
Photo courtesy of Max Rose
Last week was interesting in a number of ways. On Sunday, a friend and I went to see “Max Rose”, very likely the last movie that will have Jerry Lewis as its star. Tuesday, I attended Global Gaming Expo, a “must” event for any reporter in Las Vegas.
First “Max Rose”: The movie has apparently been around for three years, but was seldom, if ever, shown in the U.S. The Las Vegas premiere, at the Regal Village Square Cinemas, included a rare opportunity, after the movie, to participate in a question-and-answer session with Jerry Lewis. In this film, Lewis is an actor, not a comedian.
Using a cell phone, I recorded 20 minutes of the question-and-answer session. The picture is grainy, but the sound is reasonably good, and one can hear that Lewis is still quite sharp. Among the local celebrities who, in tribute to Lewis, attended the movie premiere, were Marty Allen, Tony Orlando, Penn Jillette, Criss Angel, Carrot Top, Wayne Newton, Susan Anton, Kelly Clinton and Melody Sweets. The celebrities received VIP seating. The rest of us waited in a long line before being welcomed to the theater.
About the movie? If you are a long-time Jerry Lewis fan, I’d recommend the movie. Critics have not been thrilled with the film, but audience members have been much more favorable. A friend said that Lewis is lucky. He still looks and sounds like Jerry Lewis, so nostalgia is part of the reason to see the film. The story is slight, but in the end uplifting. A young audience might wonder what all the fuss is about, but an older audience will probably most enjoy the long slow shots of Lewis’s face which seem to speak volumes. In its way, I think “Max Rose” will be an iconic film.
Most of the audience Sunday was also thrilled to see Jerry Lewis in person. No one left when the film ended.
Now about Global Gaming Expo, also known as “G2E”: the event has been around since 2001 and is organized by the American Gaming Association and Reed Exhibitions. G2E, by and for the global gaming industry, covers all aspects of gaming and operating a gaming establishment.This year’s final attendance figure was 27,000 people.
I had my camera with me at the expo, and as usual, I was particularly drawn to the hundreds of colorful — and sometimes very tall — slot machines on display. Branded machines are popular (using popular celebrity and TV names on machines) and games of skill are quietly being introduced. Celebrities, such as Vanna White, Penn & Teller and Shaquille O’Neal this year, were a part of G2E, and the organizers even had the good taste in 2016 to hire local favorite Clint Holmes for a Tuesday after-hours event (though the noisy exhibit hall does have its drawbacks).
A quick visit to Global Gaming Expo can been seen in this week’s second video. Also, this week was the grand opening of the North American headquarters of Ainsworth Gaming Technology in the high tech district near the I-215.
Thank you, Diane for this report!!! Excellent as always!!! 😀
thanks for this video of Jerry……
I am 71 and have been watching Jerry Lewis movies for probably 65 of those years….
we dont get enough of Jerry so anytime you can put him in front of his fans would
be great….
Chuck
Jerry Lewis is truly an icon. Thanks for sharing.
Very interesting as usual. I wonder what age group they are targeting? Still Baby Boomers i assume but their kids spend money too.