A Spoofing Tribute to Jerry Lewis Turns Out to Be a Winner

When amateur filmmaker and aspiring actor Randy Marcus of Los Angeles sent his comedy videotape off to the third annual Great RCA/Video Review Shootoff, he didn’t expect to be the grand prize winner.

The 14-minute video, “Le Roi Du Crazy, or That’s No Life, Jerry,” is a combination of spoof and tribute to Jerry Lewis, whom Marcus admires. It was one of more than 800 entries from across the country.

Marcus, 26, got the idea for the film while on a vacation in Las Vegas nearly three years ago, during which he saw Lewis perform. “I wanted to show all sides of Jerry Lewis,” he said. “And I had a burning desire to do it on film.”

After writing a script, Marcus persuaded some friends to co-star and assist with the project. Marcus himself portrays Lewis.

It was a low-budget affair--just a camcorder, a $6.95 videotape and a few unpaid assistants. Shooting took place on a frigid day last January in Chicago. The editing process, however, turned out to be tougher than he expected.

“It was like putting together a jigsaw puzzle,” he said.

Marcus attributes his success to comedians like Charlie Chaplin and the Marx Brothers. “I’ve never taken any film classes,” he said. “I just studied old classic comedies and learned by watching the old silent comics.”

As his prize, Marcus won a batch of RCA video equipment--and a few moments of fame. He will appear on “The Joan Rivers Show” on Aug. 28, and an excerpt of the video will be shown.

Santa Monica resident Tami Pivnick was also a winner in the contest. She was one of four first-place winners for the production “Adventures in Paradise.”

Los Angeles cardiologist and internist Debra Judelson will serve as president of the Los Angeles County Medical Assn.’s Beverly Hills district, and ophthalmologist Kenneth Hoffer has been elected councilor for the Bay District area on the LACMA’s Council.

Judelson is on staff at Westside Hospital in Los Angeles. Hoffer, a Santa Monica resident, is a clinical professor of ophthalmology at the UCLA School of Medicine. He is on staff at the Jules Stein Eye Institute and St. John’s Hospital and Health Center in Santa Monica.

Bowen H. (Buzz) McCoy was reelected chairman of the Los Angeles Chapter of the American Red Cross for the 1991-92 at the chapter’s 75th annual meeting.

McCoy, of Los Angeles, is president of Buzz McCoy Associates Inc.

Calliope Babukhan of Pacific Palisades was awarded Best of the Juried Art Show by Women Painters West for a painting.

Babukhan was recognized for the individuality of her work, which was a tribute to the Women Painters West’s 70th anniversary. The painting was exhibited at the Creative Arts Center in Burbank for two weeks in July.