What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

The Muscular Dystrophy Association Suck

O

Old Pio

Registered User
The mealy mouthed bastiches at MDA have fired Jerry Lewis as host of the Labor Day telethon and as the organization's national chairman. I guess to MDA this is their equivalent of a gold watch for half a century of service and two and a half billion dollars raised. I am no fan of Lewis. But we are well past the point where anyone can question his sincerity. Sure, he's maudlin and overly sentimental. Sure that "Jerry's kids" meme is repulsive. But look at the results. To my knowledge there aren't any national telethons left. And the Labor day telethon has set standards no other can match. Typically, when a telethon signs off they collect something less than the final tally on the tote board. Not MDA. That's because for normal telethons some folks don't send in their full pledge or anything at all. MDA donors frequently write checks for more than they pledged.

Lewis' work has raised tons of money and awareness for a family of diseases not especially well known. I remember the national panic over polio and the relief when Dr. Salk came up with a vaccine. We've not seen anything like that for the diseases MDA treats. Yet, to the extent that the general public knows anything about these illnesses, the credit must go to Lewis.

Anyway, the rumors are that MDA is p*ssed off about an interview Lewis gave to TV writers in which he had some unflattering things to say, particularly about reality TV. I'm not sure what he said, but I agree with him. It's almost all drec. Besides, he's been a major figure in showbusiness for decades, isn't he allowed to have an opinion? It had previously been announced that this would be Lewis' last go 'round on the telethon. Why on earth couldn't those ungrateful priks just let him end his assocation with them with one final rendition of "You'll never walk alone?" And wave goodbye. Instead they've chosen to humiliate the man largely resonsible for their jobs and cushy salaries.

I've never given a dime to MDA. But almost every year manage to work in a few minutes to watch the telethon. If only to see if those old, washed up Vegas lounge acts are still alive. There's Charo, check. No Charlie Callas? I'm sorry to hear that, he was really funny.

Loyalty should be a two way street. This stinks.
 
Re: The Muscular Dystrophy Association Suck

OP-Add me to the list who strongly agrees with you on this one. We met Mr Lewis way back in the 50's when his family owned a resort in the Catskills (Brown's was the name I think). He was a major star at the time but was incredibly nice and sincere to my family. My mother spent years working for MDA as a volunteer and collected for years and had nothing but respect for Jerry. He is undoubtedly the reason they have been so successful over the years. They should have allowed him to host for as long as he was able to and allow him to go out in style. This plain stinks and they will pay dearly in the ratings this Labor Day as a great number of people tuned in just to see what outrageous thing he would say live on TV. Just my 2¢
 
Last edited:
Re: The Muscular Dystrophy Association Suck

Hey doc. Nice to hear a back stage story about the guy. There was a while there where he was as big as anybody. Starring in and directing and producing his movies, all of which were bankable. He was a one man studio who also pioneered some techniques now commonly used. The analogy that's been rolling around in my head is what do you do with a college football coach who's overstayed his welcome? And is resisting importunings to leave. Florida State had a devil of a time with the end of the Bowden era and Penn State may be about to face the same thing with Joe Pa. Tom Osborne, on the other hand, just pulled the plug, because he said he could no longer do the work of offensive coordinator and if he couldn't do that, he was outta there.

It remains to be seen what went on backstage that led to that announcement earlier this year that 2011 would be his last hurrah. Maybe there were bad feelings about it on his part. Maybe it was a mutual decision. He's 85 and has had many health problems over the years. But whatever the backstory, it had been announced that he was taking his final bow this year. Fine. Now, he's toast with no explanation, which means he was fired. If it were a health matter, they would have put it in the press release. He probably would have participated in the news conference. But the terse wording of their release (it's on their website) leads to only one conclusion: they fired him as host and added insult to injury by dropping him as national chairman. And if his rant to the TV writers is the reason, it surpasses understanding. Jerry doubtless would describe himself as an opinionated old Jew. This is news?

Short of stealing money or diddling little kids, I can't think of anything he may have done that would justify this cruel treatment. As I say, I'm no fan, never was, but right is right. They might be able to save a little face by having him appear in a taped piece at the beginning of this year's show. Encouraging people to give, wishing MDA the best of luck down the road, etc. It remains to be seen whether he'd do it or if they'd ask. He's planning to hold a newser the day after the telethon. That could be very interesting. But I'm betting he'll bury the bitterness and wish everybody the best. After all, he's devoted 50 years to those ungrateful SOB's.
 
Last edited:
Re: The Muscular Dystrophy Association Suck

Rumors are out there that Mr. Lewis has been reinstated as host of the telethon.

Link
 
Re: The Muscular Dystrophy Association Suck

Apparantly true. What if this whole kerfuffle was a giant publicity stunt?
 
Re: The Muscular Dystrophy Association Suck

For those of us old enough to remember when TV was limited to 3 networks, PBS and maybe a couple of independent stations, Jerry Lewis' MDA telethon was one of the few times there was 24 hour programming.
I remember a classic moment on the telethon when Frank Sinatra bringing Dean Martin on to end years of silence between the former partners. (Letterman getting Sonny and Cher to sing "I Got You Babe" was another classic)
I remember when Lewis was very obviously ill, terribly bloated and suffering,he still performed and raised money for "his kids."
I remember all the local groups presenting their checks or people driving by to put money in a big fishbowl.
Yes, there were times it got cheesy or maudlin, but it was part of Americana.

Bring in younger performers--fine. Update the format--ok. But, why the powers to be at MDA wouldn't let Lewis go out gracefully and in style is beyond me. Very tacky .
 
Re: The Muscular Dystrophy Association Suck

I was always told that right before signing off on his last telethon he would explain why he always called them "his kids". Was that just one of those bs rumors or was there some truth to it? If so, maybe that is what the PC is about after the telethon.
 
Re: The Muscular Dystrophy Association Suck

vizoroo said:
For those of us old enough to remember when TV was limited to 3 networks, PBS and maybe a couple of independent stations, Jerry Lewis' MDA telethon was one of the few times there was 24 hour programming.
I remember a classic moment on the telethon when Frank Sinatra bringing Dean Martin on to end years of silence between the former partners. (Letterman getting Sonny and Cher to sing "I Got You Babe" was another classic)
I remember when Lewis was very obviously ill, terribly bloated and suffering,he still performed and raised money for "his kids."
I remember all the local groups presenting their checks or people driving by to put money in a big fishbowl.
Yes, there were times it got cheesy or maudlin, but it was part of Americana.

Bring in younger performers--fine. Update the format--ok. But, why the powers to be at MDA wouldn't let Lewis go out gracefully and in style is beyond me. Very tacky .
Click to expand...

Yeah, there are two and a half billion reasons why he's earned it. We think now how organized MDA is, especially with those corporate sponsors. In the early days it was Lewis' cachet that opened a lot of those doors. One year I was working in Baton Rouge and we were being pounded by the outer rain bands of a passing hurricane. Everybody was home. And everybody was watching. Some car salesman pledged a hundred bucks and challenged others in the business to do their part. Back to network. Back to local and a prominent car dealer from a competing agency had called in a pledge for ten grand! Slap. I mean, that would be an enormous personal pledge even today. The local host had a shocked look on his face and wasn't totally certain the pledge was on the up and up. But it was.
 
Last edited:
Re: The Muscular Dystrophy Association Suck

Lewis was one of the crafty old boys from the circuit who always knew exactly what he was doing. The cheese and Sammy Maudlin Show stuff Lewis did was his way of getting people's attention long enough to donate -- he knew his audience: intellectuals and clever, ironic hipsters weren't in it. Like the immortal Gene Scott, I could not tell most of the time whether he was being a character or himself, but it didn't matter since the whole point of the enterprise was raising cash.
 
Re: The Muscular Dystrophy Association Suck

Kepler said:
Lewis was one of the crafty old boys from the circuit who always knew exactly what he was doing. The cheese and Sammy Maudlin Show stuff Lewis did was his way of getting people's attention long enough to donate -- he knew his audience: intellectuals and clever, ironic hipsters weren't in it. Like the immortal Gene Scott, I could not tell most of the time whether he was being a character or himself, but it didn't matter since the whole point of the enterprise was raising cash.
Click to expand...

There was an article years ago (WSJ?) which said the MDA telethon was different from all of its (then) competitors in that if they signed off with 57 million, that's what they were going to collect. Other telethons always had some leakage--20%? 30%? Whatever. But not MDA. With other telethons, people would get that demand letter in the mail and send less than they pledged or nothing at all. With MDA, some folks WOULD fail to send in what they had pledged, but many others would send in more.

One thing I've always appreciated about MDA as opposed to our friends at United Way: they've always said send in what you can, five bucks, ten bucks, we're happy to have it. The United Way, on the other hand, has the temerity to publish charts that look suspiciously like tax tables, advising me of what my "fair share" is. Like they have any idea what's been going on in my life. And they come at me through my boss. And if I don't want to give, records are kept of that fact. I've got to sign something. If that isn't coercion, I'd like to know what is. If various corporate masters want a competition on how much they can raise for United Way, let them give their own d*amn money! "I can get 95% of MY wage slaves to participate." Obviously, United Way has discovered that in this case, the ends justify the means. But it still stinks.
 
Last edited:
Re: The Muscular Dystrophy Association Suck

I've worked/work for firms that do the united way thing...and I don't participate. I give my donations where "I" want them to go. I'm not lazy enough to let UW direct my dollars.
 
Re: The Muscular Dystrophy Association Suck

mookie1995 said:
I've worked/work for firms that do the united way thing...and I don't participate. I give my donations where "I" want them to go. I'm not lazy enough to let UW direct my dollars.
Click to expand...

In the military it's called the Combined Federal Campaign and frequently old sergeants made it clear exactly what's going to happen to you if you didn't give--picking up butts outside of Base Ops, etc. Since you could direct your contributions, many of us made donations to the American Friends Service Committee, which was an anti-draft outfit. Take that, Himmler!

Over the years I've encountered a continuum of employer attitudes ranging from "give us a couple of bucks if you'd like" to "you'll regret not giving." At a time of layoffs and downsizing, how many employees do you suppose kick in a few bucks as an insurance policy? My bottom line is that it's none of my employer's effing business whether I give, and to whom, and how much.
 
Re: The Muscular Dystrophy Association Suck

Old Pio said:
There was an article years ago (WSJ?) which said the MDA telethon was different from all of its (then) competitors in that if they signed off with 57 million, that's what they were going to collect. Other telethons always had some leakage--20%? 30%? Whatever. But not MDA. With other telethons, people would get that demand letter in the mail and send less than they pledged or nothing at all. With MDA, some folks WOULD fail to send in what they had pledged, but many others would send in more.

One thing I've always appreciated about MDA as opposed to our friends at United Way: they've always said send in what you can, five bucks, ten bucks, we're happy to have it. The United Way, on the other hand, has the temerity to publish charts that look suspiciously like tax tables, advising me of what my "fair share" is. Like they have any idea what's been going on in my life. And they come at me through my boss. And if I don't want to give, records are kept of that fact. I've got to sign something. If that isn't coercion, I'd like to know what is. If various corporate masters want a competition on how much they can raise for United Way, let them give their own d*amn money! "I can get 95% of MY wage slaves to participate." Obviously, United Way has discovered that in this case, the ends justify the means. But it still stinks.
Click to expand...

I agree with all of this.

The company I work for constantly pushes us to donate to their creepy right wing PAC. Same kind of thing. Managers think opting out is career suicide, and that sort of coercive environment isn't exactly on the company's list of major issues to address.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top