Showbiz411

I was a little surprised this morning to see a “scoop” elsewhere about Jerry Lewis’s comeback movie, “Max Rose.” I reported that movie’s existence for the first time four years ago! But it’s happening, and I should have told you on Friday when I knew about it. One hold up was that the legendary Ben Gazzara was supposed to be in the film. But Gazzara, so beloved, passed away last year. Now he’s been replaced in the role by Mort Sahl, the acerbic comic who rose to fame in the 50s and 60s. Sahl, sort of a softer Lenny Bruce, is 85 years young! God bless him. He hasn’t acted in a movie since 1984. That’s right. 1984. So he’s had a good rest. Here’s a little trivia: he emceed the very first Grammy Awards show, from the Beverly Hills Hotel. “Max Rose” also features the great actress Claire Bloom. Director Peter Bogdanovich was supposed to be in it, too, but he dropped out. I do hope there’s a lot of medical aide on the set, and plenty of downtime for naps. First time director Daniel Noah should make sure there are a lot of comfy chairs, too.

From May 14, 2009:

http://www.showbiz411.com/2009/05/14/20090514jerry-lewis-to-announce-comeback-up-soars-at-cannes

Roger Friedman

Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News. Friedman previously wrote the Intelligencer column at New York Magazine, He writes for Parade magazine and has written for Details, Vogue, the New York Times, Post, and Daily News and many other publications. He is the writer and co-producer of a film about R&B Music called “Only the Strong Survive,” which was released by Miramax in 2003 and was a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals.