The Jewish Film Society will present “Jerry Lewis: The Man Behind the Clown” at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 22 at the Jewish Community Center’s Arts and Education Building, 2 Millstone Campus Drive.

Since the early days of television, Lewis had audiences laughing at his visual gags, pantomime sketches, and signature slapstick humor. Yet Lewis was far more than a jokester. A groundbreaking filmmaker whose insatiable curiosity led him to write, produce, stage, and direct many of the films he would also appear in resulted in such adored classics as “The Bellboy,” “The Ladies Man,” “The Errand Boy,” and “The Nutty Professor.”

Lewis’s filmmaking career prevented him from being pigeonholed as a comic performer and launched his reputation as a driving force in Hollywood. Pushing boundaries with his technical innovations, unique voice and keen visual eye, he soon garnered praise overseas, particularly in France among the cultural sophisticates.

Director Gregory Monro invites audiences to rediscover Jerry Lewis as an influential artist, humanitarian, and visionary. In the film, Lewis and his friends candidly reflected on Lewis’ remarkable life and decades-long career. 

In addition, the short film, “The Man Who Shot Hollywood,” will also be shown. The film is about photographer Jack Pashkovsky, who worked without fanfare photographing Hollywood celebrities. Over the years he compiled an incredible collection of celebrity photographs that previously were never seen by the general public. 

The films are free to Jewish Film Society members and $10 for the general public. For more information contact Zelda Sparks at the J at 314-442-3169.