The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon is hosted by Jerry Lewis to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. It has been held annually since 1966. The telethon had raised $1.46 billion by 2007.^[1] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The 2005 Telethon on Seven Perth. ... For other persons named Jerry Lewis, see Jerry Lewis (disambiguation). ... Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is a U.S. organization founded in 1950 which combats muscular dystrophy and diseases of the nervous system and muscular system in general by funding research, providing medical and community services, and educating health professionals and the general public. ...

It is always held on Labor Day weekend, starting on the Sunday evening preceding Labor Day and continuing until late Monday afternoon, syndicated to approximately 190 television stations throughout the United States. MDA calls its network of participating stations The Love Network. The MDA Telethon has originated from Las Vegas for 23 of the 40 years it has aired. Labour Day (or Labor Day) is an annual holiday that resulted from efforts of the labour union movement, to celebrate the economic and social achievements of workers. ...

History

Jerry Lewis began hosting telethons to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Associations of America in 1952 after a plea from a staff member who worked on Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis' editions of the Colgate Comedy Hour. The modern-day telethon first originated from the Americana Hotel in New York City in 1954, as a local telethon seen exclusively on WNEW-TV. After Lewis conducted many 4 hour shows in the NY area to benefit the organization, the idea of a big Telethon came about. The organization (MDAA) approached Lewis to host the big event and he agreed. Permissions had to be gotten so the organizers of the telethon chose Labor Day weekend as it was the only time available to hold a telethon. However, many people thought that the event would fail, as many people are out of town on Labor Day weekend. Even New York City officials were skeptical that it would succeed, as they were reluctant to issue them a fund-raising permit. Nevertheless, the first telethon, which was 19 hours in length, was so successful, that Lewis had to paint a "1" on the 6-digit tote board when the final tote reached $1,002,114. The show repeated its success in 1967 raising $1,126,846. Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti, June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an Italian American singer, film actor, and comedian. ... The Colgate Comedy Hour was an American musical variety television show that ran on the NBC network from November 1950 to December 1955. ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... WNYW, channel 5, is the flagship television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in New York City. ... A tote board is a large, numeric or alphanumeric display used to convey information, typically at a race track (to display the odds or payoffs for each horse) or at a telethon (to display the total amount donated to the charitable organization sponsoring the event). ...

Jerry Lewis traditionally anchored the entire 22-hour broadcast, but for the past decade^{[citation needed]} he only appears for the first five hours and the last five hours of the telecast, allowing others to co-host. Ed McMahon, Lewis' long-time co-host, also follows this trend, having appeared through the entire broadcast in the early going. In recent years, the telethon often takes a two-hour break in the late-night hours for a special, pre-recorded segment (usually a concert), and in the morning hours following, another host and co-host takes over for Jerry (in recent years, talk show host Larry King and comedian Norm Crosby took the honors, with veteran emcee Tom Bergeron in this position in 2007). Edward Ed Peter Leo McMahon, Jr. ... Larry King (born Lawrence Harvey Zeiger on November 19, 1933) is an award-winning American writer, journalist and broadcaster. ... Norm Crosby (born September 15, 1927) is a comedian sometimes associated with the Borscht Belt, but often seen on television in the 1970s. ... Tom Bergeron (born May 6, 1955 in Haverhill, Massachusetts) is an American television personality and a popular one-time game show host, best known to the public as the host of Americas Funniest Home Videos, which he has hosted since 2001, as well as the TV game show Hollywood...

In 1968, after word of mouth of the success and stars appearing on the show, the Love Network was created when four other stations picked up the telethon -- WHEC-TV in Rochester, WGR in Buffalo, WTEV in Providence and WKBG in Boston. However, they met some opposition from the Theater Authority, an organization that represented theatrical-related labor unions, in which their permission is required before the representing talent can perform without charge. In 1968, they gave permission for their talent to appear on the small telethon "network". The addition of the other stations helped raise the total to $1,401,876. WHEC-TV (News 10NBC) is a television station in Rochester, New York. ... Nickname: Motto: Rochester: Made for Living Location of Rochester in New York State Country State County Monroe Government [1]  - Mayor Robert Duffy (D) Area  - City  37. ... WGRZ-TV is the callsign of a television station in Buffalo, New York. ... Nickname: Location of Buffalo in New York State County Government  - Mayor Byron Brown (D) Area  - City 52. ... WLNE-TV (ABC 6) is the Rhode Island ABC affiliate. ... “Providence” redirects here. ... WLVI-TV, channel 56, is a CW Television Network affiliate licensed to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and serving the Boston, Massachusetts television market. ... “Boston” redirects here. ...

While they originally intended for the entire telethon to be seen, with the obligatory local pauses for station identification, WHEC chose to break in a few minutes every hour to show local volunteers in Rochester taking calls, and, as a result, WHEC had higher proceeds than the other Love Network stations. This is how the local cutaway was born. From here on, every Telethon had cutaways and other Telethon events used this formula as well.

By 1970, the telethon was seen nationwide on 64 stations; that year's edition was also the first coast-to-coast telethon, when it added Los Angeles to its station roster. It was also the year the Theater Authority lifted its ban on nationwide telethons. Proceeds this year came to $5,093,385. The show continued to gain popularity and huge stars throughout the next 2 years.

Then, in 1973, with 150 Love Network stations in tow, the telethon moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where it originated at the Sahara Hotel. It was also the year the telethon broke the $10 million mark, with its final tote being $12,395,973. However, the tote board, which was operated on a solari board, only had seven digits, so Jerry repeated his 1966 stunt of painting the "1" on the left. The following year, an additional solari number flipper was added to the existing seven numbers. Vegas redirects here. ... The Sahara Hotel and Casino is a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. ... // Andrea Solari (c. ...

In 1976, the Love Network grew to 213 stations; it was also the year of the reunion of Jerry and his former partner, Dean Martin, which was arranged by a frequent telethon guest, Frank Sinatra. Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti, June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an Italian American singer, film actor, and comedian. ... “Sinatra” redirects here. ...

During the telethon's Las Vegas years in the 1970s and 1980s, the show originated at the Sahara until 1982 when it moved to a bigger space at Caesar's Palace. The show continued there until 1989 when it originated from the Cashman Center in Las Vegas - the first and only time it was transmitted from a non-hotel. The main entrance. ...

In 1990, the telethon originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, then returned to Las Vegas until 1995 when it moved again to Southern California, to the CBS studios for 9 years and then in 2005 to Beverly Hills. CBS Television City is a television studio located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles West Side at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at the corner of Beverly and Fairfax Avenue. ... Los Angeles and L.A. redirect here. ... “Beverly Hills” redirects here. ...

In 1998, MDA's successful all star landmark show became the first to be broadcast on the Internet by RealNetworks on the association's website. After the telethon, the site features a special highlights reel of the telethon for that year. This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The telethon returned to Las Vegas in 2006 at the South Coast, which was renamed the South Point. It has remained there since then. The South Point Hotel and Casino consists of a 25 story hotel tower and 80,000 ft² convention center located on a 60 acre site along Las Vegas Boulevard in Enterprise, Nevada. ... The South Point Hotel and Casino consists of a 25 story hotel tower and 80,000 ft² convention center located on a 60 acre site along Las Vegas Boulevard in Enterprise, Nevada. ...

Station coverage and pre-emptions

In recent years, more Love Network stations over the years have opted not to show the entire telethon, opting to join the show in progress after the 11PM/10PM local news, or even on Labor Day morning, after the network morning shows, while some break from the coverage during the afternoon to show sports, such as CBS' coverage of the U.S. Open. CBS Broadcasting, Inc. ... For other uses, see U.S. Open. ...

One of these stations is Chicago's WGN-TV, which, since the 1970s, pre-empted the afternoon segment of the telethon for Chicago Cubs or Chicago White Sox baseball. In another case, some use a sister station affiliated with either The CW, MyNetworkTV or an independent to show the telethon start, and/or air the station's network programming while the telethon station continues to air the telethon; this is the case with CBS affiliate WDJT in Milwaukee and its independent sister station WMLW-CA, which in 2007 aired the first four hours of the telethon during CBS prime time, then aired U.S. Open coverage on Labor Day to allow WDJT to carry the telethon. In Pittsburgh, WPXI carried the telethon, while sending NBC's coverage of the Deutsche Bank Championship golf tournament to independent station WBGN-LP^[2]. Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Major league affiliations National League (1876–present) Central Division (1994–present) Current uniform Retired Numbers 10, 14, 23, 26, 42 Name Chicago Cubs (1902–present) Chicago Orphans (1898-1901) Chicago Colts (1890-1897) Chicago White Stockings (1870-1871, 1874-1889) (a. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... “The CW” redirects here. ... MyNetworkTV (sometimes written My Network TV, and unofficially abbreviated MyNet, MyTV, MNT, or MNTV) is a television network in the United States, owned by News Corporation. ... WDJT-TV (Channel 58) is a television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ... Nickname: Location of Milwaukee in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Coordinates: , County Milwaukee Government  - Mayor Tom Barrett (D) Area  - City  97 sq mi (251. ... WMLW-CA (Channel 41) is a LPTV independent television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ... City nickname: The Steel City Location in the state of Pennsylvania Founded 1758 Mayor Tom Murphy (Dem) Area  - Total  - Water 151. ... WPXI Channel 11 is the NBC television affiliate based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ... The Deutsche Bank Championship is a PGA Tour golf tournament that occurs every year on Labor Day weekend. ... WBGN-LP is an low-powered independent station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and owns satellite low-powered stations in surrounding areas. ...

Theme songs

• Since the show's inception, its theme has been Smile, a song from Charlie Chaplin's 1936 film, Modern Times.

• The telethon's toteboard theme song is Burt Bacharach's What The World Needs Now Is Love, played by the orchestra. It was used from 1970 through 1989 in different versions. At the show's 25th Anniversary in 1990, it wasn't used, but returned for the 1991 edition back in Las Vegas. In 1992, to give the show a fresh effect, the song was replaced by various orchestral fanfares, but it returned in 1996 at Lewis' request; it remained the tote theme since then.

• The song Jerry Lewis sings at the end of the telethon, You'll Never Walk Alone, was originally from the musical, Carousel. According to Jerry at the end of the 2007 telethon, the song was suggested to Jerry in 1964 by a disabled child, walking with a cane. The song was suggested to Jerry as a song that would specifically represent disabled children.

For other uses, see Smile (disambiguation)#Songs. ... “Charles Chaplin” redirects here. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Modern Times is a 1936 film by Charlie Chaplin that has his famous Little Tramp character struggling to survive in the modern, industrialized world. ... This biographical article needs additional references for verification. ... What the world needs now is love, sweet love is the title of a 1965 popular song with lyrics by Hal David, and music composed by Burt Bacharach . ... Youll Never Walk Alone is a song written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II for their 1945 musical, Carousel. ... Carousel is a 1945 stage musical by Richard Rodgers (music) and Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics) that was adapted from Ferenc Molnars play Liliom. ...

Canada

Through the 1980s, there were also Canadian Love Network affiliates, whose telethon presentations there benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Canada, an organization unrelated to the American MDA, but used Jerry's US telethon for fund raising. The telethon also helped launch a new station -- in Winnipeg, Manitoba, CKND-TV's first program on August 31, 1975 was Jerry's telethon.^[3] Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC) (French: Dystrophie musculaire Canada) is a Canadian organization, formed in 1954, that supports people with Muscular Dystrophy. ... Motto: Template:Unhide = Unum Cum Virtute Multorum (One With the Strength of Many) Location City Information Established: 1738 (Fort Rouge), 1873 (City of Winnipeg) Area: 465. ... CKND-TV is a television station which broadcasts out of Winnipeg, Manitoba. ... is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Today, no Canadian station airs the telethon, though it is available on cable and satellite from WGN, as well as from border US stations. As of 2007, Muscular Dystrophy Canada continued to operate pledge call centers during the telethon to collect Canadian donations.^[4] The corporate donation segments still occasionally mention their Canadian donors, and WGN's telethon includes a number for Canadians to call to make a pledge, 1-800-567-CURE, which connects to the pledge center in Toronto.^[5] Most border stations would also show either the local pledge number for the Canadian portion of their viewing area, or the national Canadian number. Template:Hide = Motto: Template:Unhide = Diversity Our Strength Image:Toronto, Ontario Location. ...

The final Canadian-based local broadcasts of the telethon aired from Ottawa in 2001. After this, MDC officials canceled the local broadcasts claiming cost savings. The Ottawa broadcasts were first hosted by CFRA radio's Ken Grant, who expressed concern that there would be fewer donations due to the loss of local broadcast features. Ottawa's telethon broadcasts were conducted for 31 years, most of which originated from the Skyline Hotel (later known as the Citadel Inn).^[6] This article is about the capital city of Canada. ... CFRA, broadcasting at 580 kHz on the AM band, is a major talk radio station in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. ...

Hurricanes Frances and Katrina

Telethon tote board pledges for 2004 were down nearly 2%, to $59,398,915 (from $60,505,234 in 2003). Hurricane Frances had struck through most of the Florida peninsula late on September 5th, during the telethon, significantly reducing pledges from the southeast United States. B C D E F G H I 10 J K L M N O Categories: | | | | | ... Official language(s) English Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Largest metro area Miami metropolitan area Area  Ranked 22nd  - Total 65,795[1] sq mi (170,304[1] km²)  - Width 361 miles (582 km)  - Length 447 miles (721 km)  - % water 17. ...

Telethon pledges were down another 7.5%, to $54,921,586 in 2005 due to significant Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts in New Orleans and throughout the region. That year, Jerry and his guests urged telethon viewers to also give donations to The Salvation Army and the American Red Cross. The MDA itself donated $1 million to The Salvation Army for hurricane relief efforts. This article is about the Atlantic hurricane of 2005. ... New Orleans is the largest city in the state of Louisiana, United States of America. ... Shield of The Salvation Army The Salvation Army is a non-military evangelical Christian organisation. ... A WWII-era poster encouraged American women to volunteer for the Red Cross as part of the war effort. ...

Prior to the hurricane-effected results of 2004 and 2005, the only other time the telethon raised less than the previous year was in 1982 ($28,400,000), during the recession of the early 1980s.^{[citation needed]} One source said, however, that it was due to Jerry sitting out most of the telethon, due to his heart attack earlier. ^[7] The recession of the early 1980s was caused by the combination of 1) tight monetary policy, 2) the Reagan tax cut, 3) increased government spending [citation needed]. The causing aggregate demand to increase, while at the same time constraining the money supply resulted in very high interest rates, which caused...

In 2006, the final tote board tally was $61,013,855 as 5 major regional stations knocked out during previous telecast came back online. It was the first time since 2003 that the telethon raised more money than the previous year.

In 2007, the telethon again raised more than any previous year, closing the show with tote board pledges totaling $63,759,478.

Ten year "tote board" results

Trivia

• Game show announcer Johnny Olson was the telethon's announcer for the first five years, 1966 to 1970.

• Elgin Watches was the sponsor of the telethon's toteboard in the late-1960s and early-1970s, at least during the telethon's New York years. [1] From the mid-1970s to the early-1980s, Helbros was the toteboard sponsor.

• The telethon's toteboards varied from year to year; in the 1970s it was operated on a Solari-board, consisting of seven (later eight) number flippers using a white background and black numbers. Instead of using blank numbers, all flippers began with "00000000". This tote board was discontinued after 1989 and replaced with a new tote board, first operated with the "eggcrate" display common on game shows, then later to an LCD-type "vane" display. By 2003, the tote board was changed to a screen display often used on Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!.

• Jerry Lewis was also the host of the first edition of the French Téléthon in 1987, which benefits the muscular dystrophy charity in France, L'Association française contre les myopathies. Jerry also co-hosted the 1991 edition. The French MD telethon is generally televised on France 2 on the first weekend in December, with the 2006 edition taking in €101,472,581 (US$136,389,286) in pledges.

• Today, of the charter affiliates of the Love Network, WHEC-TV and the present-day WGRZ and WLNE still carry the telethon.
  • What is now WLVI-TV (the former WKBG) has since dropped the event, which has since moved to WCVB-TV.
  • Today's WNYW (the former WNEW) dropped the telethon after 1986, which moved to WWOR-TV in 1987. Ironically, both WNYW and WWOR are now under the common ownership of the Fox Television Stations Group.

John Leonard Johnny Olson (May 22, 1910 – October 12, 1985) was an American radio personality and television announcer, most notable for announcing 32 game shows from Mark Goodson-Bill Todman productions, from the late 1950s through the mid 1980s. ... The Elgin Watch Company (National Watch Company) was founded in 1864. ... Jules Jurgensen is one of the oldest watch-making companies in the world. ... Year 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar). ... WHEC-TV (News 10NBC) is a television station in Rochester, New York. ... WGRZ-TV is the callsign of a television station in Buffalo, New York. ... WLNE-TV (ABC 6) is the Rhode Island ABC affiliate. ... WLVI-TV, channel 56, is a CW Television Network affiliate licensed to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and serving the Boston, Massachusetts television market. ... WCVB-TV is the ABC affiliate in Boston, Massachusetts. ... WNYW, channel 5, is the flagship television station of the News Corporation-owned Fox Broadcasting Company, located in New York City. ... WWOR-TV, channel 9, is a MyNetworkTV-affiliated television station licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey, and serving the New York City metropolitan area. ... The Fox Television Stations (FTS) are a group of television stations located throughout the United States which are owned-and-operated by the Fox Broadcasting Company. ...

References

1. ^ "Jerry Lewis' telethon hits new record ", http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070904/ap_en_tv/jerry_lewis_telethon;_ylt=Ao1XfRQ68IxzK3im.jxfSUZxFb8C, AP, September 3, 2007, accessed September 4, 2007
2. ^ Owen, Rob (August 31, 2007). WPXI gears up for telethon; WTAE debuts new set. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved on 2007-09-04.
3. ^ Dulmage, Bill (January 2007). Television Station History:CKND. Canadian Communications Foundation. Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
4. ^ 42nd Annual Jerry Lewis Labour Day Telethon for Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC). Muscular Dystrophy Canada (13 August 2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
5. ^ 42nd Annual Jerry Lewis Labour Day Telethon for Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC). Muscular Dystrophy Canada (13 August 2007). Retrieved on 2007-09-02.
6. ^ "Ottawa dropped from Lewis telethon: End of 31-year Labor Day tradition marks change in format, 'better use of funds'", Ottawa Citizen, 23 August 2002, p. F1. 
7. ^ "The Encyclopedia of Bad Taste", by Jane and Michael Stern (New York, Harpercollins, 1990)

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the PG, is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 247th day of the year (248th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC) (French: Dystrophie musculaire Canada) is a Canadian organization, formed in 1954, that supports people with Muscular Dystrophy. ... is the 225th day of the year (226th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC) (French: Dystrophie musculaire Canada) is a Canadian organization, formed in 1954, that supports people with Muscular Dystrophy. ... is the 225th day of the year (226th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 235th day of the year (236th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ...

External links

• Telethon website at MDA.org
• Muscular Dystrophy Association's website
• The Telethon Years (unofficial site)