Friday, July 3, 2026

Jerry Lewis Lost Footage of “Buried” Film “The Day the Clown Cried”

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Jerry Lewis never wanted anyone to see “The Day The Clown Cried.” But now footage has surfaced of Jerry directing this lost “buried” film. It was about a clown sent to Auschwitz who had to entertain the children. Does it sound familiar? Roberto Benigni’s “Life is Beautiful” won that actor-director an Oscar for his work, which was highly praised. The film was shot in 1972 and intended for release the next year. But Lewis pulled it back and vowed no one would ever see it. This footage was uploaded to YouTube by a Flemish website.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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