Muscular Dystrophy Telethon
When I was growing up, my siblings and I regularly watched Jerry Lewis's Labor Day Muscular Dystrophy Telethon. Why? What did it have to do with us, or with Canada, or with Guelph? Well, I guess it was just an exciting way to end the summer, before school started, like attending the Toronto Exhibition, or something. I knew and loved Jerry Lewis from all his comedy films with Dean Martin, and it was exciting to watch him stay up for 24-hours straight (before the format changed), talking, singing, begging, and introducing a stream of celebrity guests who talked, and sang and begged. Most of all, it was exciting to watch his pledge numbers rise. Fantastic sums of money! I stopped paying attention to the telethon when outgrew my interest in Jerry Lewis. His comedy was appealing to me as a child, but as an adult he just annoyed me. But even now I admire his devotion to that cause. Did the telethons affect any good? They were entertaining, at least, and one way to mark the end of summer.