Claim M&L stole their act from comedy act Stump and Stumpy

Ok this is BS but here is why.

Jerry put together all the bits he had seen in vaudeville and burlesque and then included his own stuff and their own improv and that was their act, just like people borrow from Jerry and never give him credit. Even Stump and Stumpy said they were influenced by Milton Berle and Charlie Chaplin and they took bits of that and infused it with their personalities and made it their own. Jerry had all those influences too and made it his own. Even Charlie Chaplin had his influences. Every comedian/comic actor borrows bits from everyone and includes their own genius into it, and it develops further.

Jerry Lewis sat there in this interview, and said that he watched them and other Black comedy acts, and said that he used bits of material from them, and many comedians he watched over the years. It’s wrong to say the whole act was stolen from them, because I certainly didn’t see that what was shown here, was the same as the Martin and Lewis act. Do you know how many people did Jerry Lewis’ act/comedy over the years and mentioned that they stole from him/borrowed bits from him? SO MANY. Richard Pryor in the early years basically had the same act as Jerry, and mannerisms before he decided to go in a different route with his comedy. John Ritter, Steve Martin, Martin Short, Joe Piscopo, Sammy Davis Jr, Carol Burnett, Sammy Petrillo, Jim Carrey, Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy, and Jerry Seinfeld are all comedians/comic actors, who attributed their acts/comic sense to Jerry Lewis’ influence, and some pretty much did material that he did on stage/on film. Jerry Lewis always has credited Stan Laurel, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Danny Kaye, Milton Berle, Burlesque acts, Harpo Marx, Vaudeville acts, many different Black artists/comedy teams such as Stump and Stumpy, and Jerry’s father Danny Lewis, at different points in time. He has never denied that he has been influenced by any of those performers. Jerry said that he and Dean would stop off at Stump and Stumpy’s shows sometimes and catch their act. Now I’ve read what Martin and Lewis’ act consisted of in 1946, and with the exception of them dancing and Jerry doing the seal thing, I don’t see any similarities to the Stump and Stumpy act that could be called plagiarism. Anyone can stand there and tap dance, and not be plagiarists. I didn’t see any conducting of a band, or crashing plates, pantomine, and squirting seltzer bottles at each other from Stump and Stumpy. That’s what Martin and Lewis basically did in 1946-48. They did sketches sure, and maybe even some of Jerry Lewis’ characters resembled those in the Stump and Stumpy’s act, but guess what, Jerry’s character’s also resembled Stan Laurel, Harpo Marx, and Charlie Chaplin’s as well during that time. Dean’s character did not resemble either Stump or Stumpy’s characters. Also Martin and Lewis’ act was based on Sex and Slapstick and that was the premise of their whole act. Obviously that was not Stump and Stumpy’s act at any time. The person who posted this video of course wants to bring race into this, and probably call him a racist. Well Sammy Davis Jr and Jerry Lewis were best friends, and Sammy would imitate Jerry Lewis a lot in his own act. Richard Pryor was obsessed with Jerry Lewis in his early years and was quoted on the Merv Griffin Show in 1966, as “The god of comedy.” Now that is just his opinion, but many Black artists/performers and public, loved Jerry Lewis at the time. Maybe it was a little because they recognized subconsciously that his material was at times in the same vein as many Black comic artists. Jerry Lewis said in this interview that he loved their sense of timing and rhythm, etc and studied them very hard. He didn’t deny it! The same way Dean Martin would study singing style from The Mills Brothers, a Black singing group from the 30’s. Anyway Stump and Stumpy said that imitation was the sincerest form of flattery, so clearly they weren’t upset about any borrowing that Jerry Lewis may have done. Comedians borrow from comedians in the same way actors and dancers borrow styles and movement from each other. If any act blatantly stole from anyone, Sammy Petrillo and Duke Mitchell stole from Martin and Lewis. Also I just happened to see a sketch that Jerry Lewis made up himself for Martin and Lewis in 1955, and continued to do as a solo, done by Ant and Dec (a british comedy team) on British tv, with no mention of Jerry Lewis as the creator of the material whatsoever mentioned.

Also clearly the concept of tribute acts where performers literally take on the persona/style/whole being of another famous performer would be mind boggling for this poster.

I get it, they are angry that Black comedy acts didn’t get the recognition they deserved. Yes that was very unfair, that they didn’t get worldwide or nationwide recognition that decades later they probably would have received. They should be upset about that. Those were unfortunately the times that Black performers/artists lived in. Only a few during those times, would become household names.

But let us talk about why Martin and Lewis became as successful as they did. It wasn’t exactly their material. As Jerry said, any two guys in comedy could have done the same material as they did, and some material/jokes had been done by other acts. The thing that clicked with audiences and made them go wild for them was Dean and Jerry’s affection and love for each other that made such great chemistry to watch, and become excited watching. ALSO SEX APPEAL. The premise of their act was SEX AND SLAPSTICK. Teenage girls and adult women were a lot of their fan base and still are (and the guys that were attracted to them too I’m sure), and went wild over them. They were extremely sexy/sexual and good looking and that added to the appeal of their act. Also the double entendres, and blue humor that was sprinkled into their act, added to the excitement as well.