"The Ladies Man" ** 1\2 (out of ****) I have to admit throughout my life I've never really been much of a Jerry Lewis fan. I wouldn't go as far as to say I hate Jerry Lewis or never find him funny but I've just never paid attention to him. I always looked elsewhere for comedy. Of course I've been familiar with his name and have seen some of his movies, especially those with Dean Martin but Lewis as a soloist didn't quite grab my attention.
Lewis started performing at the age of five. He was born into the entertainment business. His father, Danny, was in vaudeville while his mother, Rachel, was a piano player at a radio station. But Lewis never hit it big until 1946 when he started an act with Dean Martin. In 1949 they made their film debut as a team in the comedy "My Friend Irma" which was adapted from a popular radio series. The team had supporting roles. After that time they became box-office champs. No comedy team could touch them.
The only thing that could break up the act was them. Lewis was never a shy guy in front of the camera. His comedy would dominate their films and their nightclub act. If Martin tried to sing a song, Lewis couldn't miss a chance at comedy and would break up the song. Everybody, all the critics and some of the public, thought it was Lewis that was the true star and he was carrying along Martin for the ride. This caused their split in 1956 with their final film "Hollywood or Bust". A movie which Lewis says to this day he has not seen because it would be too painful.
Then came Lewis' solo debut, "The Delicate Delinquent" (1957). The film was a box-office smash. It was a big hit with Lewis' target demographic; teenage boys. A demographic some have suggested Lewis never outgrew. But then there is the old joke about the French and Jerry Lewis. The very respected filmmaker Jean Luc-Godard once said of Lewis, "[he] is the only one in Hollywood doing something different - the only one making courageous films." In America however the term most used to describe Lewis has been "infantile". And thus the great gap between Americans and the French continues.
And this leads us to "The Ladies Man" (1961). This was Lewis' second film as a director, his first was "The Bellboy", which I will get to later. In "The Ladies Man" Lewis plays Herbert H. Heebert (the H stands for Herbert. "I have two Herberts in front of my Heebert" he says) a young college graduate from the small town of Milltown, whose slogan is "a very nervous little community". Herbert plans to marry his sweetheart, Faith, now that they have graduated. But Herbert catches Faith with another man. Heartbroken Herbert swears off women and decides to become a lifelong bachelor. He leaves his hometown for a new start. His first day in town he lands a job as a maid in an all female boarding house.
The house is run by Miss Wellenmellon (Helen Traubel). A rich widow who rather then sell her huge home decided to take up boarders to fill all the vacant rooms. The only other maid is Katie (Kathleen Freeman).
"The Ladies Man" has some truly humorous moments. There are three wonderful comedic sequences which make me laugh as hard as anything else I've seen. But the main problem with "The Ladies Man" is Lewis is too broad. He has a do anything mentality. "The Ladies Man", rather than fully develop its plot, turns into an episodic film. Now the film will only be as good as the jokes in each sequence. But given Lewis' style of comedy too many jokes fall flat. Lewis, who reminds me a bit of Mel Brooks (who wrote an earlier draft for the film but was fired by Lewis), wants to throw a hundred jokes at the audience but only five work.
Lewis also has a bad habit of throwing sentimentality into the film. There is a scene involving Herbert and one of the girls, Fay (Pat Stanley). She has just been turned down for an acting part and feels worthless. Herbert informs her as long as she knows people who care about her she will never be worthless. And Herbert will always care about her. Exactly how does this sequence fit into the movie?
But Lewis does go for some typical traits in his film. The movie is very musical. Notice the introduction of the ladies in the house. It is all set to music. Their movements match the musical beat turning the piece into a sort of jazz ballet. This reminds me of a famous routine Lewis did with an imaginary typewriter. Music has always played a big part in his films.
The most famous sequence is probably the "hat gag" where Herbert sits on the hat of one of the ladies' date, Willard C. Gainsborough (Buddy Lester), the "c" stands for killer by the way. He wants Herbert to fix the hat but only makes things worst. By the itself it is comedic perfection. It could have been a short film.
Other funny moments involve a George Raft cameo, where he must convince Herbert he is really George Raft.
Despite these funny moments though, "The Ladies Man" is just too uneven. Good for Lewis devotees but not for everyone else.
"The Bellboy" *** (out of ****)
"The Bellboy" (1960) was Lewis' directorial debut and while I don't find it as funny as "The Ladies Man" it is technically a more comprehensive, better structured film. If you never saw "The Ladies Man" before, the plot suggest more than it delivers. There is actually a story there which Lewis abandons. There is no character development, no beginning, middle and end. But the story cries out for it. In "The Bellboy" there is no beginning middle or end either. But the film never pretends to be anything else. The film even starts off telling us there is no story. Here Lewis' episodic style of comedy works better. He has found a character and a situation in which his comedy can better adapt.
When you consider this was Lewis' first film as a director I think he does precisely what he needed the film to do. He demonstrates his ability for slapstick. And since Lewis' bellboy character never speaks, it is Lewis' attempt to make a silent film (check out his pantomime while he conducts a pretend orchestra). In fact his character's name is Stanley, as in Stan Laurel, one of Lewis' comedy heroes. And Stan Laurel makes an appearance in the film. Well, Bill Richmond impersonates him. Richmond co-wrote "The Ladies Man" with Lewis and a few other films.
"The Bellboy" isn't as funny as "The Ladies Man" but it has more discipline in a strange way. The film is plotless but Lewis keeps things moving nicely. He gets some good visual gags in the film but none are as funny as the hat gag in "The Ladies Man".
It was for this film it is said Lewis invented video assist. This is a piece of equipment which is attached to a movie camera which allows the director to see what the camera operator sees in frame. It is now standard for every director to use it.
"The Bellboy" reminds me a bit of the work of French filmmaker Jacques Tati. In fact, anyone who likes this film should check out the work of Mr. Tati.
Again, "The Bellboy" is not as funny as "The Ladies Man" but is better suited to Lewis' style of comedy.
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