Jerry Lewis

[knives]

I actually like a few of the Taurog Martin/ Lewis joints.

[HJackson]

What a thrill to finally see The Big Mouth via the recent and quite attractive Koch Blu. Why this never got a decent DVD release (unless I missed it...) is a mystery. A marvellous return to form for Jerry after the pleasant but restrained 3 on a Couch, his debut for Columbia the year prior. I think this one stands shoulder to shoulder with his finest work at Paramount and is possibly more gag-laden than any of them. There are a few moments where it feels like Jerry may be leaning on a crutch - the nerd character from The Nutty Professor and The Family Jewels makes yet another appearance, although Jerry once again carries it off with aplomb, and the cringe-inducing Oriental schtick is back with Jerry playing the role of a Kabuki dancer... - but it all comes together quite expertly regardless.

[mizo]

Just watched Which Way to the Front? and was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it, given that it seems to have no reputation or particularly vocal fans. Telling the story of the world's richest man (played by Lewis, stealthily sucking on a pacifier during a board meeting) who, rejected for service in World War II, decides to form his own army out of similar misfits, the movie marries Lewis' typical flair for visual & aural gags with one of his more compelling plots - compelling in the sense that every new development is dictated by the same hilariously blunt stupidity/genius.

Spoiler

One of my biggest laughs came not long after Lewis reveals his plan to impersonate a formidable, high-ranking SS officer whom he physically resembles. The other members of his team express their worries that he won't be able to pull it off, and his failure to master German lends some credence to these fears. Then they catch their first glimpse of the real-life Nazi commander, marching like a lunatic and screaming, in Lewis' most deranged register, "JOY-MANY IST DER FADDERLAND!"

The film really showcases Lewis' skill at shifting registers, from placid, near-silent sobriety (moments where the film could be mistaken for any WWII drama) into extreme, aggressive silliness. As is fairly typical with Lewis' films, it comes at the expense of any real psychological coherence to his character, who behaves at one moment like the fairly shrewd, impossibly wealthy C.E.O. he is, and at the next like a demented child. This might well contain the most yelling of any Lewis film, but instead of irritating, it mostly manages to do what I imagine it was meant to, which is to buoy long dialogue scenes with the same kind of manic buzz as the scenes of physical comedy. In fact, I came to prefer the former, and they pitch most of the film's third act into a constant trill of ecstatic joy. If only more of the shout-y Italian comedies were so skillfully modulated!

Spoiler

One thing I will say, though, is that the climactic Hitler scene is probably overplayed. That's when the balance starts to tip and the film teeters dangerously close to turning into a displeasing shouting match. But I think it mostly rights itself - and it's all worth it for that initial, wonderful revelation that the crazed Nazi they were targeting was secretly plotting against the Fuehrer all along. Lewis' own version of The Man Who Was Thursday!

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the social satire that runs through much of the film, which at times mocks the military and, especially, enlistment propaganda quite savagely. Think M*A*S*H (the show) or The Teahouse of the August Moon, but with Lewis' brand of contemptuous mockery, infantilizing everyone and undercutting any trace of solemnity with ridicule. A few moments - as when Lewis, role-playing as a Nazi, proclaims that his wife makes the best knishes - have an undercurrent of cultural revenge against anti-semitism, here re-inserting Jewish culture into the supposedly purified Aryan society, in a way that is more compelling to me than what Mel Brooks does in The Producers and considerably more than what Tarantino does in Inglourious Basterds (to which this film bears a few other striking similarities). It also has a few bits that feel pretty current (from a speech about Colonico, an ex-gangster: "He committed twelve murders, ran an extortion racket, and was a master at armed assault. Then Mr. Colonico quit the police department..."). It also ends with one of the most singularly tasteless and stridently offensive gags I can think of. I kind of loved it, but also felt a little bad about loving it, haha. Maybe one reason the film doesn't get talked about more...

[therewillbeblus]

I don't think it's entirely due to professional interest, but Cracking Up may just be my new favorite Lewis film. It's certainly his funniest (I realize I'm a club of one here), starting with an ingenious premise to host a series of brief absurd skits circuiting around Lewis' life history of problems as he reflects sitting in a therapist's chair. Perhaps it's because these psychological, philosophical, and social issues are what I find to be (necessarily) the most vital topics of humor as the yang to the yin of their relentlessly serious hold on us, but exposed fears, insecurities, anxieties, malaise, and existential crises are just plain funny, relatable subjects. This film not only tackles fears of embarrassment through more vulnerable methodology than Lewis' usual shtick, but doubles down by confirming these fears. These are usually irrational, and sourced in us falsely believing we are as important to others as we are to ourselves, but here are presented as rational because Lewis is the star, and he does become the center of attention, ruining people's days or becoming harassed as he engages in simple social exchanges like answering common questions, in all of his scenes (flashbacks, dreams, or present-day realities)!

The film takes off from the therapist's chair into some bizarre territory starting with an robbery musical number that had me howling as a total non-sequitur, continuing on to the greatest unexpected reaction to a smoking habit I've seen (that hits that oh-too-familiar angst around self-doubt regarding our ability to predict the tone of a person's response by their demeanor, following through on the horror that we may not be able to read cues after all these years of practice; while also doubling for an accurate perception of the violent social stance against smokers from a smoker's point of view), and a museum trip where Lewis isn't even safe from inanimate objects that literally come to life to torment him, triggering his social phobias in the absence of people! The narrative trajectory is so wildly ungrounded that it’s hard to tell what is real or not or just an exaggerated reflection of Lewis’ greatest fears come to life. Some therapeutic-specific gags shine as well, like a third-act exposure therapy failure, and the returns to suicide are laugh riots that gradually transform into coughs as we realize the solemnity breaking through the thin veil barriers between silly jokes and sober pain.

While this film is definitely within Lewis' wheelhouse I could see it converting those who don't warm to his sense of humor but are attracted to surrealist and dark social humor. This plays like Lewis trying to make a Buñuel film, insurgent towards our social customs and institutions with sincere revelations of ubiquitous terror, and aggressively transmitting experiences with thwarted belongingness, shallowly buried under the satire. The observations are far more exposed, and genuinely debilitating, compared to Lewis' norm. It's a fitting swan song, emitting a smorgasbord (the film's alternate title) of the youthful exuberance, manic creativity, and self-conscious wit of Lewis' career, topped with an unfiltered, raw acidic confession of his worldview, and, ultimately, a neglected masterpiece. Lewis even blows up his own movie at the end of the credits, just like Buñuel did to cap off his conclusive work!

[therewillbeblus]

Three on a Couch: And Lewis does it again! Here's another hilariously perceptive take on psychotherapy, specifically targeting the ethical dilemma of the therapist and the strain of personal investment in the work pitched against a selfish unethical non-dilemma of Lewis' solution to this 'problem'. It's a surprisingly apt, if naturally exaggerated, portrayal of the thankless projections from outsiders and self-imposed strains a therapist encounters when personal and professional lives pose conflicts, and Leigh carries a solid chunk of the film as a straight-woman who emphasizes a lot of the comedy that comes from her interpersonal relations in composed, dry line deliveries and minutely-confounded responses, that work because of the empathy clearly defined in each and every mannerism.

The drama is relatively straight-played for a while, and there's a series of hysterically deadpan running gags early on where Lewis has self-serious confrontations with his wife and creatively uses blocking as the punchline, gradually turning the back of his head to the camera while holding true to his principles in monologue. As somber music plays, we are watching a scene unfold exactly like one out of a Sirk melodrama, but inverted where the main protagonist is not part of the equation for the viewer. It's such a subtle tweak, confusingly shattering the drama with gentle unease as the sole function of a non-joke, and also seems to indicate that Lewis the star can't be taken seriously to the extent where he must hide his face from us when he fakes it. He may even be laughing on the other side!

This is not the only moment of the film that seems to be posing as a serious melodrama, as several conversations continue on with this tonal shadow of the real thing. In taking the opposite approach to Cracking Up, Lewis is tightening up this film against the grain of his typical brand as the core design, and I could see fans and non-fans of Lewis coming down on either side of this. If you enjoy the idea of a levelly-pitched drama being manipulated ever so slightly to reflexively laugh at itself, this one's for you. Me, I loved it- and Leigh's patients' eccentricities are graciously positioned as funny divorced from silly boosts, like the similarly straight-played The Heartbreak Kid's cringe-inducing unconventional characters, especially Berlin. Once the plot kicks in, it's a pretty morally awful and selfish plan that elevates in Lewis-prone temperament yet remains ultimately grounded to its austerity-laced posturing. The central conceit even takes a classic screwball/sex comedy idea of juggling multiple women and undermines the intention with the purpose of winning over the already-secure fiancee as an inane twist. This may be the most bizarre frequency I've seen Lewis drop his comedic needle at, and cannot for the life of me imagine anyone unfamiliar with his subversive interests boarding the ship, or even recognizing it as a comedy depending on when they tune in!

[beamish14]

The Library of Congress will be publicly screening their assemblage of The Day the Clown Cried in June.

[Matt]

This article has been making the rounds for a few days, but everyone should note:

No details have been announced however, in 2015, film archivists told New York Post the screening would be held at the National Audio-Visual Conservation Centre, Virginia in June of 2024.

So an unnamed person told the least credible newspaper in New York 9 years ago that there would be a screening and nothing has been announced since. Don’t believe anything until you hear it—in this decade—from the Library of Congress itself.

EDIT: I found the original New York Post article from 2015. Mike Mashon — “head of the moving-image section at the library’s Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation” — was the source of the info. He retired last year.

What I think happened is that a reporter heard the agreement specified a ten-year embargo, expiring in 2024—after which the film (or the film materials) could be made available to scholars or could be screened by the LoC—and understood that to mean that it would be screened. How this old bit of speculation popped up again after all this time with no new information is baffling.

[senseabove]

Stuart Galbraith also claims there isn’t even anything to screen–likely an incomplete workprint at most, an even that may not be in the LoC holdings.

[beamish14]

This article has been making the rounds for a few days, but everyone should note:

No details have been announced however, in 2015, film archivists told New York Post the screening would be held at the National Audio-Visual Conservation Centre, Virginia in June of 2024.

So an unnamed person told the least credible newspaper in New York 9 years ago that there would be a screening and nothing has been announced since. Don’t believe anything until you hear it—in this decade—from the Library of Congress itself.

EDIT: I found the original New York Post article from 2015. Mike Mashon — “head of the moving-image section at the library’s Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation” — was the source of the info. He retired last year.

What I think happened is that a reporter heard the agreement specified a ten-year embargo, expiring in 2024—after which the film (or the film materials) could be made available to scholars or could be screened by the LoC—and understood that to mean that it would be screened. How this old bit of speculation popped up again after all this time with no new information is baffling.

I think I was just being naively optimistic by hoping this will transpire, and I completely agree that the Post is not in the least bit reputable. I’m sure that a commercial release will never happen in any of our lifetimes, though

[domino harvey]

Completely missed this but Umbrella released the Ladies Man on Blu-ray last year. Still utterly confusing how few Lewis films are out on Blu stateside, but at least Australia has their priorities straight

[Maltic]

Completely missed this but Umbrella released the Ladies Man on Blu-ray last year. Still utterly confusing how few Lewis films are out on Blu stateside, but at least Australia has their priorities straight

It was discussed here ...

[domino harvey]

I ordered the Blu-rays of Hollywood or Bust and the Ladies Man and can confirm that Hollywood or Bust is indeed a DVD upscale-- what a total waste of money, my Blu-ray player upscales DVDs better than this. Was hoping folks just meant that it was an old master used for the DVDs, but nope. Glad I didn't pay more to track down the harder to find Blu of Artists and Models!

However, the claim that the Ladies Man Blu is the same deal is completely false. Film grain and detail are all there - I am no expert but I sampled both discs back to back and it's not even close. The disc looks comparable to the Olive Tashlin Blus licensed from Paramount-- not sure why people are expecting more than that and dinging it? It's also region free, by the way. So full speed ahead on the Ladies Man, especially since it looks unlikely that it or any other Lewis films are ever coming to Blu now that Paramount is acting like a VC portfolio property

[therewillbeblus]

Glad to hear about Ladies Man - thanks for taking one for the team. Where did you order from?

[domino harvey]

I ordered from DaaVeeDee.com - he sells on Amazon and eBay too but it’s way cheaper to order direct. The site is old school-looking but I can confirm it still works!

[therewillbeblus]

I ordered from DaaVeeDee.com - he sells on Amazon and eBay too but it’s way cheaper to order direct. The site is old school-looking but I can confirm it still works!

Thanks, I forgot all about that site!

[Never Cursed]

A professor views the LoC footage of Clown and discusses it. He describes the material he reviewed as five hours of dailies, mostly without sound, and two hours of sound separate from the footage - in other words, raw production material, and certainly nothing close to a completed film.

[dx23]

TCM is showing tomorrow (Tuesday) at 8PM From the Darkness to Light, the documentary about Jerry Lewis unreleased film "The Day the Clown Cried".

[Never Cursed]

37-minute assembly of footage from Clown into a rough sort of reconstruction, with footage sourced from three documentaries discussing the film (including the one that just came out)

[brundlefly]

The Swedes have it. (Article in Swedish, Clown on VHS.)

[andyli]

Artists and Models 6K restoration at Il Cinema Ritrovato.

Restored in 6K in 2024 by Paramount Pictures at ColorTime laboratory, from the original 35mm VistaVision negative.

[domino harvey]

Noel Simsolo’s chapter from his otherwise untranslated French book on Lewis, analyzing the Big Mouth

and

Chris Fujiwara and AS Hamrah in conversation on the Big Mouth

[Drucker]

For the fourth straight year, there was programming in NYC timed against Jerry's birthday. According to Bob Furmanek, he never got called by Roxy this year, but Film Forum stepped in. I saw The Bell-Boy and honestly found it to be mostly a slog. There are approximately two great bits: the part where the real Jerry Lewis shows up and the part where the newly married couple are featured and the husband falls on the floor after Jerry the Bell-Boy is waxing it. Otherwise, even at 72 minutes the film felt a bit interminable. Elsewhere on this thread someone likened it to Hulot, but I don't quite see it. I found the gags mostly unfunny. First time I've felt this way watching a Lewis film.

I'll be finally catching Ladies Man and Nutty Professor, both for the first time, this week at Anthology.