Frank asked me the other day who would be the third? Third? Third what?
"Jerry Lewis, Dick Gregory....and who?" Ahhhh, I thought. The rule of 3s, that when there is a celebrity death, there will not just be 1 or 2...but 3. And so we waited.
And while we waited, we thought about the two that just left us. Two very different comedians and yet both history making and cliche' smashing talents.
Dick Gregory made you think....whether you wanted to or not. He was that smart, that good, that talented and that funny. So sharp, his wit left scars. He fought on the front lines of the civil rights movement with a keen eye for observation and the ability to communicate in a distinct and new way.
Jerry Lewis became an industry and icon, charming not just the post WWII society trying to normalize their lives...but actually the whole country of France. His slapstick and mime abilities have rarely been rivaled in the past 70 years. His years of charity work with the Muscular Dystrophy Association raised awareness and billions of dollars for disease research.
Two legends who helped define the second half of the last century in comedy, gone. Social media and news shows all created their own tributes--some better than others.
Comedians, actors, politicians and other celebrities weighed in on the influence both had on careers and the industry itself.
This is not to be just another tribute piece. This is a bit of what we'll miss...a bit of history...of what influenced the present to be the way it is. Maybe the fact that we have SO MUCH "entertainment" to choose from, has kept us from looking back at some pieces that changed how comedy is done, reacted to, and remembered -- until the artists are gone.
Pop culture is an evolving thing...it is changed daily by what is happening now...and builds on what has occurred in the past. Here is a bit of the past that got us to where we are today.
Dick Gregory. Jerry Lewis. Thank you. True legends don't leave us with just "bits of funny", they leave legacies.
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