Late comedian Jerry Lewis has been accused of sexual harassment and assault by some of his former co-stars.
A new short documentary and exposé published by Vanity Fair features interviews with actresses including Karen Sharpe and Hope Holiday, who both made allegations against The King of Comedy star.
In interviews conducted by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, Sharpe claimed she was assaulted while filming the 1964 comedy The Disorderly Orderly.
The actress alleged she was being fitted for costumes in Lewis' office before he ordered others to leave and allegedly "started moving in on me". She added, "He grabbed me. He began to fondle me. He unzipped his pants. Quite frankly, I was dumbstruck."
She continued, "I put my hand up and said, 'Wait a minute. I don't know if this is a requirement for your leading ladies, but this is something I don't do.' I could see that he was furious. I got the feeling that that never really happened to him."
The actress claimed could not quit the film because she had already signed a contract and when she returned to the set most of the cast and crew were told not to speak to her.
Holiday alleged that after she was cast in Lewis' 1961 movie The Ladies Man, the legendary funnyman invited her into his dressing room on her first day and pressed a button that locked the door shut.
"Then he starts to talk to me: 'Y'know, you could be very attractive but you wear pants all the time. I have never seen you in a skirt. You have nice legs and you've got good boobs,'" she recalled.
"Then he starts to talk to me about sex... He starts to talk dirty to me and as he's talking, the pants open, and the ugly thing came out and he starts to jerk off. I was frightened... I just sat there and I wanted to leave so badly," she claimed.
Lewis was one of the biggest stars in the 1950s and '60s and was known for his partnership with Dean Martin and starring in the original version of The Nutty Professor. He died in 2017 at the age of 91.
