Max Coleman, a popular comedian at the time (who worked with Lewi’s father,) together with Lewis’s father, convinced the burgeoning comic to get back on that horse and try again. The famous “Record Act” eventually made its way to comedian Irving Kaye, who loved it.
Immediately Coleman became his manager and guardian, landing him a string of Borscht Belt appearances (a nickname for the summer resorts in the Catskills frequented by the Jewish community between the 1920s and 1960s.)
The Record Act
Lewis would ultimately become the King of Comedy in later years due to his signature goofiness and zany antics. The earliest version of that signature style could be seen as early as 15 years old when he did his "Record Act" In it, he would mime lyrics to songs as a phonograph played offstage. He then pursued it seriously and sought out a real audience.
By the time he was just 15 years old, Lewis already developed his now-famous “Record Act” bit. If you haven’t seen it, the bit involves Lewis pantomiming a lip-synced performance of a song in an exaggerated and silly way. He performed the song-and-dance act for decades.
Giving Up Too Soon
Of course, every entertainer experiences a little bit of rejection, and Lewis certainly got a whiff of that. One of his first shows in the Burlesque House in Buffalo did not go too well and he ended up getting canceled.
To make ends meet, Lewis worked at the snack counter and then as a theater usher at the Paramount Theatre and Loew’s Capitol Theatre in New York City. He was starting to go off the path, but then this wise father stepped in and set him straight.
Making a Name For Himself
There seems to be some confusion surrounding his real name; although he was supposedly born "Joseph" according to many legal documents,s his name was "Jerome." Still, the actor dropped those names altogether and went with Jerry as the official name, both on and offstage.
The reason for this was so that he would not be confused with other prominent figures, namely Joe E. Lewis and Joe Louis.
The Funniest Friendship in Showbiz
After World War II ended, the up-and-coming comedian hit the nightclub scene and shot to fame. There he met the one and only Dean Martin, and thus, a new era of the comedy bromance began. Audiences around the county instantly fell in love with the super-duo: The suave king of cool, Dean Martin, and the zany and hilarious Jerry Lewis.
They two met each other at the Glass Hat Club in New York City. The connection was instant, and on July 25, 1946, they began performing at Atlantic City’s 500 Club as "The Martin and Lewis Act."Soon. It was the perfect act.