Decoder Ring Episode Summary: "Jerry Lewis’ Lost Holocaust Clown Movie"

In this compelling episode of Decoder Ring, host Max Friedman delves into the enigmatic and controversial lost film "The Day the Clown Cried," directed by the legendary comedian Jerry Lewis. This episode meticulously unpacks the film's troubled production, its lasting mythos, and its complex place within Holocaust cinema.

Introduction: The Allure of a Lost Film

The episode opens with an engaging introduction to the concept of bad movies, highlighting comedian Patton Oswalt's fascination with them. Oswalt remarks, “There's nothing that I love more than something that's really bad, but the underlying attitude of it is, you're welcome, you're welcome” (00:56). This sets the stage for the exploration of "The Day the Clown Cried," a film infamous for its premise and the fact that it remains unseen by the public.

Jerry Lewis and His Ambitious Project

Max Friedman introduces Jerry Lewis as a multifaceted entertainer who, despite his immense popularity in the mid-20th century, faced career stagnation by the early 1970s. Author Shawn Levy provides context, stating, “Jerry was really dismissed by American critics as children's entertainment. And vulgar and stupid and infantile and badly made” (10:50). In a bid to revitalize his career, Lewis embarked on directing and starring in a Holocaust drama, a stark departure from his usual slapstick comedies.

The Making of "The Day the Clown Cried"

The episode details the film's intended narrative: the story of Helmut Dork, a failed clown who finds himself in Auschwitz and is forced to lead Jewish children to the gas chambers. The script, crafted by Joan O'Brien and Charles Denton, was initially considered by major stars like Richard Burton and Dick Van Dyke, but none took on the role until Lewis did.

Key plot points include:

• Carl Schmidt's Descent: A self-centered clown becomes a political prisoner after mocking Hitler, subsequently entertaining children in Auschwitz (14:55).
• Ethical Dilemmas: The film grapples with profound ethical questions, blending comedy with the horrors of the Holocaust.

Production Chaos and Financial Struggles

Filming commenced in Paris and moved to Stockholm, where construction of the concentration camp sets began. However, the production faced severe financial issues due to the producer Nat Waksburger's failure to secure promised funds. Lewis resorted to personal funds, investing nearly a million dollars to keep the project afloat (25:58). Amidst mounting debts, Lewis took drastic measures, including clandestinely transporting a copy of the footage to the United States after discovering he lacked legal rights to continue the film (25:58).

Critical Reception and Cultural Impact

Although the film was never released, its reputation as one of the "most wanted unseen films of all time" grew over the decades. Patton Oswalt describes the screenplay as “ridiculously nutty” with “comedy bits in the middle of a guy who's an Auschwitz” (32:39). This dichotomy fueled curiosity and disdain, leading Oswalt to stage his own performances of the screenplay, which became cult hits despite being “panned” and “booed” (33:05).

In contrast, the episode references Roberto Benigni's "Life Is Beautiful," which successfully melded comedy with Holocaust tragedy, winning multiple Oscars. This comparison underscores why "The Day the Clown Cried" failed to achieve similar acclaim, primarily due to its unrefined execution and insensitivity (34:13).

Holocaust Representation in Cinema

Expert Henry Gonchzak, author of Hollywood and the Holocaust, critiques both "The Day the Clown Cried" and other Holocaust films for their sentimentalization and distortion of historical truths. He argues that such portrayals often undermine the atrocities by introducing affirmative or hopeful elements, which starkly contrasts with the brutal reality of the Holocaust (38:05, 38:46).

The episode explores the delicate balance filmmakers must strike between educating audiences and maintaining historical integrity. Steven Spielberg’s "Schindler's List" is highlighted as a successful example that presents unadulterated horror while providing a narrative of survival (39:24).

Legacy and Continued Fascination

Despite Jerry Lewis’s assurances that the film would never be seen, fragments of "The Day the Clown Cried" resurfaced in a 2020 documentary, From Darkness to Light, aired on Turner Classic Movies (46:55). These snippets confirmed the film's troubled nature, depicting clunky writing and jarring tonal shifts between comedy and tragedy (47:13, 48:09).

The episode concludes by reflecting on the enduring mystery surrounding the film. Shawn Levy emphasizes that the legend of "The Day the Clown Cried" continues to fascinate, serving as both a testament to Jerry Lewis’s complex persona and a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of unbridled artistic ambition (51:19).

Conclusion: A Breathtaking Act of Narcissism

Max Friedman posits that "The Day the Clown Cried" is less about the Holocaust and more about Jerry Lewis’s personal struggles with fame and relevance. The film becomes a self-absorbed project where Lewis attempts to process his own insecurities by intertwining them with one of history's darkest chapters. The episode underscores that while the film may not be a good movie, its exploration provides a fascinating character study of Lewis himself.

In closing, the Decoder Ring episode invites listeners to ponder the implications of representing immense suffering through the lens of personal turmoil and comedy, making "The Day the Clown Cried" a poignant subject of cultural and historical examination.

Notable Quotes:

• Patton Oswalt (00:56): “There’s nothing that I love more than something that’s really bad, but the underlying attitude of it is, you're welcome, you're welcome.”

• Shawn Levy (10:50): “Jerry was really dismissed by American critics as children's entertainment. And vulgar and stupid and infantile and badly made.”

• Jerry Lewis (46:17): “I was embarrassed. I was ashamed of the work. And I was grateful that I had the power to contain it all and never let anybody see. Was bad, bad, bad.”

• Henry Gonchzak (38:17): “The theme of that film is that the bond between a father and a child can never be broken. Even by the Nazis, even by camps. But the whole point of the camp was to destroy human ties.”

This episode of Decoder Ring masterfully dissects the myth and reality of "The Day the Clown Cried," offering listeners a deep dive into a film that remains one of Hollywood's most intriguing lost projects.