• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to site footer
do you remember

DoYouRemember?

The Home of Nostalgia

  • Celebrity News
    • Family
    • Obituaries
    • Life Behind the Fame
    • Icons
    • Celebrity Feuds
  • Entertainment
    • Cast
    • Showbiz Rewind
    • Music
    • Beauty & fashion
  • Stories
  • Celebrity Buzz!?
  • Sitcoms
    • Bewitched
    • Little Rascals
    • The Partridge Family
    • I Dream of Jeannie
    • All in the Family
    • MASH
    • Happy Days
    • Cheers
  • Celebrity Collections
  • About Us
  • Media
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • DMCA
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Stories

Woody Allen Wishes He Worked With Comedian Jerry Lewis

by Lauren Novak • Published July 1, 2022

Add as a preferred source on Google
Woody Allen regrets not working with Jerry Lewis
Everett Collection

During a recent interview, Woody Allen was asked which star he would have liked to work with but never got the chance. His answer? Jerry Lewis. The 86-year-old opened up about regretting not being able to work with the actor who died in 2017.

Woody said, “I would’ve liked to have directed Jerry Lewis, because Jerry Lewis was an immense talent who always squandered it on silliness, and I think if you could control him and focus him in the right comedy, he could deliver for you in a really, really spectacular way.”

Related:

  1. Michael J. Fox Says He Lived A ‘Dangerous Way’ During His Cobra Blood-Drinking Days
  2. Stars Who Had To Fall Before They Could Rise.

Woody Allen wishes he could have worked with the late Jerry Lewis

THE JERRY LEWIS SHOW, Jerry Lewis, on set, 1967-1969
THE JERRY LEWIS SHOW, Jerry Lewis, on set, 1967-1969. ph: Martin Mills/ TV Guide / courtesy Everett Collection

He added, “But all this stuff was silly and he had control of the pictures and they were foolish pictures for the most part, but there’s always moments of greatness. The picture will be terrible, you can’t sit through it, but there’ll be a moment of greatness in it.”

RELATED: Don Rickles Roasts Jerry Lewis In Hilarious 10-Minute Comedy Stand-Up From 1971

FADING GIGOLO, Woody Allen, 2013
FADING GIGOLO, Woody Allen, 2013. ph: Jojo Whilden/©Millennium Entertainment/Courtesy Everett Collection

Woody also spoke about how different movies are these days, in the era of streaming services. He revealed that he believes “a lot of the thrill is gone.” Part of this could be the coronavirus pandemic which shut down movie theaters for a very long time. Now, many people prefer to watch movies at home even though the theaters are open again.

Jerry Lewis, ca. late 1950s
Jerry Lewis, ca. late 1950s / Everett Collection

Jerry’s final role was in the 2016 film The Trust, also starring Nicolas Cage and Elijah Wood. Would you have liked to see a Woody Allen and Jerry Lewis collaboration?

RELATED: Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis: A Friendship Tempered By Joys And Trials

More Like This

Grace Slick

87-Year-Old Grace Slick Once Showed Up At Richard Nixon’s White House With A Plan For His Teacup

Where would the Happy Days characters be in the nineties

The Only ‘Happy Days’ Cast Members Still Alive Today

Where Was The

Where Was The Ponderosa Supposed To Be On ‘Bonanza’? The Map In The Opening Credits Had The Answer

Dick York Bewitched

Dick York Collapsed On The ‘Bewitched’ Set Before Darrin Was Recast—Here’s What Happened

About Lauren Novak

Lauren Novak is a journalist who wrote more than 5,000 nostalgia and pop culture stories for DoYouRemember? as a Senior Staff Writer and Editor.

  • View Author
  • Website
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
Previous Post:Kevin Bacon participates in Footloose TikTok ChallengeKevin Bacon And Kyra Sedgwick Do The TikTok ‘Footloose’ Challenge
Previous Post:Howard Johnsons made fried clam strips famousThe Now-Retired Restaurant That Made Fried Clam Strips Famous

Sidebar

Recommended

In 1967 A Producer Called Out Two Words To Carole King—Aretha Franklin Turned Them Into A Classic

73-Year-Old Lauren Tewes Went From Waitress To ‘Love Boat’ Cruise Director, Then Traded Hollywood For A Kitchen

The Mary Tyler Moore Show

The Only ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ Cast Members Still Alive Today


do you remember
  • About Us
  • Media
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • DMCA
  • Contact Us
  • Authors

  • Facebook
  • X
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • Mail

© 2026 · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding