The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon individual stations, airing on ABC on Sunday, September 1, 2013, and running two hours. The final edition aired on ABC on August 31, 2014, again as a two-hour special, beginning at 9PM ET/PT. It was announced on May 1, 2015 that the MDA would be discontinuing the annual event for good. Jerry Lewis began hosting telethons to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Associations of America (MDAA) in 1952 after a plea from a staff member who worked with Lewis and Dean Martin on "The Colgate Comedy Hour". Lewis had previously taken part in what has been described as the very first
Jerry Lewis Boy", "It's Only Money", "The Nutty Professor", "Who's Minding the Store?", "The Patsy", "The Disorderly Orderly" and "The Family Jewels". Outside of his career, he supported fundraising for muscular dystrophy research, during 60 years as national chairman and spokesman of the Muscular Dystrophy Association and 44 years hosting "The Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon" every Labor Day weekend. In 1977, Lewis was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work with the organization. As one of the most successful performers in show business, with worldwide box office receipts of his films in excess of $800 million, Lewis received