377. The Ladies Man (1961)

Running Time: 98 minutes
Directed By: Jerry Lewis
Written By: Jerry Lewis, Bill Richmond
Main Cast: Jerry Lewis, Helen Traubel, Kathleen Freeman, Pat Stanley, Buddy Lester

A DOUBLE SHOT OF LEWIS: 2 of 2

Now we're talkin'! Now this is more along the lines of what I expected when I made the decision to watch a couple of Jerry Lewis flicks. I can't say exactly how it was different from "The Nutty Professor", I can only say that I did enjoy it more.

This time around Jerry is Herbert Herbert Heebert, who immediately following his graduation from college, catches his fiance with another man. Jerry is so broken up over his findings, that he vows to be a bachelor for the rest of his life. Herbert goes to Hollywood in search of a job and eventually finds one at the residence of Helen Wellenmellen (Traubel), a very wealthy woman who offers her home to aspiring young actresses, trying to break into the business. At Ms. Wellenmellen's home, Herbert will be the houseboy - delivering mail, answering phones, cleaning and feeding the house pet, "Baby" (which sounds like a lion, but isn't). When Herbert realizes that he'll be catering to a house full of women, he tries to run away, but Ms. Wellenmellen, with help from the cook, Katie (Freeman), convinces him to stay. Ms. Wellenmellen tells the girls to make Herbert feel needed and if they are able to convince him that he's needed, then maybe he'll stick around. The plot begins and ends there and the rest of the movie is filled with Jerry Lewis bringing the funny.

It's hard not to laugh when watching a Jerry Lewis film, love it or not. For some reason, "The Ladies Man" struck me a whole lot better than "The Nutty Professor" did and it's probably because I expected more from the latter. I mean, "The Nutty Professor" is the one you always hear about, it's the one that got remade in 1996 and it's definitely Lewis' most successful and popular picture. So when I watched it earlier, my expectations were high and what I got didn't meet those expectations. Anyway, this evening, my expectations for "The Ladies Man" were kind of low, considering my opinions for "The Nutty Professor", so when it actually turned out to be a hilarious romp (yeah, romp!) I was surprised. Now granted, it's not the best comedy I've ever seen and Lewis' films are reminding me of 60s era Adam Sandler movies, but it works and it's a whole lot of fun while it lasts. Sure there's still a very corny, very B-rate feel to them, but if you need a good laugh, they're just what the doctor ordered.

Memorable moments in "The Ladies Man" include Herbert's run in with Willard C. Gainsborough (the "C" stands for Killer!) and the introduction of the girls, as they wake up singing and trotting along like pretty, little soldiers and the reveal of the life-size doll house in which they all live. In conclusion, "The Nutty Professor" was a good primer - it got me prepared for Jerry and introduced me to him and his style. While my expectations were high, it failed to meet them, but still made me realize what a talent Lewis was. "The Ladies Man", in my opinion, was actually a funnier, more quality comedy, with even Lewis bringing even more laughs, despite the lack of plot. Now I'm really itching to watch "The Bellboy" and since it's streaming on Netflix (as are "The Nutty Professor", "The Ladies Man" and a few others), I may just have to check it out.

RATING: 7.5/10 Hey, it's no "It's a Gift" or "Sons of the Desert", but it's certainly a solid comedy. And then there were 7!

MOVIES WATCHED: 394
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 607

January 11, 2012 1:43am

397. The Nutty Professor (1963)

Running Time: 107 minutes
Directed By: Jerry Lewis
Written By: Jerry Lewis and Bill Richmond
Main Cast: Jerry Lewis, Stella Stevens, Del Moore, Kathleen Freeman, Howard Morris
Click here to view the trailer

A DOUBLE SHOT OF LEWIS: 1 of 2

We go from a very serious thriller to a very corny comedy, in Jerry Lewis' 1963 comedy, "The Nutty Professor". I can't say that I enjoyed it any more than Eddie Murphy's 1996 remake, but it was fun while it lasted.

Professor Julius Kelp (Lewis) is a chemistry professor at a local university, whose experiments sometimes end in disaster. One afternoon, when a student of Julius' asks permission to go to football practice and is denied, Julius gets a little roughed up. When he is attended to by his blonde bombshell of a classmate (Stevens), he is infatuated by her, but embarrassed at the same time. Julius then makes it a point to get more "buff", heading to the gym to try his crack at weightlifting. When that fails, Julius turns to chemistry and some time later, concocts a potion that will turn him from a sniveling nerd into a Dean Martin like, love machine. His alter ego is named Buddy Love and is the desire of all the ladies, especially the ones who frequent the local nightclub, The Purple Pit. But Buddy has his sights on Stella, using obnoxious lines and oozing with self confidence. However, the potion doesn't last forever and each night when Buddy finds himself at The Purple Pit, he also finds that the concoction wears off and he's always forced to run out in a hurry. The climax comes when both Buddy Love and Julius Kelp are expected to be at the university prom.

Do colleges really have proms? I don't know, anyway, this wasn't too bad. I enjoyed certain smaller segments more than I enjoyed the picture as a whole. I had never seen a Jerry Lewis film before and I must say he was really meant to be an entertainer. He was good looking, funny and had a definite screen presence. The rest of the cast was fine too, with the beautiful Stella Stevens in for a bit of eye candy (did you know she was the January 1960 Playboy Playmate of the Month) and Del Moore, who I think got just as many laughs out of me as Lewis did. I had a hard time really enjoying this one as much as I thought I should have though. As much as I laughed, I just couldn't help thinking how corny and cheap the whole affair felt. Lewis (as Buddy Love) seemed to be creating himself a vehicle to be cool and suave and maybe even poke a little fun at former partner, Dean Martin.

There were plenty of laugh out loud ("lol" to the kids) moments in there for me though, which is odd for me, considering that it really takes a lot to get me to really laugh. I nearly busted a gut when Lewis forced Del Moore onto the table, pants around his ankles and coerced him into quoting Hamlet. Despite my maximum level of laughter though, I'll take W.C. Fields over Jerry Lewis any 'ol day of the week. Granted, they're not really that comparable, but just saying.

RATING: 6.5/10 Shorter review style working? Anyway, I could see this one growing on me with time, but to make the next TOP 20 it's gonna' have to grow fast. 8 to go!

MOVIES WATCHED: 393
MOVIES LEFT TO WATCH: 608

January 10, 2012 6:13pm