You have questions. I have some answers.
Q: Now that Jerry Lewis has died, will the unreleased movie 鈥淭he Day the Clown Cried鈥� (1972) ever be released on DVD for serious Jerry Lewis movie collectors?
A: 鈥淭he Day the Clown Cried鈥� is the major mystery in Lewis鈥� filmography, a film that no more than a handful of people claim to have seen, and which Lewis kept locked away for decades before his death on Aug. 20 at the age of 91.
The story of a clown who leads children into gas chambers in a death camp during the Holocaust, it was plagued by money problems, feuding between director-star Lewis and other participants, and Lewis鈥檚 eventual dissatisfaction with the work itself, which was never completed. 鈥淚 was embarrassed,鈥� he said in 2013. 鈥淚 was ashamed of the work. And I was grateful I had the power to contain it all and never let anybody see it.鈥� Of course, that has all made some folks even more eager to see the film, for example luring them to YouTube to look at bits of 鈥淐lown鈥� found in a German documentary. But there is still an outside chance that audiences will see the film one day. When the Library of Congress acquired Lewis鈥� collection of his films and other memorabilia in 2015, it included 鈥淭he Day the Clown Cried.鈥� But the deal held back that film from the public for 10 years. We鈥檒l see what happens around 2025.
Q: USA鈥檚 鈥淪hooter鈥� ended rather weirdly. I don鈥檛 recall there being any mention of this being the season finale. There seemed to be no resolution of this season鈥檚 plot line. Was this the end of the 鈥淪hooter鈥� series? Can you clarify?
A: The second season ended, though not quite in the fashion that was once planned. Meant to run 10 episodes, the season was trimmed to eight after the show鈥檚 star, Ryan Phillippe, broke his leg during a family trip. According to Deadline.com, Phillippe said the break was bad enough to require surgery. 鈥淪hooter鈥� was working on its ninth episode of the season, Deadline said, but decided to shut down production and end with the eighth episode. Deadline鈥檚 sources said there was a story point in the episode that worked as a season finale, although you clearly felt differently. We don鈥檛 know yet if the show will be back for a third season.
While it sounds as though Phillippe was too badly injured to keep going in an action thriller, some shows manage to adjust to their stars鈥� off-camera mishaps. Tim Daly, who plays Henry McCord on 鈥淢adam Secretary,鈥� broke his right ankle and left knee in a skiing accident during the third season. The show added an injury to Henry to an episode to explain his limited mobility.
Q: I was working outside of the U.S. when 鈥淢ork and Mindy鈥� was televised, and I was only able to see the show when I visited the U.S. for a week or two each year. Since then, I have never seen or heard of any way to watch the show. Is it available anywhere?
A: The comedy starring Robin Williams and Pam Dawber is being replayed on Antenna TV, one of several vintage-program services offered as extra product by some TV stations or on cable. You can find out more about it, including where it might be available in your area at antennatv.tv. The complete series has also been released on DVD.
Q: When will 鈥淢ajor Crimes鈥� be back?
A: Happy Halloween! Season 6 begins Oct. 31 on TNT.
听
