Friday, June 10, 2011

Movie review – M&L#3 - “My Friend Irma Goes West” (1950) **1/2

The ending of My Friend Irma had Dean Martin and Diana Lynn on their way to get married – they evidently didn’t make it, but they are still going out when this starts one year later. The old gang are back, ditzy Irma (Marie Windsor), her shonky boyfriend Al (John Lund, once again trying but not getting there), Irma’s roommate Jane (Lynn), Steve (Martin) and his mate Sylvester (Jerry Lewis). Corinne Calvert appears as a French singer/actor very much like Corinne Calvert. She popped up again in the Martin/Lewis film Sailor Beware – Martin and Lewis often reused supporting cast. 
 
The first film had Jane start off as a money-grabber who learned there were more important things, like love and hunky Dean Martin. She learns that lesson here again – she starts off greedy, and takes over managing Martin, and signs him to a Hollywood producer… who turns out to be an escaped lunatic (this was very funny). Before they find this out, though, they head out to Hollywood - and get stranded in Las Vegas when they run out of money. 
 
The shenanigans which follow are fairly stock: Al winds up getting involved with some gangsters who kidnap Irma, Jane gets jealous of Calvert (a plot as dull as it sounds), Steve sings at a resort, Seymour befriends Indians. The Al-Irma-Jane stuff is weak - Al is a slacker, Irma a real moron (possibly legally retarded), Jane a stupid insecure nin who Martin would be better of dumping for Calvert. 
 
Still, it is nice to see Martin and Lewis share the stage with another act and they are very strong. Martin is handsome and confident, they do some numbers like their nightclub act (i.e. Martin singing while Lewis wrecks havoc), and Jerry is on fire: he impersonates Bette Davis, smokes cigars with a monkey, dresses up in Indian garb, jumps in pools - pretty much anything for a laugh.

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