I was negligent not to note the recent passing of Norman Panama, the comedy writer-producer who racked up so many amazing credits working with Bob Hope, Danny Kaye, and just about everyone else who was funny in movies in the fifties and sixties. Here's a link to an obit that recounts just a tiny bit of what he did, but we have to underscore one credit: He co-wrote the musical — on Broadway and the subsequent film version — of Li'l Abner. We wrote about this here and here.
Interviewing Mr. Panama for those pieces was a sad, frustrating affair. It had to be done over the phone since he was ill and "wasn't seeing anyone" and I was warned that his memory came and went, and that it might take four or five calls before I caught him at a moment when he even recalled doing the show. It took around seven and even then, almost all he could do was to confirm and slightly expand on anecdotes I'd obtained elsewhere.
The one thing he did remember was getting Jerry Lewis to do a short, unbilled cameo in the film. Panama told me what I reported in the article but what he didn't recall just then was that, probably apart from union scale, Jerry was paid a hefty $1.60 for his appearance. There seems to be no way for me to link to the specific page but if you go to The Official Jerry Lewis Comedy Museum and Store and hunt about, you'll find a copy of the check (signed by Panama), the invoice, and a cover letter from Panama's collaborator, Melvin Frank.
Sorry to hear of Mr. Panama's passing, but I have the feeling it was a blessing in its way. He truly had an impressive, superb career.