As you might have figured out by now, I’m kind of an insomniac.  I think all those posts about coffee gave it away.  Either way, you know it now.  Last night, at about 4 AM, I couldn’t sleep.  So what did I turn to?  The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon, now in its 43rd year of broadcast.  The Labor Day tradition continues, even now, and has raised an incredible $1.46 billion dollars for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.  Mental Floss has a great roundup of the history of the MDA telethon, including lots of rare video of special celebrity guests and behind the scenes trivia.  I didn’t know they were prepared to cut away from Jerry at any moment!

I have to tell you that the performance I watched last night was pretty transfixing.  It might have been because it was so early in the morning.  It was some guy whose name I never caught doing a bunch of slight of hand with those trick rings that can link and unlink.  Very impressive.  The best thing about these sorts of telethons is the weird stuff that happens in the middle of the night when nobody is really watching.

It’s just a shame that more and more of the traditional “Love Network” stations are cutting away from the telethon, or in some cases not broadcasting it at all.   The usual home for the telethon in my area hasn’t shown it uncut for a couple of years, and it has been bumped from NBC to the CW station.  Despite the decreased level of attention, the telethon itself has raised more money than ever in the last few years.  If you’re so inclined, throw a few dollars their way this year.

Tags: MDA, Jerry Lewis, Labor Day Telethon, MDA Telethon, Muscular Dystrophy Association, charities, television events

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