| The Day the Clown Cried | |
|---|---|
 The script cover for the film | |
| Directed by | Jerry Lewis |
| Screenplay by | Jerry Lewis |
| Story by |
|
| Produced by | Nat Wachsberger |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Rune Ericson |
| Edited by | Wic Kjellin |
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Countries | Sweden France |
| Language | English |
The Day the Clown Cried is an unfinished and unreleased 1972 Swedish-French drama film directed by and starring Jerry Lewis.[1] It is based on an original screenplay by Joan O'Brien and Charles Denton, from a story idea by O'Brien, with additional material from Lewis.[2] The film was met with controversy regarding its premise and content, which features a circus clown who is imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp.
Lewis repeatedly insisted that The Day the Clown Cried would never be released, but later donated an incomplete copy of the film to the Library of Congress in 2015 under the stipulation that it was not to be made available before June 2024.[3] According to Lewis' son, there is no complete negative of the film, and outstanding copyright issues have prevented its release.
- ^ "The Official Jerry Lewis Comedy Museum and Store". Jerry Lewis Comedy Classics. Archived from the original on August 2, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
- ^ O'Brien, Joan, original story idea; Denton, Charles; Lewis, Jerry, Additional Material. "The Day the Clown Cried - Daily Script". Retrieved August 12, 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Nierman, Noah (August 5, 2015). "Great Read: Silent-movie buffs search the screen for clues to origins of 'Mostly Lost' films". Los Angeles Times.