Jerry Lewis performed often at the Chez Paree night club in downtown Chicago. He and my dad Mel soon became good friends. One day in 1946 Jerry visited Shutan Camera Co. to buy his very first movie camera for an important occasion: the birth of his first child Gary. That purchase may have spawned Jerry’s love for film making. This mid-1940s photo shows him in our Washington Street store with arm around manager Irving Kaye, Shutan employee Manny Reeder, and Mel Shutan on the far right. Jerry and my dad were both in their early 20s. Jerry Lewis became a family friend and continued to buy camera equipment from Shutan thru the 1990s. Leica and Nikon were always his choice in 35mm equipment. View full size.