Ben Casey (1964) - Written & Directed By Jerry Lewis

I didn't remove the original caption from the other video.

I thought it was great acting work by Jerry. Shows his potential as a dramatic actor that we would see more of later. I think he had definitely matured in his acting from The Jazz Singer. A few years ago my dad watched this episode with me, and said "You know... he's a good actor."
The part where he is crying in the stairwell, affected me and made me cry with him to be honest. “I worked so hard to be good…. And I was good. And I had everything it takes. But I didn’t. I didn’t have it after all. Something was missing. And after all those years of medical school…. Oh sure, oh yeah they taught me how to go into the brain and fix it. They taught me how to be good with my hands. But they didn’t tell me I would have to face people, talk to them, be near them, comfort them, and watch them. They didn’t teach me how to do that. They didn’t teach me how not to die, when telling someone they would…. They didn’t teach me that.”

I thought the scene afterward where he is planning on leaving and Ben Casey convinces him to come back is pretty good. JL's character talks about being stripped bare because he doesn't have his humor to hide behind when talking to the patients, and also he spots Ben Casey's weaknesses. I like when Casey tells JL's character Dennis Green that he doesn't understand him, and Dennis says sarcastically, "Oh it's easy.... I'm a clown..." Altogether I think the last 15 min of the show are pretty good in story, and acting by Jerry. I wouldn't be surprised if he added some dialogue, because some of the writing for his character, sounds like dialogue he would write. Very easy to see why he directed this particular story.

Yes not very many men cried on screen back then, but he did a few times. Always showing vulnerability, which is one of the things I love about him as an actor and person.

Years ago Scott Lewis had not seen this show before until I got him a copy of it. Some of you may know Vince Edwards had a bit part in Sailor Beware also. During the filming of this show, Edwards gave Lewis some back talk and Lewis banned him from the set. Sort of like what Tashlin did to Lewis once.

They had been in the early 50's. Not sure what happened. I believe some woman that Jerry was involved with, said that Vince Edwards was their boyfriend at one time, and abusive towards them. Jerry was very much the opposite.

Jerry mastered pathos brilliantly in various pantomime routines. Other than that, I don't care for Lewis' dramatic acting.

And "The King Of Comedy" doesn't count, in my opinion -- it's a dark comedy.