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Strange Quote of the Day: Jerry Lewis

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“When you got a good negative, it’s forever.”

Context. In 1960, Jerry Lewis went to the great film director Billy Wilder and asked him to direct his original screenplay, The Bellboy. What makes the film different is that the “hero” doesn’t utter a word until literally the last minute. Wilder, wisely (although he was a brilliant comic director himself), said no. He told Lewis that he would only get what he really wanted visually if he directed it, even though Lewis had never directed before.

Lewis went to Paramount, his studio, and showed them the script. They were a tad nervous. A silent film in 1960? No, not silent. “There’s plenty of noise. Just the kid doesn’t speak.” He told them not to worry about. He would fund the film—but would own the negative, which is to say, he’d own the film and the lion’s share of the profits. The studio was thrilled.

So Lewis spent about $965,000 of his own dough. It made $10 million in the U.S. alone, and to date it has made a little less than $300 million worldwide (rereleases, TV, video, DVD rights included).

When you got a good negative…


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