Jerry Lewis’ first two films after the split with Dean Martin were obviously originally written to be performed by a duo – The Delicate Delinquent and The Sad Sack – but this one is feels geared for a solo actor. As ever, they’ve played it safe, remaking The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek (not that Sturges worked on the film). Marilyn Maxwell, who often co-starred with Abbott and Costello on radio, is the lead – a film star who is worshipped by childhood friend Jerry Lewis to such a degree it’s pathetic more than touching. She gets pregnant (apparently she married the guy the night he knocked her up then he died – yeah right) and asks Jerry to raise the kids.
Typical of Tashlin, there’s lots of satire on Hollywood (beauty contests, jokes about screenwriters who don’t read the original book, a spoof of Easterns – ‘the White Virgin of the Nile’ which stars Maxwell), plenty of good looking girls, and sexy talk (eg Lewis and Connie Stevens realising they can have sex at the end and gleefully running off to do it) . Some very funny gags such as Jerry pretending to be various TV programs through a seat, and him feeding all the babies with a rubber glove that has very long fingers; he also does a wonderful rock n roll number, doing dance moves to spoof Elvis – and he’s terrific.
Lewis personally selected Connie Stevens to play Maxwell’s younger sister who is in love with him – she’s terrific, pretty and crazy enough to make you believe she’d go for him; Lewis rarely had a better female co-star (she’s up there with Shirley MacLaine in Artists and Models and Stella Stevens in The Nutty Professor). Maxwell is only so-so – she’s too old and not a believable star.
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