| The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon | |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 45 |
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| Executive producer | R. A. Clark (2012–2014) |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
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| Release | September 4, 1966 – August 31, 2014 |
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The MDA Labor Day Telethon[1] was an annual telethon held on (starting the night before and throughout) Labor Day in the United States to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). The Muscular Dystrophy Association was founded in 1950 with hopes of gaining the American public's interest.[2] The show was hosted by comedian, actor, singer and filmmaker Jerry Lewis from its 1966 inception until 2010.[3] The history of MDA's telethon dates back to the 1950s, when the Jerry Lewis Thanksgiving Party for MDA raised funds for the organization's New York City area operations. The telethon was held annually on Labor Day weekend beginning in 1966,[4] and raised $2.45 billion for MDA from its inception through 2009.[5][6][7]
The telethon broadcast up to 211⁄2 hours,[1] starting on the Sunday evening preceding Labor Day and continuing until late Monday afternoon on the holiday itself.[8] MDA called its network of participating stations the "Love Network". The show originated from Las Vegas for 28 of the years it was broadcast.[9] Beginning in 2011 (and coinciding with Lewis' departure[10]) MDA radically reformatted and shortened the telethon's format into that of a benefit concert, shortening the length of the special each successive year.[3][11] The 2011 edition was seen on the Sunday evening before Labor Day for six hours.[9][12] This edition was syndicated to approximately 160 television stations throughout the United States on September 4, 2011.[13]
Nigel Lythgoe, Jann Carl, Alison Sweeney and Nancy O'Dell were brought on as co-hosts[14] and shared hosting duties for the 2011 edition.[15] Successive telethons from 2012 to 2014 ran under the new title MDA Show of Strength and further reduced the show's airtime. The 2012 edition aired on Sunday, September 2, 2012; the job of renaming the new show was given to MDA's advertising agency E.B. Lane (now LaneTerralever).[16] Executive creative director Mark Itkowitz came up with the name MDA Show of Strength, and it quickly gained internal approval.[citation needed] The 2012 edition was reduced to three hours as a primetime-only broadcast.[17] The telethon aired at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific Time, and was seen live in the Eastern and Central time zones.[18] The 2012 edition did not refer to itself as a "telethon."
The 2013 Show of Strength discontinued the long-standing format of being syndicated to individual stations of varying network affiliation and aired on major national network, ABC on Sunday, September 1, 2013, and running two hours. The final edition aired on ABC on August 31, 2014, again as a two-hour special, beginning at 9PM ET/PT.[19] It was announced on May 1, 2015, that the MDA would discontinue the annual event.[20] The MDA revisited the national telethon concept on October 24, 2020, with a new social media-based telethon, The MDA Kevin Hart Kids Telethon.[21]
- ^ a b "Jerry Lewis's Telethon Raises Record $9-Million". The New York Times. September 5, 1972.
- ^ "History of MDA". 2015-12-29.
- ^ a b "MDA: "Jerry Lewis Completes Run as MDA National Chairman", August 3, 2011". Archived from the original on August 4, 2011.
- ^ "MDA's 'Love Network' has a rich, vital history," from Quest, 7/1/2005
- ^ "Jerry Lewis is still going the distance"[dead link], from Los Angeles Times, 9/3/2010
- ^ $1.1 billion thru 1991
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
JerryLewishTelethonPity.NYY1992was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Why Did Jerry Lewis Leave the Telethon?; Zoglin, Richard; Time; Aug. 16, 2012
- ^ a b Adam W. Kepler (April 8, 2012). "Leaving Las Vegas: The Telethon". The New York Times.
- ^ Brian Stelter (August 4, 2011). "Jerry Lewis Dropped From Labor Day Telethon". The New York Times.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
MDA051611was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "MDA Labor Day Telethon Moves to Shorter Format - Quest Magazine Online". quest.mda.org. 2016-01-23.
- ^ "MDA Labor Day Telethon 2011: Short, Snappy, Sensational! - Quest Magazine Online". quest.mda.org. 2016-01-23.
- ^ "MDA press release: "Top Country Music Acts Tape Grand Ole Opry Performances for MDA Labor Day Telethon", June 10, 2011". Archived from the original on June 26, 2011.
- ^ "Zap2it: "Jerry Lewis out as MDA National Chairman", August 4, 2011". Archived from the original on 2011-08-30. Retrieved 2011-08-05.
- ^ EBLane was their agency, Creative Director Mark Itkowitz worked on the account: "audioEngine Creates Original Score, Mix For Powerful Muscular Dystrophy Association Public Service Campaign". E.B. Lane (EBLane.com).
- ^ MDA Press Release: "MDA Names R.A. Clark as Executive Producer of 2012 Show", February 10, 2012. Archived February 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Per MDA Show of Strength website Archived July 6, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "MDA press release: "Star Lineup Set for MDA Show of Strength Telethon this Labor Day Weekend", August 20, 2014". Archived from the original on August 25, 2014.
- ^ "MDA ends Jerry Lewis Labor Day telethon". USA Today.
- ^ MDA Press Release: "Muscular Dystrophy Association Announces Relaunch of Iconic Telethon Hosted by Actor & Comedian Kevin Hart"
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