

@@aahyes9068 I remember reading an interview with Dick Martin of Rowan and Martin in which he said he'd met a comedian named Artie Lewis and they joked, "Hey, let's do a comedy act and call ourselves 'The Real Martin and Lewis.' They're our real names. And if those other guys try to sue us, we'll tell them, 'Why don't you use YOUR real names and call yourselves Crocetti and Levitch?'"

[@innoc4063]

That initial plot summary is heavy.

[@hauntedvoyager8196]

Right?! Dark af.

[@boopboop1869]

It genuinely sounded REALLY good

[@alessandrolira4035]

​​@@boopboop1869 Ageed here, very chilling shit tbh. In fact, sounds like a twisted modern retelling of the pied piper

[@ladyrose3285]

Richard Burton died in 1984, So he could not be around in the 1990's the year the article came out. And that picture when you talked about Richard Burton, it was William Hurt @18:49 @18:59 left is a picture of Richard Burton and right is Robin Williams Please fix this and to pay attention to detail.

[@jodsterjamster8678]

Harry Shearer was asked to do some work for the studio and instead of being paid he asked for a private screening - they agreed. Shearer briefly talked about the screening (could not directly talk about the content of the film) and was blown away with what he saw so he understands why it has never been released.

[@jacobharris5652]

You got William Hurt and Richard Burton mixed up. There’s no way Burton could have been considered for a remake in the 2020s because he died in 1984. To be fair though, it’d be hard to make a new version with William Hurt too, as he has been suffering from death since 2022.

[@Jones25ful]

I was JUST asking about this on twitter the other day, it’s supposed to be screened at the university of Virginia, but only portions (since the movie was never completed)

[@jeenkzk5919]

This is a wonderful video! I am a huge Jerry Lewis fan, but I can already tell you this is gonna be a harsh watch if it is ever shown. By the way, I did want to mention at around 18:30 you got the photographs of Richard Burton and William hurt backwards. Granted that’s a nitpick. You still tackled the subject far better than I could.

[@Torgo-and-the-Lucifer-Cat]

I laughed my ass off at the mystery inc. Episode name, "the night the clown cried" 😅

[@anthonymackey222]

With all these lousy reboots of movies, why isn't anyone taking a chance a redo lost silent movies, now having audio and scripts still around?

[@TheTVisions]

You mean adding sound and color, removing text cards? Would be interesting to see and hear.

[@tadsgirl]

Why doesn't the Library of Congress just show the footage unedited?

[@professorhaystacks6606]

It plans to, actually. According to their statements they will have the material they hold available in their AV room in Culpeper later this year, but they won't do any editing on it.

[@handcoding]

The process of shooting a movie involves hours and hours of material and take after take. If the footage is truly unedited, then it would be just as unwatchable as if you were to tear out 250 random pages from an encyclopedia and then paste them together in random order.

[@cardinaloflannagancr8929]

Because they are ^%f)'s dancing around semantics, they have a box of candies and nobody else gets a taste.

[@MicahMicahel]

@@handcodingdepends on the director. Hitcock didnt shoot extra angles. Woody Allen only does one take. Jerry was really calculated I cant remember but he did some really impressive long takes with synchronized elements that maybe say all footage could potentially be interesting.

[@hugmynutus]

@@MicahMicahel You still normally do an extra take for "coverage" (in case director/crew/actor missed something, a blink or light flicker). Also shooting is generally out-of-order (because of location availability). So it needs to be editted even if they only did 1 shot per take, as the scene order would be wrong (and the scenes would be shot on different film reels due to location/camera/logistics).

[@CinnamonGrrlErin1]

7:08 that's a pretty nasty thing to say about Margaret Keane's artwork

[@rrsaga]

I’ve been waiting 10 years to see this! It came out when I was born

[@UFOhunter4711]

I was just telling people about this yesterday, I’ve been counting this down for over a decade when I first found out

[@tdawes33]

between the Great Dictator and Life is Beautiful, who needs this

[@joeg.9536]

I do.

[@plicketyplunk]

I know. Just because it was never released doesn't make it an automatic masterpiece.

[@joeg.9536]

@@plicketyplunk Never said it was a masterpiece, I haven't seen it.. YET. But I want to!

[@movieedge7370]

The film is not lost. It’s in a vault 10 years after Jerry Lewis’s death, which is going to be soon it will be released to theaters. I think it like film festivals more or less

[@kevinnoonan5095]

The unfinished 1986 film “Return of Billy Jack” was just sold on EBay for $2500. 35mm print. Billy fights child abusers in NYC. That’s my holy grail.

[@miggans21012]

It would be fascinating to see Billy Jack in the eighties.

[@spankyx8606]

Lewis did some pretty impressive work as a director. his on screen persona can be off putting, which I think makes it harder to appreciate his ideas. He did some innovative camera work, changes in narrative perspective. I have not doubt CLOWN is flawed but probably not the rumoured disaster.

[@thomaschacko6320]

In his last years, even more cantankerous than ever, Lewis declared that it would never be seen. “It will be seen over my dead body!” Well . . . ?

[@deadeye_john]

So if its not gonna be screened in June, will it be screened next year?

[@TomWright025]

Copyright is such a joke nowadays

[@stevencramsie9172]

Not if it’s your work.

[@MegaMagicdog]

@@stevencramsie9172 If the copyright laws hadn't been changed, a ton of stuff would be public domain by now - it used to be 50 years after a medium was copyrighted and released. Imagine what would fall under that umbrella if that goes for anything prior to 1974. Not to mention how the Fair Use Act of 1976 is often ignored by trolls on YT, considering the free attention certain properties get from it.

[@fallandbounce]

I wish there were a way to buy the digitized version of what the Library has, I'd edit it myself.

[@daisytapia7038]

If it weren't for the changes he did, this could've been one of those movies that added Jerry Lewis to the list of comedic actors playing serious roles.

[@bartolomeothesatyr]

His character in Scorsese's "The King of Comedy" was a comedian, but the role itself was serious.

[@KarmicSalt]

he was brilliant in Wiseguy doing a dramatic roll.

[@Darkwaterrebellion]

1997's "Life is Beautiful" by Roberto Benigni sounds like a very similar concept. I wonder if this was the inspiration for him.

[@michaelbruns449]

Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, Woody Allen.

[@InSearchof8]

AND we know which one was the pedophile. LOL

[@GoliathGrowler]

This was a marvelous video. I almost forgot about this film before I saw the video in my suggestions.

[@jaybyhop]

This movie sounds like a laugh riot lol

[@bb-gc2tx]

billy squier should of done this with his rock me tonight video 🤣

[@rameybutler-hm7nx]

The movie isnt lost, jerry just didnt want it watched. He locked it in his vault. Its not lost if you know where its at.

[@bIoodypingu]

"lost" means unavailable... Not a hard concept to grasp but you tried.

[@spankyx8606]

I think that is part of it, it is also in legal limbo due to copyright crapola

[@rameybutler-hm7nx]

Some times things are meant to be lost. If jerry wanted he could have thrown millions and had it released. Would i watch it? Ehh dont know, i love jerry but if the last piece of media i watched of him was a broken clown in a death camp it would ruin my already faultered image of him. Beside just go watch Jacob the liar with Robin williams , did you like that movie? The death camps were a horrible moment in the worlds time. I would respect the writers intention and jerry on leaving this albatros alone.

[@humphreybogart6663]

​@@rameybutler-hm7nxIf it is a good movie, that is all that matters. Every movie doesn't have to include fluffy bunnies and noodle salad. Plus even if terrible isn't going to suddenly make proclaim all his great work as less.

[@theelvisguru9490]

@@bIoodypinguno it doesn’t! Lost means lost. Whereabouts unknown. This film is unreleased. Whereabouts known but as yet unreleased

[@JerseyZeke]

Great job. I knew about this movie for years and so many people told me I was crazy.

[@Zombie_Trooper]

You mixed up Burton and Hurt.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

You know..... despite the questionable legacy this movie has, i still want to see it and i have a feeling people judge it way too harsh than it deserved, I can see Jerry's motivation to shoot this story because the character of the Clown really is such an interesting drama-drenched character that really is such an absolutely tragic character who is basically doomed from the beginning as he throws every one of his loved ones under the bus and basically commits an absolute sin. He basically threw away his life by this betrayal and the only way to receive redemption is by embracing his humanity and not giving it up, till the last moment. In fact he takes responsibility and even though the situation is bleak and hopeless, he does an act of mercy by keeping the children calm and happy... in the eye of death. And i think this is one of the most sad dramas and stories ever put to celluloid. Because it is about the Children themself. The sheer killing of the innocent :( It is gut wrenching just thinking and talking about it and i am sure once i watch the movie and the ending comes, i'll be a crying mess. it really seem to be a test of your human self. if it deeply affects you, you are still a human being. If it completely leaves you indifferent, i'd be worried....

[@RaymondCore]

I recently watched a 'fanedit' version of David Lynch's "Dune" and it was so much better than the studio release. LoC should release all footage and notes and let the movie be 'fanedited'. So many movies are made great by their editing and there are creative film editors out there who can make lemonade from lemons.

[@Microsave2]

Holy shit we need to get this shit found

[@johnpjones182]

It may well be as bad as Harry Shearer says, but give the rest of us a chance to make up our own minds! Another "lost" movie I've waited decades to see is Morton Heilig's "Once", of which USC has the only known print. When, oh when will it ever be released?

[@KarmicSalt]

I know it is presumed lost but my dream film is Theda Bara's Cleopatra

[@johnpjones182]

Definitely. I'd also like to see Audrey Munson in "Inspiration" (another movie that's locked away in a vault).

[@tonihernandez6862]

this is up there with orson welles' original cut of "the magnificent ambersons"

[@beejls]

Excellent video loaded with info some I never heard before. The copyright issue is a problem I didn’t know that it was that bad. I guess we’ll have to wait until all parties involved have passed and their estates can do the math and get this out. People want to see it.

[@sammitaylor3942]

As soon as it started showing photos and stuff of clowns, I knew the movie

[@ZachSMarsh]

18:58 good video my dude, but there’s definitely more mistakes in it than I’ve seen from you before, including mixing up William Hurt’s and Richard Burton’s photos. The rest are just misreadings of some text. Just wanted to let you know in case you didn’t notice already. 🙂

[@markfacebook]

Since you're taking suggestions: Would love to see an update video on the massive run of found LostWave songs in 2024. Even without mentioning the ridiculousness of EKT, you have songs like La Cancion De Alicia, When the World was so Easily, Michael Jackson's Sexy Lady, and even the Digital Girl hoax that could fill an entire video. The last 6 months for Lostwave has been nuts.

[@drummersagainstitk]

Please release this! The industry won't be the same.

[@TylerRakstis]

Though I know the copyrights to the script not being fulfilled was one of the reasons it didn't get released. But I thought from what other people said was that people thought this movie could've ruined his reputation if it got released, like him losing perspective despite good intentions. Like it might be seen as insulting and exploitative to those who were Holocaust survivors.

[@dcavalli9]

The French will love it.

[@jaycotton7142]

I read the "Spy" magazine article back in '92. As a French depiction of Jerry Lewis' genius it should be something to see.

[@kindamagicdotcodotuk]

A very interesting video. I always thought that the movie was totally finished and was really hoping I could see it one day. I knew nothing of the copyright breach. Unfortunately I have to point out that you transposed the photos of Richard Burton and William Hurt!

[@zejaguar]

If a film is made of the original script, it could be a hit.

[@LisaBeta-42]

Depending on the script... The best script can be done into a bad movie, but if the script is not good enough, no actor or any editing can rescue the effords. And the perception of "good" is also shifting all the time. Differences about the costumes used, depend on the way we look at them today: was he aiming for authenticity or just "people in period dress" - is the story retelling "facts" or only the way, someone remebers the downfall of an egotistical person to the very end: You could make a miniseries about the "making of" of this movie with all the problems that accompanied these "huge production missteps". So the Clown hangs himself in both versions, that have become history by now; the actions in the movie were less then 30 years removed from the time it got shot - and the "making of" is now more than 50 years in the past, while the legal issues might accompany us even further, until all copyright falls free. If the original movie is too hard to swallow, one could cut it up in litte treats of 10 to 20 minutes as a teaser/cliffhanger at the end of any "making of" episode: progressing into darkness, as the show recounts how the difficulties all piled up so vast, that the original movie is still withheld from us today 🤔

[@kanen100]

there's something powerful about story's made about trauma guilt, pretty much universally, just cant help but think this story just isn't the best in the first place haha

[@Lemorande]

This is a good documentary and pretty complete. However, one big error is its failure to state that without permission from the current screenplay copyright holder, the film cannot bescreened publicly. That is one of the rights that copyright provides. Having a physical print does not mean you have the right to distribute it publicly without securing the rights to the screenplay. Copyright generally lasts for 75 years after the death of the author. Joan O’Brien, one of the writers, died fairly recently.

[@wesleyhunt7599]

MIGHT. But the LOC keeps saying "don't hold your breath".

[@barttheraven]

12:43 what painting is that quote referring to?

[@Griffinmc]

Extremely informative document-video. Appreciate all the work that went into it. The only fly in the ointment: mixing up the photos of William Hurt and Richard Burton.

[@docwashburn430]

There was another fly in the ointment. Jerry certainly never hosted his own show for 20 years. That is a ridiculous assertion.

[@octoman511]

Where did the footage in your video come from?

[@georgemaranville3305]

Not a perfect comparison but just last week on the press junket for Unfrosted Jerry Seinfeld, when asked about clearance rights, claimed they never reached out to any of the real cereal companies portrayed in the film. Maybe all that was done by Netflix and he didn’t have anything to do with it but if it’s true, in this day and age that’s remarkable.

[@fusionfan6883]

As a lawyer who has negotiated a location filming contract with Netflix’s lawyers, I have no doubt they will have nailed down all the copyright issues in advance!

[@georgemaranville3305]

@@fusionfan6883 makes sense.

[@FloridaManNapalm]

The only film I’ve ever seen with Jerry Lewis was The King of Comedy with Robert De Niro.

[@noyes.]

Who cares

[@FloridaManNapalm]

@@noyes. 8 people cared enough to give a like I suppose.

[@404TVfr]

​@noyes. Clearly not your parents.

[@noyes.]

@@404TVfr Master English before you talk to me

[@404TVfr]

@noyes. I did. Use your eyeballs, prat.

[@KGBeast.]

The opening made me laugh so hard

[@USCollege]

thank you for this; the world needs it. We are facing serious conscientious issues and we need more conscience.

[@barttheraven]

Are the scripts available to read at least?

[@aaronolson2234]

Yes, at least one version can be found online.

[@barttheraven]

@@aaronolson2234 Where?

[@Laszlo34]

Hey, I've sat through Highlander 2, _TWICE_ ... nothing could be THAT bad! ;P

[@moboutmen]

Godfather III, once

[@VisualStory-Teller]

"Richard Burton as the lead"...shows photo of William Hurt.

[@paultapner2769]

Something that popped up in my recommendations the other month is 'the day the clown cried. The complete reeenactment.' A one man version of the whole thing, based on the script. I just checked and it's still there. I will probably get round to watching it somewhen. It obviously won't show us what the production of the Lewis version was like but even so. I will say I looked at the very end of it and I don't think I will ever forget it as long as I live.

[@reggiebenes2916]

At 18:50, that's William Hurt, not Richard Burton. Although I assume William Hurt is who you were referencing, most likely Richard Burton wouldn't be involved in a remake, considering he died in 1984.

[@KarmicSalt]

yeah, 110,000 comments have pointed that out before you

[@michaelcowanmichaelcowan969]

Conservators at the library of congress have already stated that they do not have a working print, only "several unedited scenes from the film and several sound reels (which may or may not align with the film footage)". Rumor has the majority of the film and edited scenes being destroyed/made unwatchable by Jerry either through neglect or on purpose. Jerrys own opinion of the film wasn't very high and the idea of him destroying the work print is very likely. It was a doomed film from the start.

[@mrcritical6751]

It’s not even doomed from the start, they just shouldn’t have allowed Jerry any creative control

[@michaelcowanmichaelcowan969]

@@mrcritical6751 why wouldn't they?

[@ruperterskin2117]

Right on. Thanks for sharing.

[@marcelschmidt3698]

can the German ARD documentary be found somewhere?

[@geraldmartin7703]

I wonder if Lewis saw Mel Brooks' "The Producers" (1968).

[@rileyowen7731]

Thanks for doing your reaserch, lot of miss infromation on this topic :)

[@pancdca]

I honestly never thought this would see light since Jerry said he never wanted anyone to see it because it was so dark.

[@tadsgirl]

You have William Hurt and Richard Burton's pictures mixed up.

[@KarmicSalt]

yeah a million people have commented this before you

[@terenzo50]

I'll wait for the musical.

[@paulforder591]

If Jerry Lewis' estate agrees to release the rough cut, I wouldn't mind seeing it. Lewis himself wasn't satisfied with the film, and tried to add comedy to one of history's darkest chapters: the WW2 Holocaust. Maybe he felt the world wasn't ready for it. However, modern critics may have differing opinions. 🎥📽️

[@vangroover1903]

Some that have seen it claimed it is quite good, but they were probably just trying to shower Lewis with praise. I get how he would want to add a few gags to a story we've all heard before, but he couldn't figure out an ending. There really is no final solution to this sort of problem, but for film buffs I bet watching it would be a gas.

[@Promqueen23]

@@vangroover1903 Newsflash: You aren't funny. You aren't clever, though you think you are. Delusional you are.

[@CraftySouthpaw]

This movie has become so legendary for the fact that it _hasn't_ been released, that I wonder if an eventual release would feel like a letdown for those who've waited for it?

[@stevencramsie9172]

Almost certainly. There’s no guarantee the movie will actually be any good

[@tooleyheadbang4239]

It will be just like early Doctor Who. The missing ones are brilliant until they turn up.

[@arino4u]

hey hey im one of the first commenters and i wanna say your my favorite lost media tuber and keep up the great work :)

[@AllThingsLost]

Thanks for the kind words 🥰

[@andrewallison4213]

whoa never heard of this one, thanks!

[@pablosonic892]

Man, an idea whose idea has come. At last, the people will see the great high concept film with the legendary central plot gimmick at the heart of this overlong gestating time capsule ode to cinema. Life Is Beautiful.

[@wayneantoniazzi2706]

Interesting! I remember reading a magazine article back in the early 1970s (1972?) about Jerry Lewis and this fim project and always wondered what happened to it. I assumed it wasn't up to Jerry's standards so he just never released it. I had no idea things were so complicated!

[@KarmicSalt]

Lewis commented on it multiple times saying that the subject matter was too serious and didn't like the film

[@DarkF00L]

I have seen a leaked film edit of The Day The Clown Cried with spliced scenes throughout the film with stage actors acting out scenes from the script. In my opinion, the film is a masterpiece. It's showing the horrors of the camp and how a clown is able to find his own light in such a dark situation. Plus he shares that light with the children in the camp. I won't spoil the ending but the main character does the right honorable thing; in my opinion. And it is this last action which has caused the most controversy for anyone who has seen or knows about the film. I see it as honorable, others see it as horrible. It is a divisive film, but I urge everyone reading this to see the honorable in that last act. Much like how the clown found his own light in the darkness of the concentration camp.

[@melissawickersham9912]

Perhaps the audience wasn’t ready for this film back when this film was made, but the audience of the present day could be ready for this film.

[@DarkF00L]

@@melissawickersham9912 If you had made this very comment in between, say, the years 2005 - 2015, I would have agreed with you. The pendulum of open mindedness to triggered and offended has been swinging wildly. I'm thinking that decade would have been the perfect window period. But today, everything is politicized and everyone is offended.

[@melissawickersham9912]

@@DarkF00L I was saying that the people who actually fought as soldiers in WW2 and the people who lived through the Holocaust would both have been triggered and offended by the film. What would war heroes Brigadier General James Stewart and President Eisenhower have to say about this film if they could see it? Eisenhower personally helped liberate the camps. He saw the aftermath of the atrocities that happened there.

[@DarkF00L]

@@melissawickersham9912 Ah ok. On that, I 💯 agree. People who lived through that were DEFINITELY offended. This is a huge reason why the film was blocked from being released.

[@yesterdaysrose5446]

This movie was filmed in Sweden, so I expect to see a lot of familiar faces. In particular, the famed Finnish actor Åke Lindman who worked on a lot of projects in both countries is apparently in this one. And speaking of Finland, we actually made a film loosely based on this premise in 2018. "Suomen hauskin mies", or "The Funniest Man in Finland" (the official English title was "Laugh or Die", which was, um, one way to ensure there was next to no international distribution, I guess). Basically a film about Finnish Civil War camp detainees who have to put up an awesome show. Or else. (It's very much a tragicomedy. They won't all make it.)

[@markkenny2001]

Hey ALT, will there be a discussion about David Bowie? Some of his content are pieces of lost media.

[@ExorcistReviews]

Great video! Can you do a video on The Exorcist mini series (by William P Blatty) that was never made?

[@kingsnorthlobotomy]

Hey man, love your work. How about a video on the unreleased Sly Stallone film The Good Life?

[@Woodland320]

The clown in this movie saved his own life by letting other people die. He led them into the gas chambers by pretending to entertain them. The people he led were children. at the end of the movie the clown turns arounds and smiles at the camera while leading the kids into the chamber. Jerry made money the rest of his life on the suffering of children with the MDA. He didn't want to let that image of him walking kids into the chambers overshadow his bringing kids on stage to raise money for MDA.

[@HeelsHoseandskirt]

Good or bad Is moot-- It's something you have to witness. You're gonna see it one way or another.

[@ARCtheCartoonMaster]

Still sounds more tasteful than _The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas._