|
Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were a fabulous comedy duo
for several years. The young Lewis idolized the heavy-drinking
Martin, and tensions grew to insurmountable levels eventually
leading to their breakup. This three disc volume features
six of their last films together.****
You're Never Too Young: Wilbur Hoolick (Lewis) dreams
of becoming a great barber rather than a mere assistant
at a hotel shop. Inadvertently getting himself mixed up
in a robbery forces Wilbur to disguise himself as an obnoxious
12 year old boy. Bob Miles (Martin) is a music teacher of
an all girls school who helps Hoolick out while finding
plenty of time to croon to leading lady Diana Lynn who appeared
in the original "The Major and The Minor". Raymond Burr
makes a great showing in this one as the thieving villain.
****
Considered one of the best of the Martin and Lewis
comedies, this is an amusing remake of "The Major and the
Minor". Trademark slapstick humor and comedic musical numbers
keep things lively. While Lewis is never really believable
as a child, that is part of what makes the role amusing
and he really does shine here. This is the first film that
I remember seeing the distance as a tangible and growing
force between this duo. Raymond Burr makes a great showing
in this one as the thieving villain. ****
Artists and Models:
Eugene Fullstack (Lewis) and Rick Todd (Martin) are
two struggling artists sharing an apartment and writing
children's stories. Rick wants to break into the comic industry
but can't write anything suitable for the genre. Eugene's
vivid imagination and comic book obsession has him dreaming
up plots galore and talking in his sleep. Thus is the superhero
Vincent the Vulture born. This film is a bit of a girl-fest
starring a young Shirley Maclaine, Dorothy Malone, the lovely
Anita Ekberg, and Eva Gabor.****
Living it Up:
Wally Cook (Janet Leigh) is a New York Chronicle reporter
who convinces her editor to let her do a series of articles
on Homer Flagg (Lewis), a young man who has been convinced
he is dying of radiation poisoning. Dr. Steve Harris (Martin)
clues him in that he's not really dying, but talks Homer
into enjoying his sudden celebrity status and letting him
ride along. ****
Pardners:
This 1956 comedy was the second to last of the Martin
& Lewis duo, and one role a piece wasn't enough for either
of them. Martin plays both Slim Mosely Sr and Jr. Lewis
plays Wade Kingsley Sr and Jr. Simply told, the sons of
two former ranching partners end up working together to
save the ranch. Loosely based on Bing Crosby's 1936 "Rythym
on the Range", Kingsley Jr is the pampered son of a millionaire
Matilda Kingsley (Agnes Moorehead) who dreams of returning
to the Wild West ways of his father. Slim Jr, rodeo star
and all-around crooning cowboy, feels honor bound to keep
the kid out of trouble. Ironically, this film ends with
Martin and Lewis addressing the camera with a promise to
keep making films.****
Hollywood or Bust:
Also from 1956, this is the last Martin and Lewis film
made. Another thinly plotted girl-fest, Malcom Smith (Lewis)
is a movie buff dreaming of Hollywood and his desire to
meet Anita Ekberg. Steve Wiley ( Martin) is a gambler neck-deep
in debt. When Malcom wins a car, Steve claims that they
both have the winning ticket and will have to share it to
get to Hollywood. Malcom's Great Dane and hitchhiker, Terry
(Pat Roberts), round out the trip. The real-life tensions
between actors is very evident here and Lewis claims that
he has never watched this one as it is too full of painful
memories. ****
Image and Sound:
1.33:1 aspect ratio, sound is perfectly adequate for
these older films.
|
