TAKE FIVE: JERRY LEWIS

Thursday, Aug. 31, 2006 | 7:27 a.m.

Love him or hate him, on one thing everyone can agree - Jerry Lewis is, well, Jerry Lewis, a one-of-a-kind entertainer and humanitarian who has left an indelible mark on the world.

The 80-year-old comedian is a mass of contradictions.

He is brilliant, but gained fame as a buffoon.

He hands out criticism and praise with equal ease.

He has been known for being both rude and diplomatic.

Lewis - a Las Vegas resident for almost 25 years - isn't afraid to speak his mind, for better or worse, and does so at the drop of a hat.

Given the opportunity, he probably could have been hugely successful at any profession he chose.

But since the age of 5, the son of two vaudeville performers has been obsessed with entertaining. Whether that obsession is driven by a desire to bring a little joy into everyone's life or by an outsized ego - or a combination thereof - who's to say?

He has, in fact, brought a lot of laughter into the world, and along the way has aided countless victims of muscular dystrophy through his annual Labor Day telethons, which have raised about $2 billion.

The $2 billion man has survived movie critics, heart attacks, prostate cancer, diabetes, pulmonary fibrosis and years of back pain caused by his thousands of comedic pratfalls. His most recent ailments were a mild heart attack in June and pneumonia. Yet, he remains true to himself, continuing to raise money for his charitable cause and optimistically looking ahead to more entertainment ventures.

Although Lewis has received the French Legion of Honor (1984) and many other awards, he has never taken home an Oscar.

There are at least five good reasons this oversight by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences should be rectified:

The renaissance filmmaker

His films - including such classics as "The Nutty Professor" (1963), "The Bellboy" (1960), "The Ladies' Man" (1961) and "The Family Jewels" (1965) - have grossed more than $800 million. His best films are those in which he was actor and some combination of producer, director and writer or wore all four hats.

The franchise

Lewis always was boffo at the box office. Films featuring Lewis and Dean Martin were voted by film exhibitors as the top box-office attractions six years in a row in the '50s. When the pair split and Lewis pursued his own film career, he received the top honor for six more years. Several of the early films Lewis made when he went out on his own have been remade, including "Nutty Professor" with Eddie Murphy playing Lewis' parts. Two are in the works: "The Bellboy," with Jackie Chan, and "Cinderfella" (no cast details).

The inventor

Lewis invented - and patented - the "video assist," a video camera linked to a motion-picture lens, for "Cinderfella" in 1960. This allowed directors to immediately view the take rather than waiting for daily rushes. It quickly became standard equipment on most movie sets.

The academic

He taught filmmaking at USC and wrote a book, "The Total Filmmaker," based on almost 500 hours of lectures. Dale Melgaard, former instructor in UNLV's film department, once noted that Lewis is still a legend on the Southern California campus.

The peer

Lewis has earned the respect of such legendary filmmakers as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Woody Allen and Peter Bogdanovich as well as the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, which gave him a lifetime achievement award in 2004.