The late “King of Comedy” Jerry Lewis is perhaps best known for his telethon benefitting children with muscular dystrophy, but he was an avid gun collector as well.
Julien's Auctions is set to start bidding on memorabilia from the slapstick comedian on Friday, with his gun collection being featured front and center. Also up for sale are keepsakes given to the laugh artist by Rat Pack members such as gold watches from Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr., according to the auction house website.
Jerry showed a preference for Beretta pistols, snub-nosed revolvers, and various riot guns. Julien’s lists eight Beretta semi-autos, mostly Model 92s, a Colt Agent, two Smith & Wesson 3913 compacts, and at least 16 Smith & Wesson J-frame snub-nosed .38s. One of these stubby wheelguns was likely a gift from iconic crooner Mel Torme, a Centennial Model 40 inscribed “Jerry Love Mel 8-74.” Lewis was a longtime friend of Mel’s, appearing with him in a duet for his 1974 MDA telethon. When The Velvet Fog passed away in 1999, Jerry said, “There could never be anyone to replace Mel, not only as a singer but as a dear friend.”
Lewis also had a number of shotguns, from run-of-the-mill to over-the-top, including Mossbergs, Remingtons, and Winchesters, in various gauges. These run the gamut from pistol grip Model 500s, Defender riot guns, a Remington 1100LT with high-gloss walnut furniture, up to a $20,000 silver-inlaid John Rigby SXS, the site says
Other classics include a Browning Hi-Power and plenty of Colt SAA’s. The cowboy guns, which include a 12-inch barreled Buntline Special with a holster crafted by the legendary Arvo Ojala, were products of Lewis’ nightclub act that included a quick draw routine. Also up for grabs is the comedian’s Las Vegas Metro-issued concealed carry permit.
Though Lewis was an avid firearms enthusiast, he only handled a gun once onscreen, according to the Internet Movie Firearm Database. In 1963's Who's Minding the Store?, Lewis portrays a bungling salesman trying to sell an elephant gun to a safari hunter of world-renown. The scene ends with him blowing himself across the store, the result of the recoil from a .480 Wesley Richards double rifle.
