Only the best of times for Jerry Lewis

Earlier this month, in a plush aisle seat, Jerry Lewis watched much of his professional life flash before his eyes.

Clutching a water bottle, the 85-year-old entertainer’s eyes were riveted on the huge screen of Paramount Studio’s main theater as a younger version of himself mugged, mimed, spun, wreaked havoc and generally made a fool of himself.

Lewis was attending the premiere of Encore’s “Jerry Lewis: Method to the Madness,” a feature-length tribute to the funnyman and filmmaker that debuts Saturday on the premium cable channel. As the credits rolled, Lewis slowly rose from his seat as an enthusiastic audience gave him a standing ovation.

“Well,” said Lewis, who is preparing to direct a Broadway version of his classic film “The Nutty Professor,” “that wasn’t bad.”

The film premiere marked a rare public appearance for Lewis since his abrupt, unceremonious ouster in August from the Muscular Dystrophy Assn., for which he had served as telethon host and national chairman for decades. The reasons behind the surprising move — which drew loud protests from fellow comedians — remain largely a mystery as neither the organization nor Lewis has spoken about it in any detail.

Viewers looking for new insight into this summer’s drama will be disappointed — the MDA and Lewis’ six-decade association with it are barely mentioned. The telethon, however, is included as the setting for the 1976 reunion of Lewis and his former partner, Dean Martin, about 20 years after their famous breakup. (Also, missing from the film is any reference to one of Lewis’ most curious and unrealized projects, “The Day the Clown Cried,” a Holocaust drama about a washed-up circus clown who entertains children in a Nazi camp.)

The oversights are intentional, said director Gregg Barson, who wanted to focus on Lewis’ artistry in films, TV and onstage. In addition to a generous sampling of clips from Martin and Lewis shows, “The Nutty Professor,” “The Bellboy, “Cinderfella” and “The Family Jewels,” the documentary offers awe-struck testimonials from an A-list cast that includes Steven Spielberg, Jerry Seinfeld, Quentin Tarantino, Alec Baldwin and Billy Crystal, who celebrate Lewis’ impeccable comic timing and impact on popular culture.

“It was always about the filmmaker and comedian, not the telethon guy,” said Barson, who devoted four years on the project. “One of the reasons I wanted to do this was to bring to light the artist, to show young people who would see the telethon but not understand the scope of what Jerry accomplished. That was the aspect of Jerry’s life I wanted to capture. I had to pick and choose the element to go with, and it was when he was at his creative zenith that interested me.”

“Method to the Madness” is the latest in a string of documentaries on veteran celebrities who are now receiving recognition for being innovators and groundbreakers. But unlike the recent “American Masters” documentary profile of Woody Allen on PBS or “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work,” there is little about Lewis’ personal life or family beyond his discussion of himself as a child entertainer working with his parents.

“My goal was not to do the ‘E! True Hollywood Story,’” Barson said.

Dane Cook, who attended the premiere, said he admired the documentary’s direction, even though it was almost entirely upbeat. “I’m glad it has more of a lineage to it,” he said. “There is a time and a place for everything, and that other stuff is another story for another day.”

The film was a true labor of love for Barson: “My life’s blood is in this,” he said as he took a break from an editing session. “I want people to get what I felt from being with Jerry. This is absolutely a living legend, a filmmaker who has done it all.”

Barson was so obsessed with the project that he would often — without warning — break out into Lewis impressions.

“I would just get that Jerry feeling, much to the chagrin of other people,” he said with a chuckle.

Though part of Lewis’ reputation is that of being a perfectionist who can be demanding and at times snippy, Barson said the entertainer was always open and accessible during the making of the documentary.

Said Barson, “If you’re doing a piece like this, there has to be chemistry. He knew that I ‘got’ him and he trusted me. That chemistry added to his candor. Nothing was hidden. I never ran into an area where he said, ‘That’s off limits.’”

And Cook said he feels it’s about time that Lewis is honored by Hollywood: “This man put everything he had into everything he did. It’s so humbling for a performer to be accepted for what he has accomplished.”

greg.braxton@latimes.com