Jerry Lewis And The Age 36 Club

The Nutty Professor Was Jerry Lewis's Greatest Work

Hi there!! It's been a while since I last posted a blog and now this blog is in an updated layout, but it is still the same blog with the same message I have been discussing since 2009. The TRUTH AND THE EVIDENCE of "Life Cycles Theory". My theory is THE ONLY STATISTICALLY VALIDATED AND SCIENTIFICALLY-ORIENTED THEORY OF LIFE EVER PRESENTED! Life in 12-year cycles is based on detailed biographical analysis and nothing else. No astrology or numerology or religious ideas for that matter. It's simple to understand, but downright spooky when you consider the hidden implications. Are we truly responsible for all that happens to us, or is there a rhyme and reason to the timing of events in your life? Does your fate have a calendar, does your destiny have a timeline?

Everything began for me with one simple discovery. Does your 'mid-career identity' (from Daniel Levinson's theory, The Seasons Of A Man's Life), just occur sometime in your mid-to-late 30's as Levinson said? This is supposed to be the most productive phase of many lives and the time when we stand on our own in different ways. Not everybody of course, but it does happen a lot. Well, what I found was, that it's not just any old time - like 34,35,36,37,38 or 39 - no, it's just the single 12 month period in which we are aged 36!

This led me to discover the importance of similar changes in our age 24 and age 48 years. Later on, a second year of change was discovered 7 years after this 12-year marker and this means I look at the years 19,31 and 43 etc. as well. I gave these two important years of change the names - "The Year Of Revolution" and "The Year Of Broken Pathways". Each now has its own detailed description, but it all began with "The Age 36 Club". 

I need to study mostly those with enough celebrity and fame to get multiple sources of verifiable biographic data. These people would never deign to talk to the likes of you and me, but guess what? I don't need to, which makes my evidence so objective. So, for me when there is publicity about a recent death or some other newsworthy event I check out their details. I ask one simple question at first, "are they a member of The Age 36 Club?"

When the much-loved actor and philanthropist, Jerry Lewis, died recently at 91, I wanted to ask this same simple question. He was born March 16, 1926, so what, if anything, happened in his life in the period March, 1962 to March, 1963, when he was aged 36? Now just about every obituary, press report and biographic summary I read, said that his most notable work was the movie The Nutty Professor. He had acted in and directed many others, but this comic remake of Dr Jekyll And Mr Hyde was the most enduring. It wasn't just pure slapstick, it had a deeper message about more reticent people, who tend to get overlooked. 

This is the exact period in which Lewis directed and starred in both roles, as well as co-wrote The Nutty Professor. At this stage his career was waning, as his slapstick style was considered to be "no longer cool" in the 60's. Safe to say his reputation was on the line. It turned into both a critical and box office success and nearly all commentators said it was his best work. Guess what? That makes him a fully paid up member of "The Age 36 Club". 

Just one year in a 91-year lifespan defines his career! Pretty special, huh? A statistical oddity on its own, but let's just check another couple of notable comic actors, shall we? Household names, all of them. They all did their best work or breakthrough role in their age 36 year. Statistical oddities each and every one! Fully paid up members of "The Age 36 Club".

1.  Alan Alda commences MASH
2.  Robin Williams breakthrough movie Good Morning Vietnam
3.  Jerry Seinfeld launches The Seinfeld Show
   
4.  John Cleese launches Fawlty Towers 
5.  Ellen De Generes launches TV show, Ellen           

Of course, I could back this list up many times over with all sorts of actors and others like directors and screenwriters, but this short list will easily make my case. If all these famous comedians had adult careers of at least 30 years (in Lewis's case it was more like 50), what are the odds of being right six times in a row? It's 30 times 30 up to six times. That's 1 in 729 million! Impressed? You should be, because it's a downright phenomenal result.

But it's only one aspect of "Life Cycles Theory". Could I possibly match up significant events in the early career of Jerry Lewis? These are the ages of 19, 24 and 31. We all know that Jerry began as a comedy act with Dean Martin, then they made films together and then they broke up and he went solo. What are the odds of having any of this material match up?? Just astronomical without a doubt. This is the underlying structure to all lives as advocated by "Life Cycles Theory". I can't possibly study subjects who don't have a significant public profile, can I? There's simply not enough verifiable material.

Let's get the results. Firstly Jerry Lewis met and began working with Dean Martin when he was aged 19. Here's an early photo taken of them at the time.

Jerry Lewis at 19 begins working with Dean Martin

So when did Dean and Jerry release their first movie together? That would be 1950 with the movie My Friend Irma Goes West. So how old was Jerry when this happened? He was exactly 24 and it commenced his early career as an actor. Snap again. Right on schedule. Did I know this before I checked it? Not really. I mean, you'd have to be both a trivia nut and a diehard Lewis fan to know this. Here's a poster of the movie.

Jerry Lewis's First Movie at 24

So what happened next? Well, we all know that they had a lot of success together but Martin decided to end the partnership, because he felt he was being stereotyped as the straight man. After this happened, Lewis struggled to find his feet but decided to go solo with his movie career. So when did this commence? Surely not when he was aged 31 after seven years of being one-half of a successful film franchise? Well, yes it did and here's the proof. Lewis released his first solo film in 1957 with the movie The Delicate Delinquent. Here's a poster of it below.

Jerry Lewis's First Solo Film at 31

So here's your evidence based on well-documented biographical facts and here's your proof of the reality of "Life Cycles Theory". Funny that, I've been at this profiling and blog and book writing process for over a decade now and my only problem is getting around to eventually writing up all my myriad cases. Imagine if some other waffly occult idea tried to back up their claims with evidence. I guarantee they'd struggle to get anything that was properly verifiable.

Instead "Life Cycles Theory" only exists because of its evidence. It may not be an exact science like physics, but it is undoubtedly scientifically based and much more so than the main psychological stage theories of life, which have no measurable structures (ie. including Levinson, Erikson and Gould). Finally, I hope you enjoyed this, because all my work is designed to be first and foremost a good entertaining read.

Till my next post, "may the cycles always bring you good fortune".