Online release of Jerry Lewis Holocaust film spurs outcry at Legoland death camp display

For decades, Jerry Lewis’s massively misconceived Holocaust drama, The Day the Clown Cried, has remained inaccessible to both the curious and the critical, a morbid mystery wrapped in an existential enigma: What were they thinking? It seemed we would never know, not really. But then, in June of this year, a half-hour compilation of footage from a German documentary about the film surfaced on YouTube, and people were finally able to glimpse portions of the fabled failure.

Reaction to the film was more muted than expected, perhaps because the years of anticipation had created an impossible expectation about the film’s outrageousness. But the juxtaposition of a children’s entertainer and the horror of the Holocaust has created unexpected controversy here in San Diego, as several political and religious groups have called for a re-evaluation of the tastefulness, educational value, and appropriateness of Legoland California’s Lego Auschwitz display.

“I’m sure Legoland has the best of intentions,” says Atheists Against Auschwitz member Sally Rand. “No doubt, they hope to spark a conversation within vacationing families about this tremendous crime against humanity. But the fact remains that Legos are first and foremost toys, and the representation of a concentration camp through the media of children’s playthings, no matter how expertly accomplished, is problematic and trivializing.”

As of press time, Legoland had yet to issue a response. But protestors say they remain hopeful, especially in the wake of Legoland Tokyo’s decision to remove its Hiroshima aftermath display in preparation for President Obama’s historic visit to the site of the devastating nuclear bomb attack.