There was an idea for a film that would be a drama with all the pathos and gravitas of a dramatic movie but with a sweet person at the center, showing the horrors of war. The famedJerry Lewiswas tapped to star, and it would be his entry into the world of serious drama. The film was shot and shelved. But why?
There are many rumors aboutThe Day the Clown Cried, but they all lead to one conclusion. It was not to be released in any form until 2024. In 1972, it felt like forever, but now the film is about to be screened for the first time, and people are waiting to see it. But what was it about the movie that made it so controversial? And why is it so sought after, even after all these years?
Jerry Lewis, the Comedy Legend
Jerry Lewis had been doing comedy since the 1930s and was known as the perfect fool. He seemed able to do anything for a laugh. He perfected the art of mime and slapstick comedy to great effect, teaming with crooner Dean Martin in the 40s and working with him for ten years. Jerry Lewis starred in dozens of films throughout his career, includingScared Stiff(1953),Cinderfella(1960), andThe Nutty Professor(1963). His goofball style and very specific, over-the-top voice were his trademarks, and crowds loved him.
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The thing was, he wanted to branch out. Lewis was convinced he would be great in dramatic roles if given a chance. Then, in 1971, he was approached by producer Nat Wachsberger to take on a new role. It would allow him complete creative control over an existing script and the ability to both star and direct. It seemed like an opportunity to stretch himself and show the public that he was built for more than just comedy. That movie script wasThe Day the Clown Cried,and it was a daunting concept. It would attempt to insert laughter into a world where most people couldn’t get away with it as it was afilm about The Holocaust.
The Day the Clown Cried
The Day the Clown Cried, which has seenvery little footage emergesince it was created, was meant to be a coming out of sorts for Lewis. It would allow him to explore his Jewish roots, use his slapstick humor, and prove to people that he could handle a sensitive subject. Consider the proposition.
Helmut Doork is a circus clown in World War II Germany. Where once he was considered a great performer, he is now a second-rate has-been. But when he causes problems for his circus and learns he will be fired, he becomes drunk and begins mocking Hitler. He is then taken in by the Gestapo for questioning. Because of the nature of his crime, he is placed in a nazi internment camp for political prisoners.
While in the camp, the other prisoners show him very little respect. They tell him they want to see him perform his act, but he refuses. However, when he does perform, it becomes apparent that his talents are gone or were never there in the first place. He is booed and humiliated by the other prisoners. In his moment of desperation, he realizes that he managed to make a group of Jewish children laugh.
Doork is placed in solitary confinement for fraternizing with the Jews, but the Nazis soon realize he could be of service. They force Doork to use his humor to wrangle the Jewish children onto a waiting train. They follow him on, and he is stuck traveling with them to their final destination: the Auschwitz concentration camp. He then realizes he cannot abandon the children and keeps them happy and distracted as they enter the gas chamber together.
It is a film that few dramatic actors would take on. Yet Lewis saw an opportunity to fuse something he loved with something he desperately wanted. Unfortunately, the film was not released because Lewis was unhappy with the final product and had major conflicts with the producers and studios about compensation and delivery. The film was destroyed except for a single copy given to the Library of Congress and has essentially beenimpossible to findfor audiences. It is often on people’s lists of lost movies. It was theirs to keep until 2024, when they were legally allowed to share it with the public.
The Hidden Legacy of The Day the Clown Cried
The Day the Clown Criedwill be screened for a select audience, but that doesn’t mean it will ever see a wide release. Only snippets have ever been shown, and the stills that exist are often of low quality. However, the idea behind the film has been used in various forms since that time.
Consider two films:Life is Beautiful(1997) andJakob the Liar(1999). These two films, both set in World War II, involve Jewish men attempting to create joy in the lives of those around them, whose endings are bleak. WhereasLife is Beautifulseems to work based upon the fact that it is a father endlessly playing a game to keep his son safe within a concentration camp,Jakob the Liarinvolves taking real-life events and changing them into a historical fiction that, at times, feels cruel to those involved. The film stars Robin Williams, whose character makes people in the Warsaw Ghetto believe they will be saved by Russian troops, even though this will never happen. It is a film that centers more on the emotions of one man over the actual needs of the whole.
Both of these movies are modernized versions ofThe Day the Clown Cried. Whether they handled their subject matter better will be left to those who are allowed to view what will hopefully become one ofJerry Lewis' best filmswhen it is finally screened. A film with a legacy that it may or may not be able to live up to.
