> -Thomas
While this is too cliche a slam for someone of your caliber, Thomas, I'll proceed as if you're not yanking chains.
The French happen to be right about Lewis (Godard was a huge fan). Woody Allen as well, who not only stated that Lewis was "the greatest comedian's director around," but asked Lewis to direct his first two films, "Take The Money and Run" and "Bananas." (Lewis declined, telling Allen to direct them himself.)
As a performer with Dean Martin, Lewis was an elastic, highly original pantomimist and physical comic. I own many kinescopes of Martin & Lewis hosting "The Colgate Comedy Hour" which ran on NBC in the early 50s, and there you really get to see Lewis's gifts on full display. It was live TV, and Lewis took full advantage of the fact. No one in those early days stretched the small screen like he did: he's in perfect control of his body and his timing is excellent. (You can see where someone like Jim Carrey got his initial cue.) Later, after his break with Martin, Lewis became a film director and produced some ground-breaking projects like "The Bellboy," "The Ladies Man," "The Nutty Professor," and my fave "The Patsy." Lewis blended surreal concepts and conceptual gags with his personal brand of slapstick. These films were unlike any other comedies of the period, and they remain unique, if terribly dated in certain areas, like Lewis's rather chauvinistic treatment of most of his female co-stars (though Agnes Moorehead and Kathleen Freeman turned in some fine performances). Also, Lewis had a real weakness for pathos, at times embrassingly so. In most cases, it undermined his better material.
Lewis taught film at USC in the early 70s, and his students and hanger-ons included Spielberg, Coppola, George Lucas and Bogdanovich -- the core of New Hollywood. Martin Scorsese was a fan of Lewis's as well, and later cast him in the dark comedy "King of Comedy" with DeNiro.
In short, Jerry Lewis was a major, influential talent with a very mixed history, both personal and professional. I highly recommend Shawn Levy's excellent bio, "King of Comedy: The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis."
Dennis