Jerry Lewis the following summer, and the audience was so enthusiastic that Kaye became Lewis' manager and guardian for Borscht Belt appearances. During World War II, he was rejected for military service because of a heart murmur. Lewis initially gained attention as part of a double act with singer Dean Martin, who served as straight man to Lewis' zany antics as the Martin and Lewis comedy team. They were different from other duo acts of the time because they played to each other and had ad-libbed improvisational segments within their planned routines. After forming in 1946, they quickly rose to national prominence,
Ira Lewis toured with a production of “Long Day’s Journey Into Night”. Lewis died in Edison, New Jersey, of complications following heart surgery on 4 April 2015. He was a resident of Westfield, New Jersey. Ira Lewis Ira Lewis Metsky (27 August 1932 — 4 April 2015) was an American actor, writer, and playwright. Lewis was best known for his one-act play, "Chinese Coffee", which opened at the Circle in the Square Theatre in 1992, starring Al Pacino. A film adaptation of "Chinese Coffee", also starring Pacino, as well as Jerry Orbach, was released in 2000. Ira Lewis wrote the film's screenplay,