Rating: 
Summary: King of Comedy: A Monster Book (in every sense of the word)
Review: Insane royalty are a dime a dozen: something about the attendant privelege, license, and exponentially-decreasing ability to accurately test reality leads nowhere healthy. Witness Jerry Lewis, proclaimed - correctly, dreadfully, though indirectly - the king of comedy by Shawn Levy, the author of this revealing, ultimately disturbing biography of the talented and repulsive entertainer. Straddling the well-worn line of admiration vs. disgust for Lewis (nobody's neutral about the guy), Levy cannily evokes the man as artist, as husband and father, and as a wounded, frightened child who, in crucial ways, failed to grow up. The fact that the very qualities which make him stink rotten in his personal life also fuel the best of his art is bare consolation, but it is what we are left with by book's end. Levy's work is superb, offering a psychological portrait of Lewis (born Jerome Levitch) without succumbing to wild hypothesizing, or to the mawkish rationalizations Lewis himself has relied on over the years. Consequently, the book is not supported by Lewis, as detailed in a hair-raising epilogue in which Levy describes his few encounters with the comic. One can only come away feeling that Lewis's best work (with and without the icily adorable Dean Martin) is also the best part of the man; beyond that, we're left with a flailing, harmful man-child wielding one of the most destructive personality disorders Hollywood has ever known. The king is... wierd. Long live the king. Congratulations to Levy for the best Hollywood biography in some time.
Rating: 
Summary: Well researched but terribly biased.
Review: Although the book appears to be well researched the author displays so much contempt for Jerry Lewis and for his work that one begins to wonder why he even bothered to write it. It is no surprise, from Lewis' lonely neglected childhood that he grew up to be a self-centred insecure individual who constantly craved attention and adulation. However, he seems to share these characteristics with many great artisic people. What about his multifaceted talent and the pleasure he gave to his millions of fans? What about the millions of dollars he raised for charity? He criticizes Lewis for being selfish and wanting to do everything his way. How does he differ from contemporaries like Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra? Instead of accepting Lewis for the person he is, the book is filled with constant criticism. The author derides a lifetime of Lewis' work even though much of it was commercially successful. He appears to gloat over Lewis' failures. Anyone who reads this book will get an extremely negatively biased view of Jerry Lewis.
Rating: 
Summary: TOO MUCH LEVY, NOT ENOUGH LEWIS
Review: At the beginning of the book, Levy implies that he will trace Lewis's life as a parallel to American culture from the 40s to the present day. He does not deliver. What we are sold is a thoroughly researched, very well written account of a twentieth century comic and filmmaker as seen through Levy's jaded eyes. Too bad, because he would have made it if it hadn't been for his apparently irresisitible urge to put Lewis down. Levy decided, at some point during the writing of his book, that he didn't really like Jerry very much, and set out to convince us that we shouldn't either. His bias stoops to its lowest ebb during his "personal" interviews with his subject, wherein he snidely baits Lewis into explosions that any person (especially an artist) might react with. More below-the-belt tactics are sprinkled throughout the text, most noticeably with the cheap shots that become more frequent in the later pages and with the only partially representative quotations that have Lewis spewing vulgarities in nearly every sentence. Other than this overt bias, there are a few other things to take Levy to task over, some of which are commonplace with first editions (I read the hardcover version in 1996, so hopefully some of the mistakes have been corrected) and others of which demonstrate carelessness. An example of this would be Levy's description of the film "The Stooge," where several details concerning the characters and story are confused. As regards the films generally, Levy praises many of them at the outset and then, not wanting to sound too laudatory, undercuts his enthusiasm with more put-downs. In Levy's eyes, Lewis's creative genius as a filmmaker is nearly obliterated by ego, which actually places Levy's ego between the reader and the films as works of comic art. These films, especially those of the early-to-mid 1960s, deserve better treatment than this; Levy's opinions (there is little in the way of critical discussion) are discolored by his jaded lenses. Aside from the aforementioned cheap shots, this is the most irritating aspect of the book, especially in light of the promise of its title. On the positive side, Lewis's relationship with Dean Martin, its importance for both men and its dynamics, is convincingly related. Also effectively shown is the importance and ENORMOUS popularity of Martin and Lewis as popular performers. Between Sinatra and Elvis it was these guys, and anyone who second-guessed it before won't do so now. This biography is informative and enlightening throughout; unfortunately we're going to need a better one. Although it begins with promise, ultimately Levy's rigorous flailing at his subject produces a portrait of Jerry Lewis that is noticeably skewered by the author's prejudices and, perhaps most of all, by his unwillingness or inability to thoughtfully examine Lewis's unique contributions to comic film.
Rating:
Summary: Well done
Review: Balanced, unscrubbed bio of Lewis and his career. Great reading if you're into this genre of comedy entertainment. Obvious that the author conducted quite a bit of research.
Rating:
Summary: Superior Study of Lewis
Review: I have read several books about Jerry Lewis but I believe that Shawn Levy has produced the most in-depth work about Lewis. He is able to provide a fluid explanation to many unanswered questions about the career of Jerry Lewis. He provides a detailed structured background into the creation, rise and fall of Martin and Lewis, which allows the reader to grasp why the act ruptured at the height of its success. Levy is the first writer to really provide concrete answers about the breakup, since both Martin and Lewis have always talked around the issue. Levy also provides a back stage look at the solo career of Jerry Lewis allowing the reader to see why Lewis was never able to build an enduring successful career in the movies. Actually, the best summary of the comedy of Jerry Lewis is on page 270, when Levy lifts quotes from a 1960s article written by comic writer, Al Capp. Capp's remarks totally sumed up why Lewis was brilliant with Dean Martin and such a flop in solo comedy roles. If you choose not to read the book, read page 270. Though, I do not like the comedy of Jerry Lewis, I have always been impressed by personal interviews where it becomes apparent that Lewis is a gracious person, who has always credited Martin for the success of their act, whether he totally believes it or not. Jerry Lewis has always been more impressive to me when he performed or acted as an adult rather than a child. Personally, Lewis did his best work in the movie "King of Comedy" and the "Wise Guy" television series, which were dramatic roles.
Rating:
Summary: The King is a very lonely man.
Review: I have recently finished reading this book and it is quite a chore. Not only are the chapters rather long, but they contain so much information that they take a while to read. This book paints an acid portrait of Jerry Lewis. On the one hand, his childhood was not a happy one and I felt sorry for him. On the other hand, Jerry seems to feel that the world owes him a living. The book is rife with (what I believe to be) direct quotes from Jerry, and these quotes can be very nasty very often. If you LOVE Jerry Lewis, you may want to avoid this book because it depicts him as a very difficult & argumentative individual; this book may make you lose respect for him. On a gossipy Hollywood Babylon-type level, the book succeeds brilliantly.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling
Review: I love biographies that meet three criteria: 1)about an interesting person, 2)well researched, 3) well written. Shawn Levy has met all three in this compelling look at one of America's funniest and most controversial entertainers. Levy dug deep, talked to the right people, found the right materials, and put it together in a highly-readable and informative book. He has a hip, fast-moving, smart and fluid style of writing. I still think Jerry Lewis is very funny; now I know why he's also disliked by many people, and what drives him. I have new respect for Lewis. I also look forward to more books from Levy.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling
Review: I love biographies that meet three criteria: 1)about an interesting person, 2)well researched, 3) well written. Shawn Levy has met all three in this compelling look at one of America's funniest and most controversial entertainers. Levy dug deep, talked to the right people, found the right materials, and put it together in a highly-readable and informative book. He has a hip, fast-moving, smart and fluid style of writing. I still think Jerry Lewis is very funny; now I know why he's also disliked by many people, and what drives him. I have new respect for Lewis. I also look forward to more books from Levy.
Rating:
Summary: The Day The Clown Cried
Review: Jerry Lewis is a genius, pure & simple. Read this tome & you'll discover a man as complex (and misunderstood) as Wagner. This IS Wagnerian... absolute glory & absolute dispair. It encapsulates what Jerry has always been about, but this isn't just shtick. It's the real deal. One would wish for someone as hell-raising & life-affirming as Lewis to lead a life-as-party existance--- he hasn't. And you'll read why. Still & all, he's called the shots for however many decades straight & how many people can say THAT? This man is a giant, & shall be remembered as such. I love you Mr. Levitch!!!
Rating:
Summary: Well balanced, beautifully written
Review: King of Comedy debunks many myths about Lewis, and presents a raw, painful picture of the real man. It's a picture that makes me happy he wasn't my father, and one which has soured my view of Lewis the comedian. I saw him earlier in this year in Melbourne (99) and the show was outstanding - I'm just thankful I hadn't read this book at that stage. Be warned, this well researched, balanced book may provide more information than you want to know. Still, he remains an outstanding comedian who has produced some great moments -- shame about the personal life.
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