When Labor Day meant 21 hours of anything-goes TV — and millions raised for charity

In 1976, Frank Sinatra walked on stage with a couple of folded pieces of paper and handed them to Jerry Lewis.

They were both checks. Lewis thank Sinatra with a comical kiss on the cheek, causing the singer to joke: “You do that one more time, we’re gonna buy the furniture.”

But there was another surprise.

‘You’ll never walk alone.’

The annual Labor Day Telethon hosted by Lewis started in 1966 and lasted all the way until 2010. From age 40 until his mid-80s, Lewis performed, joked, and raised millions for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

It was a charitable tradition that often attracted unexpected celebrities.

That 1976 iteration was not special just because it featured Sinatra, but because Sinatra had a special guest. After 20 years and a very public