The annual Jerry Lewis Telethon is upon us and once more, I'm confused as to its length. This year, I seem to be able to pick it up on three different channels on my DirecTV feed. All times given below are Pacific, on account of that's where I am.
KCAL Channel 9 is running it from 6 PM Sunday night until 5 PM on Monday. That's 23 hours.
WGN, which is in Chicago I think, airs the show from 8 PM Sunday night until 1 PM on Monday when they stop for a Cubs-Astros game. They're then scheduled to come back at 4 PM for another hour. That's 18 hours of Jerry and his friends and his kids and his tote board.
WDCW in Washington, DC starts at 6 PM Sunday night and airs it 'til 3:30 PM the following day. That's 21 and a half hours.
The WDCW feed may be the most interesting because according to the official MDA site, the whole telethon is 21 and a half hours. This, of course, raises the question of why KCAL is running 23 hours of it. I believe the answer is that even the 21.5 hour version contains some hours that are repeated, and that KCAL is repeating more of them than most cities in the Love Network.
Co-hosts, taking over while Jerry is napping, will include Norm Crosby, Tom Bergeron, Jann Carl, Nancy O'Dell, Alison Sweeney, Ace Young and Billy Gilman. Tony Orlando is hosting the New York end of things and Ed McMahon, complete with broken neck and financial problems, is back to anchor and announce. The MDA site does not list any of the performers but I have a hunch that they'll include most of the acts currently playing Vegas plus Maureen McGovern. If you hear that Charlie Callas is making an appearance, drop me an e-mail.
Tune in. Donate whatever you can spare. And if you're thinking of stiffing them, just remember: Jerry's packing heat.