Labor Day meant two things when I was growing up in the 70s and 80s: the Jerry Lewis Telethon and the end of summer. And both were huge deals in our house.
When I try to explain to my Gen Z kids about Labor Day weekends of yore, they stare back at me in confusion. They are completely unimpressed that this guy they've never heard of stayed up all night to raise money for muscular dystrophy, brought on a cavalcade of stars, and screamed "timp!" every time the grand total was updated (and if I remember correctly, it was always a huge deal when they crossed the $1 million mark).
My kids simply do not realize the struggle of having only four TV channels to choose from – four channels, I might add, that had rather limited entertainment options during the summer when your favorite shows were on hiatus and you had nothing but time to kill. The Jerry Lewis Telethon marked the return of watchable TV ... and also the dreaded return to school the next day.
The telethon, of course, also brought charitable awareness to Lewis' pet cause of children with muscular dystrophy, a group of genetic diseases that cause gradually worsening muscle weakness and loss of muscle mass in those afflicted. Lewis used to bring on the most adorable children and the donations would flood in.
I dunno, it seemed like a big deal when I was a kid.
For generations, the stars came out on Labor Day Weekend for the Muscular Dystrophy Association's telethon — hosted by Jerry Lewis.
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) September 5, 2026
The legendary comedian took the reins 60 years ago today in black and white — and grew into a nationally-televised phenomenon, raising more than… pic.twitter.com/GAYDsDe1GS
For generations, the stars came out on Labor Day Weekend for the Muscular Dystrophy Association's telethon — hosted by Jerry Lewis.
The legendary comedian took the reins 60 years ago today in black and white — and grew into a nationally-televised phenomenon, raising more than two billion dollars.
Now, I didn't actually get to watch much of the telethon because it started at 9 PM and my mother certainly wasn't going to let me stay up late. We were in training for school hours, after all, so I'd just have to make do with watching the daytime bits.
It turns out the good stuff happened at night.
My two older sisters had a black-and-white TV set in their room and were able to watch the telethon to their heart's content. Oh, the unfairness of it all.
I'll never forget the year – it must've been the late 70s – that the Bee Gees made an appearance with Andy Gibb (!!) during the wee hours of the morning. My sister, Patty, who, like me, had been sent to bed early the night before, broke down in tears when she heard she had missed it. She loved Andy Gibb more than any other girl in the world, and our big sisters were gloating that they'd seen it and she hadn't.
We apparently missed some good stuff.
One of the wildest moments of the Jerry Lewis Telethon.
— Danny Deraney (@DannyDeraney) September 3, 2026
The time when John Lennon and Jerry Lewis jammed on Give Peace a Chance. pic.twitter.com/fntW7Ld8TB
In 1976, television history was made when Dean Martin surprised Jerry Lewis during the MDA Labor Day Telethon after having not seen each other since their untimely breakup twenty years earlier.
— Todd Spence (@Todd_Spence) September 7, 2026
The plan was schemed by Frank Sinatra, first convincing Martin who always hated they… pic.twitter.com/332nTs6h6R
In 1976, television history was made when Dean Martin surprised Jerry Lewis during the MDA Labor Day Telethon after having not seen each other since their untimely breakup twenty years earlier.
The plan was schemed by Frank Sinatra, first convincing Martin who always hated they never made amends, and was kept hidden in Ed McMahon's dressing room out of sight from Lewis during the show.
I especially love you can hear Lewis say to Sinatra under his breath "You son of a b*tch".
Once for the final "timp" was played and the final total was shown, the fun was all over. At my house, that meant you marched to your room and laid out your uniform for school the next day.
The Jerry Lewis Telethon was one of those fun traditions that makes no sense to kids these days. But for those of us who got to experience it, Jerry Lewis was as much a part of Labor Day rituals as cookouts and one last swim at the pool.
It may have been a somewhat schmaltzy ending to the summer, but Lewis raised gobs of money for medical research and gave us Gen-X kids a chance to see some of our favorite celebrities without having buy Tiger Beat or Teen Beat.
If today's kids don't appreciate it, they can get off my lawn.
