Kind of a comeback for comedian Jerry Lewis. At 80 years old, the one time show biz phenom was very effective as a dirty homeless guy who could barely talk. It was almost as if he was channeling Jackie Gleason's "poor soul" character. Once they cleaned him up and put him on his meds however, Lewis was not nearly as effective or believable. His voice has become a bit of a croak, and his acting was less than convincing.
Casting him as Munch's uncle was a pretty good idea. They do have a bit of a resemblance, though it seemed Munch was far too quick to recognize his uncle in the holding cell. Lewis used to be a fairly tall guy (he was taller than Dean Martin) but Belzer towers over him.
All in all it was a bit of stunt casting that didn't really work, but as a Lewis fan I was glad to see him have the opportunity to do something outside of his telethon duties.
Casting him as Munch's uncle was a pretty good idea. They do have a bit of a resemblance, though it seemed Munch was far too quick to recognize his uncle in the holding cell. Lewis used to be a fairly tall guy (he was taller than Dean Martin) but Belzer towers over him.
All in all it was a bit of stunt casting that didn't really work, but as a Lewis fan I was glad to see him have the opportunity to do something outside of his telethon duties.