Reviews (6)

Charming movie
I've seen this movie quite a few times now over the years, and why not wright a little review of this wild and crazy classic. it actally isnt as silly as most of the jerry lewis films, this is serious at times, and has alote of fine actors in it.
Jerry Lewis plays (as almost always) a nice and friendly chap, but clumsy who just can't seem to do anything right.
In this movie he is working at a big store, a huge store. and everything goes wrong! almost anyway. alote of fun scenes. not just a couple. i laughed many times through the movie. this is a fun and crazy jerry comedy, i think its one of the best jerry lewis movies. (atleast of what ive seen so far)
oh, and by the way, check out that beatiful secretary "Shirley", oh mama! i wish she had played a bigger role! and don't you just love the movie title? check it out.

Physical Comedy At Its Finest!
This is the first movie Jerry Lewis appeared in after his masterpiece "The Nutty Professor." Freed from the chores of writing and directing this film, Jerry turns in one of his finest performances. Norman Phiffier (Jerry Lewis) lives his life according to the philosophy that honesty is the best policy. He is a dog walker and dog sitter in love with Barbara (the beautiful Jill St. John). He believes that she is just an elevator operator at Tuttle's Department Store but, in reality, she's the daughter of the store owner and heiress to the Tuttle fortune. Her mother Phoebe (Agnes Moorehead) disapproves of Norman and doesn't want her daughter to marry him. Determined to break up their romance, she instructs the store manager Mr. Quimby (Ray Walston) to hire Norman to work in Tuttle's Department Store and give him the worst possible jobs. He first assigns Norman to paint the tip of the flagpole hanging outside the ninth floor window. Norman tries to climb out on the pole and almost falls to his death. He comes up with the bright idea of putting a paint brush at the end of a fishing pole. To paint the bottom, he enters the office of the store's president John Tuttle (John McGiver). John is a henpecked husband whose wife really runs the store. Since John is busying himself by putting golf balls, Norman takes him to a machine that electronically measures how far you hit the golf ball. When Norman hits the ball it flies out the window, hits a traffic cop on the head, keeps bouncing around and knocking things over, and eventually lands back on the tee and explodes!

One of Norman's jobs is working in the women's shoe department. Mr. Quimby has hired a lady wrestler to come in and try on a pair of shoes much too small for her foot size. Norman tries to force the shoes on her feet and they end up getting knocked to the floor. She gets Norman in a headlock, picks him up and flings him over the counter. Looking closely, it's plain to see that it's Jerry and not a stunt double flying over the counter! After getting stomped on, Norman gets thrown into a huge rack of shoe boxes, which crash through the window and land on the same traffic cop who earlier got hit with the golf ball! In another scene, Norman is working in the men's clothing department on the morning that they're having a 50% off sale. As soon as the doors open, a crowd of stampeding women converge on the clothes, grabbing every article of clothing in sight. They even pull off most of Norman's clothes! There are many other departments Norman has to work in, all ending with disastrous results.

My favorite scene involves a rich woman, carrying her Chihuahua and accompanied by her manservant, who is bringing an old vacuum to the store to be repaired. Mrs. Tuttle appears with Mr. Quimby to observe the proceedings. Norman rewires the vacuum to increase its suction. The vacuum becomes so powerful that it starts moving on its own, sucking up everything in sight, including the old lady's dog and Mrs. Tuttle's wig! Norman is unable to switch off the vacuum or even unplug it, so the vacuum's bag keeps getting bigger and bigger, and eventually floats up to the ceiling! Norman ends up climbing a ladder and sticking a knife into the bag. The resulting explosion of dirt and debris is hilarious, as the Chihuahua plops back into the old lady's arms. Norman puts the dirty, dust covered wig back on Mrs. Tuttle, who promptly fires him. Mr. Tuttle, accompanied by his daughter Barbara, come to Norman's aid and Norman finally learns that Barbara is the Tuttle's daughter. Proud and determined to make it on his own, Norman quits and goes back to being a dog walker. The last scene involves Norman walking a large number of dogs. First Barbara, then her father, and finally her mother go by also walking many dogs and wearing jackets that say I'M SORRY. They all round a corner out of sight. The next thing you hear are the screeching of brakes and the sounds of cars crashing. The last shot is of the poor traffic cop, surrounded by wrecked cars and barking dogs. "Who's Minding The Store?" is, without a doubt, one of the funniest movies Jerry Lewis has ever done!

Hilarious but...3 stars for format
No need to review the film which is a comedy gem...just the format:
The film starts in widescreen, unusual for a video tape. And just when you're getting used to it, the opening credits end and it reverts back to fullscreen(!)
To add insult to injury, the end credits are not even included, the movie simply ends! So much for finding out who the actors were.......

C'mon Paramount...how about the full version on DVD?

THE BEST PART WAS WHEN JERRY WAS WITH THAT BIG SHEEPDOG
I GOT TO OPEN A PRESENT EARLY-AND IT WAS 3 JERRY LEWIS VIDEOS-WHOS MINDING THE STORE-ROCK A BYE BABY-THE NUTTY PROFESSER!

WHOS MINDING THE STORE IS ABOUT A DOGWALKER WHO ALSO DOG-SITS WHEN THE DOGS OWNERS ARE AWAY-BUT WHEN A MEAN WOMAN WHO OWNS A DEPARTMENT STORE FINDS OUT HER DAUGHTER IS GOING TO MARRY THIS LOSER SHE HIRES HIM TO WORK AT HER STORE AND GIVE HIM TOUGH JOBS-SHE EVEN HAS HIM FIRED!

I WOULD RECCOMEND THIS MOVIE TO ANY JERRY LEWIS FAN!

Who's Better than Jerry?
THIS MOVIE IS ONE OF JERRY'S GREATEST, GREAT SUPPORTING CAST & A GREAT GAG DIRECTOR, FRANK TASHLIN...NO COMEDY OF TODAY EVEN COMES CLOSE TO THIS ONE...ONE OF THE KING OF COMEDY'S GREATEST! ... Read more

Reviews (9)

An Early Solo Classic from Jerry Lewis
Long before "Mr. Mom" or "Kramer vs. Kramer", Jerry Lewis made a great argument for fathers to have as much say in the raising and nurturing of their children as mothers. This delightful comedy (with just enough drama added in for good measure) is about a man who goes beyond expectation to care for three baby girls who are left at his doorstep.

Moreover, this is not merely a comedy, but a musical, with songs that deserve the right to be as well remembered as any from "The Wizard of Oz" or "The Sound of Music".

This, among other Jerry Lewis classics, should be issued on DVD, but until they are VHS still looks pretty good.

Excellent and I'm not even a big Jerry Lewis fan!
This is one of my all-time favorite movies and I'm not even a big Jerry Lewis fan. My children and I laugh until we're crying every time we watch this movie.

From the other reviews you know it's about a guy trying to take care of baby triplets on his own. It's an EXCELLENT family movie with a sweet story as Clayton Poole (Jerry Lewis) does everything in his power to take care of these little girls. Sure, it's hilarious but it also has a strong family theme as the Clayton, the babies' aunt and grandfather do whatever they can to do what's best for the babies. Even the mother realizes in the end that the babies are what's most important.

There is definitely something for everyone in this movie.

Why, oh why don't they put it on DVD???

Ohhhh!, Baby!
It's tough to choose which Jerry Lewis movies is my favorite, but I have to start with this one. It's sweet, darlin' and romantic all rolled up into one. It's about Clayton Poole (Jerry Lewis) a bumbling TV repairman, who by surprise becomes an adopted father to triplet baby girls. Clayton's former girlfriend turned movie star, Carla Naples (Marilyn Maxwell) springs the surprise when she leaves them on his doorstep. Noble Clayton tries to keep everything a secret but all mayhem cuts loose. And Clayton's other love interest Sandy Naples (Connie Stevens) helps Clayton out of his dilemma and from the suspicions of their father Gigi (Salvatore Baccaloni). I'll leave the ending for you to see. If you love the wacky antics of Jerry Lewis and romantic comedy by all means go for it!

Jerry is funny!
My children and I love this movie! Jerry is funny and adorable. This is definatly one of his best (it's so hard to pick a favorite!)In the movie Gerry is left to raise tripplet girls who are babies until there mother finishes shooting a film in which she star's. In the funny and famous style that only Jerry can do he makes it heaps of fun that you never get tired of watching. A good clean, funny movie for everyone.

Whoa Baby!
This video is awesome. My kids love to watch it and laugh hilariously. It is great for all ages (even me). It is about a man (Jerry Lewis) who is stuck helping raise 3 babies and it is really funny. If you buy this video, you won't be sorry. ... Read more

Reviews (35)

Don't miss this comedy!
Jennifer and Mr. Templeton meet when he gets her mermaid-suit on the hook while fishing (she's working as a mermaid in the weekends, hired to swim under her father's glass bottom boat for tourists). Later he, a famous scientist, hires her as his biographer and seduces her. After a while she's mistaken for a Russian spy.

Does it sound silly? Yes, it is. And very funny too. Almost all scenes, except for some in the middle of the movie, are very funny. Some examples: The kitchen scene, the scene with the remote-controlled boat and the scenes on the party towards the end of the movie. You should see for yourself! Doris sings "Soft as the Starlight", "Que Sera, Sera" and the title song.

If you like good comedies, this movie is for you. The cast is very good, especially Doris Day, and the screenplay is clever, and silly at the same time. This movie will make you laugh a lot.

Smooth Sailing "Boat"
"The Glass Bottom Boat" sailed into the nation's movie theatres in the summer of 1966 and quickly became one of the summer's top grossing comedy hits. Perennial favorite Doris Day showed a gift for slapstick comedy under the direction of Frank Tashlin who had honed his skill directing Jerry Lewis, Jayne Mansfield and others. Aided by a comedy dream cast including Dom DeLuise, Paul Lynde, Dick Martin, Edward Andrews and others, "Boat" is a fast paced, nutty, often side-splitting laugh fest whose plot is difficult to describe.

Day plays a tour guide at a space plant, who phones her dog Vladimir regularly. She's mistaken for a spy after being "caught" off Catalina Island by Rod Taylor, where she impersonates a mermaid for her father, Arthur Godfrey's glass bottom boat tours. Mix in some banana creme cake, some eye popping clothes designed by Ray Aghayan and his partner Bob Mackie, including a "Cher-like" Mata Hata outfit, some nosy neighbors played by "Bewitched" cast members George Tobias and Alice Pearce, and you've got the recipe for comedy highjinks.

Doris sings a couple of tunes including her signature hit, "Que Sera Sera" in a charming sequence with Godfrey, in his film debut. The mix is perfect throughout and this is one boat worth taking a cruise on.

Is Doris a secret spy or just a woman in love?
Doris Day is a mermaid that is until Rod Taylor (THE TIME MACHINE [1960]) catches her suit on a fishing hook in Catalina. She lost the bottom of her costume. She does it all. She is also a tour guide for the company Rod Taylor works for. She calls her dog at home from time to time. We've got Paul Lynde as a snoopy Security Guard. After the mermaid incident, clumsy Doris and Rod become friends and he invites Doris to his home to see the space-age kitchen. No need for a woman in this kitchen as you will see. Not quite "The Jetsons".
Also in the cast is several other character actors you have seen in Doris day films. Arthur Godfrey, John mcGiver, Edward Andrews, Dom DeLuise, Elizabeth Fraser, Dick Martin and Ellen Corby. Florence Halop and Robert Vaughn in cameos.
There is also Alice Pearce and George Tobias who at that time played the snoopy married neighbors in the Bewitched tv series. Alice Pearce was the first "Gladys Kravitz" from 1964-1972. George Tobias was the realistic "Mr. Kravitz".
Doris day and Arthur Godfrey ham "Que Sara Sara".
Some scenes filmed in Avalon, Catalina Island.
Paul Lynde has a scene in "drag".

All aboard All abaord on the Glass Bottom Boat
This is a movie that I watch all of the time. Jennifer Nelson (Doris Day) is a worker at the NASA center in Florida. The day before she starts work she is swimming in the ocean and Bruce Templeton (Rod Taylor) gets hold of her mermaids tail with his fishing pole and pulls it off! Well when Jennifer finds out who he really is and that he is her boss she gets really nice to him. She is then put in as his private secratery to write a book about his life! Well the head honchos find out that she is doing some funny things and they think she is a Russian Spy because she calls her dog Vladimir but they think that is her Russion CounterPart! Well the movie ends funnily! Great family movie I highly suggest it to ya'll!

Please bring this out on DVD!
I've been waiting for this (along with some Jerry Lewis movies) to be produced on DVD. People are eager to see these older movies! I just love Doris Day! Please bring it out on DVD! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Martin and Lewis part with their greatest film.
'Hollywood Or Bust', along with 'Artists And Models', is the finest Martin and Lewis vehicle - both were directed by genius Frank Tashlin, a former cartoonist who brought a comic-strip sensibility to his movies. 'Bust' is best seen as a glorious live-action cartoon, all bright painted colours (especially red and green) and exagerrated set-pieces in which extreme violence and crisis have no physical or mental effect, the characters picking themselves up, dusting off and continuing. The patterning of red, especially, has a splendid pay off when a red-jacketed Jerry finds himself in a corral with a ferocious bull.

Dino is a petty gangster in serious hock to a 'bookie' - he devises a plan whereby he'll forge tickets for a Chevy raffle, which prize he'll sell to pay his debts. The real winning ticket belongs to Jerry, a nerdish film buff who wants to travel to Hollywood to meet his idol, Anita Ekberg. Dino's attempts to ditch this nuisance fail, so they head West, picking up an aspiring starlet on the way, one initially hostile to Dino's pressing charms. Their adventures include having their car robbed by a gun-wielding granny; a dry-run for Anita's famous fountain-dip in 'La Dolce Vita'; and a raucous chase through the Paramount lot.

The Martin-Lewis relationship in this film is best seen as that between a father and son, the first unwilling and exasperated, but eventually humanised; the latter crazed with pubescent lust for buxom blondes, restless, disruptive, easily bored, but doggedly loyal. This division affects the treatment of their respective romantic interludes - Dino's is an adult, playful pursuit in which sexuality is clearly the issue; Jerry's is an absurd, sexless joke.

Or is it? Tashlin maight be considered the Douglas Sirk of 50s comedy, somebody who played the Hollywood game, and provided the entertainments his patrons and audiences wanted, but who smuggled in subversive ideas and critiques. Dino's romance is the stuff of conventional romantic comedy - two people, initially hostile because of misunderstanding, realise they love each other, and overcome obstacles to be together. There are sinister aspects to this plot - including a near-rape by a lake - but it follows the familiar route. It is parodically mirrored twice, however - not only by Jerry's preposterous antics, but the amorousness of his hound, Mr. Bascombe, slithering in poolside longing after Ekberg's poodle: for the first time in the film, his identifying, er, appendages, are clearly visible (deriding the censorship-appeasing euphemisms of the film). It's surely no coincidence that his long-limbed loucheness is very Dean Martin. Here is a downward-turning evolutionary process, the 'normality' of the Dino plot made to seem ridiculous and bestial. Earlier, Mr. Bascombe had figured as a restraining influence on Dino, foiling his every attempt to cheat Jerry. As the heel repents, the guardian morally declines, mocking the idea that 'conscience' could ever be embodied in a dog.

Throughout the film, Tashlin is similarly emphasising the film's lack of realism, and displaying the proceses of its construction, from the ironic use of backdrop, the ostentatious framing, the playing to the camera (with Jerry hurling a football at us), the stilted switches between narrative and musical sequences, to the 'disrobing' of Hollywood pretence in the Paramount sequence. It's no coincidence that Godard and Truffaut were huge fans of Martin and Lewis - 'Bust' is one of the great Hollywood expressions of cinephilia. It's also a road movie as ironic Western, invoking Horace Greeley and the dreams of going West, but finding it supercivilised and industrialised - hostile to dream, the frontier spirit tamed by capitalism - even the Indians have become American teenagers.

For all its flaunting Hollywood landmarks, the film is an expression of 50s crisis in the industry, acknowledging film's losing ground to TV and 'youth' culture (especially rock'n'roll). Jerry is a kind of Buster Keaton figure here, the dreamer who transforms horrible reality with his dreams, the only arena in which he can become a hero. Hollywood, according to Tashlin, can no longer afford that luxury.

Amazing Martin - Lewis in Motion
Gorgeously original slapdash comedy,suave Dean Martin and geeky Jerry Lewis team up with badass ride and great dane to cruise to Hollywood.Hilarious nostalgic fun,one of Frank Tashlin's best.

Dean and Jerry Go Bust
"Hollywood or Bust" was the last Martin and Lewis film -- and you can see that the comedy team was on its last legs. Despite Frank Tashlin's inventive direction, the film is terribly uneven. Jerry has some memorable routines, but it's evident that Dino has had enough. The chemistry is gone. Still, it remains one of duo's better efforts.

Great Dane lovers this is for you!
Overlooked for being on the cover this movie is lots of fun because of Mr. Bascombe, the Great Dane! Lovers of Great Danes are bound to be tickled by this movie by what the dog does. A favorite in our house by people and danes living here!

great look @ america in 1956
the film is a panoramic look (some will say cliched look) at america in the fifties(no warts) just good clean fun-they say dean and jerry weren't getting along, but i can't tell that from the film.....i hadn't seen it in a long time and it still looks good! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

One great laugh out loud line........
I agree with others that pan and scan is sacrilege!! Anyway, see the movie if only to hear the hilarious use of the word "titular". You will fall on the floor laughing, I swear! Great send-up of the Madison Avenue, three-martini-lunch ad world. Enjoy!

A fifties masterpiece BUT DON'T BUY THE VHS!
A devastating satire of American culture. Could one accuse Tashlin of exploiting Jayne Mansfield's breasts for the sake of criticizing America's breast fetish? Probably, but Mansfield's performance is nothing short of fabulous. Problem: The VHS is pan and scan. This is simply unacceptable. If I were only allowed one video to be letterboxed in my collection, and accept pan and scan versions of everything else, I'd choose this one. That's right, not 2001, not anything from David Lean, not even my beloved _Manhattan_. Nope. This one loses all value in pan and scan. tape it off TCM next time around. Borrow or e-bay a laserdisc copy. e-mail Fox video and demand a DVD. Don't buy the VHS. It's not worth a penny.

Being happy is the very living end!
This satire movie skewers its first victim immediately after the 20th Century Fox logo, where Tony Randall is seen playing the drums and cello from the Fox fanfare with Cinemascope extension. After Randall briefly explains the plot of the movie, the credits continue with some satiric commercials on products that obviously don't cut the mustard.

Ever-suffering Madison Avenue TV commercial writer Rockwell Hunter is working at LaSalle, Raskin, Poole, and Crocket to save the Stayput Lipstick account. He's planning to marry Jenny, who's a secretary at the firm. He gets the inspiration of using blonde bombshell Rita Marlowe to endorse Stayput Lipstick from his teenage niece April, who's the local president of the Rita Marlowe fan club. Rita is in fact spending some time in New York to recuperate from a bad affair with jungle-man actor Bobo Branniganski, with her companion Vi in tow.

Hunter goes to Marlowe's apartment to get her endorsement. He does so, but in exchange for pretending to be her lover and making Bobo, with whom she's talking on the phone, jealous. She brazenly tells Bobo that Rockwell is the president of the firm.
His life then takes a tailspin for the better and wilder. He is mobbed by bobbysocksers in the same way the Beatles would be seven years later. However, things with Jenny becomes strained as he and Rita become an item, and it's clear that Rita genuinely falls in love with him.

There is also a half-time intermission, where Tony Randall speaks on the wonders of TV, which back then was a 21" screen with a "wonderful clean picture."

The main idea is that it's a fallacy to equate success with getting big money; if it makes you happy, do it! Therein lies the flaws of capitalism and big business. What is the big deal of gray-flanneled dreams, the ritual of getting a key to the executive washroom, and working on ideas to get the American people to buy things they don't really need? Henry Rufus, Rockwell's immediate supervisor, has the best lines. If he gets fired, he'll have no problem getting another job--he has no talent. His line "It's a miracle how you overcame your education" also implies that to work in the grey flannel jungle, a college education is the last thing needed. And best of all: "If talent had anything to do with success, then Brooks Brothers would go out of business. Movie studios would be turned into supermarkets."

Other jabs or references include Marilyn Monroe's marriage to Arthur Miller, Marilyn wanting to play Grushenka in the Brothers Karamazov, Marilyn incorporating herself, tycoon J.D. Rockefeller's passion for roses, and Elvis-"I don't have sideburns!"

All the main stars work wonders here. Jayne Mansfield, having previously starred in a Tashlin vehicle, The Girl Can't Help It, has a ball spoofing herself in the best role of her career. Joan Blondell as Vi, Rita's caustic companion, has a wonderful role when she fondly and tearfully reminisces her unrequited love affair with a milkman. One of her great lines goes: "She couldn't speak English, being from Texas." Ironically, Blondell played another character named Vi, in Grease. Henry Jones (Rufus) is more extraverted than he was as Mousey in The Girl Can't Help It. British actor John Williams as LaSalle Jr. has a few appearances but a key role. And talk about the dialogue: slick, snappy, and laugh-eliciting. There aren't many movies like this one; it does appear dated, but the main idea is timeless. Remember, being happy is the very living end!

a masterpiece, yes, but when does it come to DVD?
It's pretty simple: there are few satires like it ever. Tashlin's not subtle in his satire, like, say, Billy Wilder could be, but that's the cartoonist in him. I could say more, but my gripe is that the film remains unavailable in DVD, which would assuredly present it in its original widescreen format. The beauty of the magnificent sequence which mocks the television screen, surely worth the price of the ticket in 1957, cannot be told in a pan and scan version. I cannot reccommend the VHS (which I believe is not letterboxed). Tape it off AMC or TCM if you can, or scour the e-auctions for laserdisc copies, or demand that Fox home video get out a DVD of this thing. This film is the reason they invented DVD!

Tashlin's Shining Moment
For a guy who scaled the twin peaks of animation and feature films - a rare accomplishment in the 1950s - director/gagman Frank Tashlin has, surprisingly, few real standouts on his resume. Too often ill-served by either his material, his stars, or both at once, Tashlin's reputation rests on his cartoons (of course) and flashes of brilliance in otherwise so-so live-action movies. After all, in most civilized nations, being the director of both CINDERFELLA and THE PRIVATE NAVY OF SGT O'FARRELL constitutes a demerit if not an outright crime against humanity. Even Tashlin's better pictures, like SON OF PALEFACE and THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT, tend to be mediocrities occasionally enlivened by his outlandish visual slapstick. WILL SUCCESS SPOIL ROCK HUNTER? is the glorious summit of what had to have been a frustrating career, the one time he was matched with a writer (Geo Axelrod) and cast (led by Tony Randall & Jayne Mansfield) perfectly in sync with his playfully outre satiric sensibility. The end result will make you wish lightning had struck more often like this for Tashlin; ROCK HUNTER may be the most beautifully 'opened-up' stage property in film history. It's visually clever and sumptuous, engagingly witty and breathlessly paced all at the same time. Best of all, its satiric barbs (aimed equally at television and the Organization Man mindset) hit their targets consistently while never superceding the character-driven heart of the story. Randall is simply terrific here, and his wobbly tightwalk between schnook and lothario is hilarious. Add a few bonus points for the casting of the severely-underappreciated Henry Jones as Randall's fellow ad-exec, who oozes an authentic 50s boozy licentiousness & gray-flannelled desperation from his pores in every scene he steals. Jayne's at her very best to boot, doing her trademark sex-kitten squeal with one arched, knowing eyebrow, and displaying plenty of resourceful smarts in her wised-up line readings throughout. As satisfying a comedy as emerged from the American 50s. Make sure you see it widescreen, though: you won't want to miss a thing here. Tashlin's masterpiece, and his penance for Jerry Lewis and Phyllis Diller. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Forget Jane, just listen to that '50s Rock & Roll
Edmond O'Brien and Tom Ewell have the dubious honor of dealing with Jayne Mansfield's double dose of charm in this 1956 film. The plot (a.k.a. the excuse for the film) is that Ewell is a press agent hired by gangster O'Brien to make his girlfriend Mansfield a star. Director Frank Tashlin gets a lot of mileage out of this lame set up, but the reason to watch this film is for some classic performances by some of the top rockers of the 1950s: Fats Domino, Eddie Cochran, The Platters, Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps, and headlining the list Little Richard doing three songs: "She's Got It," "Ready Teddy" and "The Girl Can't Help It." Hey, just give me that old time rock 'n' roll.

Forget the Monroe Comparison
I saw this film while I was in high school and I have never forgotten it. Jayne Mansfield was beautiful and it's a shame she couldn't get past being a typical Monroe copy cat because she wasn't. She was smart, funny, and made any woman want to be like her at that time. Her presence was dynamic and Tom Ewell was hilarious as her counter-part in the film. It is by far the best film she made and what a joy to watch so many young talented rock'n'roll singers like Little Richard that exploded onto the screen with his awesome voice. If you like the 50's music and you like Jayne Mansfield then this is the film you should start with.

A Live Action Rock n' Roll Cartoon!
This movie is a great, make that GREAT, musical-comedy!
It's a live-action cartoon (because Frank Tashilin, director of so many of Warner's "Looney Toones") directed it & it's a satire of the music industry.

It's also a great chance to see some early legends of rock n' roll, including Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran, The Platters, Fats Domino, Little Richard, along with some other minor rockers including Eddie Fontaine, The Three Chuckles, as well as pop singer Julie London & jazz great Abbey Lincoln. Anyone who wishes to hear REAL rock 'n roll music from the '50's (NOT nostalgia musicals like "Grease") as well as to see these rockers in the prime of their youth as they were meant to be seen (not as old men past their musical prime like on those well-meaning, if misguided PBS specials), well...this movie is for you! (I missed out on the '50's, having been a teenager during the '80's, so this film is a fun, "educational" piece of Americana for me!)

If you like comedy, "The Girl Can't Help It" delivers. It's not only a good pop-culture satire, but it's risque' sex-humor manages laughs without outright vulgarity. (Today's comedy writers could learn from this 46 year-old gem.)

And what words can bring justice to the incredibly gorgeous Jayne Mansfield? "Va-va-va-voom!"

A very great Film: The Live Performers are Excellent ! *****
This film takes you back to a time you have lived in before or wished you had. The groups and performers in this film are simply outstanding * Little Richard is at his all time best !! He may have never looked any better than when he was in this film * Of course Jane Mansfield is perfect for the role. She was quite the presence throughout and captures your heart with her warm down home character that only wants to settle down and have a home. If your nostalgic though - This is the film for you - The soundtrack is a real 5 star production !! Highly recommend you view this and draw your own opinion. It isnt really a dramatic masterpiece but it is like A Hard Days Night was for it's capture of time - for the Fab four - This film allows a similar feeling of nostalgia in that sense - A place in history when the performers are on - Thank you *****

Tashlin meets Mansfield!!!
What a movie. What a Farce, What a flick, ...This film does have it all. We can see by all the LENGTHY reviews that its all THERE.

This reminds me of that cliche about Orson Welles wriiten by a Boston Newspaperman. It went something like this. " Last night Orson Welles promised verey thing on stage including the kitchen sink....then ...there as the curtain went up....there on centre stage was...the kitchen sink!!"

Ms. Mansfield has to be viewed in letterbox format to be appreciated. Edmond O'Brien sweats almost as much as he did in the " Barefoot Contessa" Tom Ewell colects his paycheck and the acts of the day are terrific. Julie London was never steamier.

Did Frank Tashlin sleep on a bed of nails to come up with this one..we,ll never know...what we do know know is that there is no other film like this one....stares provided by none other than Henry Kulky!! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

This Movie Has Magic!
Although Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis made a great team, this movie, The Geisha Boy, shows Jerry's true talent solo.

Jerry plays a magician named Mr. Wooley, who plans to entertain troops overseas to make a few bucks. Part of his tricks include a rabbit named Harry. This rabbit plays a big part in the movie (perhaps taking Dean's place?). Struggling, Mr. Wooley thinks that playing for the USO will make him a few bucks and give him, perhaps, the big break he's been waiting for. In this time he meets a beautiful Japanese woman, who has a nephew that laughs at practically the sight of Mr. Wooley, and is forever changed by Mr. Wooley. In this comical love story, also featuring Suzanne Pleshette in her first movie role, Jerry really shows true talent for clean comedy and laughs without a sidekick (if you don't count the rabbit). There are also a few surprise things in the movie that you really have to pay attention to catch, making it even more fun!

I highly recommend anyone who enjoys Jerry to watch this film. It will have you rolling with laughter and magically feeling good!

A Hidden Gem of Jerry Lewis; A Japanese Fan Can Testify
Owing to Eddie Murphy remake, "The Nutty Professor" comes to our mind first as Jerry Lewis's most representative work, but it also tends to overshadow his other neglected gems, one of which is here, "The Geisha Boy." Despite its now corny title, the film has still a lot to offer for our laugh.

Jerry is this time a second-rate magician, who goes to Japan and war-time Korea, to entertain the soldiers; instead, he falls in love with a Japanese woman Kimi (Nobu McCarthy). He also forms an unlikely relationship with an orphaned boy, who considers Jerry as a new father. As the time of returning to America comes near, he has to decide: stay or leave?

Besides the touching story, in which Jerry shows his tender side, he exhibits lots of his crazy gags as usual, and they are very funny even now. Among many others, my favorite is "the biggest splash in the world" that happens in the Japanese public bath. And Harry the Hare always steals the show -- look how he runs in a hotel -- and Sessue Hayakawa appears as a cameo, to parody his role in a David Lean film (you know what).

As far as I can judge from the film, Jerry's segments are all shot inside America, just like they did in Bogart's "Tokyo Joe" (though we see a big statue of Buddha in Kamakura, Japan, Jerry does not share the screen with it.) The town of Japan is obviously made in a soundstage, but these facts are not important. As a Japanese, I am not a little surprised (pleasantly) to find that the film is friendly to Japan, (remember both nations were at war 13 years before) and inaccurate descriptions of Japan, which are still often found in Hollywood movies, are reduced to the minimal level. It is quite possible that someone behind the production team gave information on Japan, not to offend Japanese audience. The biggest suprise is that some of the gag are clearly made for Japanese; check out the scene where a Japanese boy watches a TV program. An American is speaking (dubbed) Japanese, but his speech is in a dialect of Kansai, western district of Japan. This causes a big laugh in Japan, because it is like hearing a Japanese speaking with a strong accent of, say, New Orleans or Scotland. Who thought of this idea?

My only complaint is the film is longer than it should be, and the opening and ending reels move a little slowly. And Pleshette's character (her debut, and appears in military uniform) should be given more screen time. But these are minor things. A good film that makes you laugh a lot.

Domo Arrigato Gozaimasu, Jerry!
One of the better Jerry Lewis movies made after his split with Dean Martin. Jerry appears as an inept magician with a white rabbit named Harry as a constant companion. Together, they travel to Japan to perform as part of a goodwill tour sponsored by the State Department. While there, Jerry befriends a young boy who constantly follows him around. Jerry gets into one hilarious jam after another everywhere he goes in Japan. The 1958 Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team (their first year in LA after the move from Brooklyn) makes a cameo appearance in this film. Overall, very entertaining and funny with a couple of touching moments between Jerry and his young friend.

The ONLY Jerry Lewis movie
After watching every Jerry Lewis movie I can get my hands on, and this being one of the first I ever saw, I would still say it is his best. As soon as the little Japanese boy laughs at him, he is asked by the family to stay and keep making the boy laugh. He rather reluctanlty does so, but soon realizes he is having fun, along with Harry, his white rabbit that travels everywhere with Mr Wooley (Jerry Lewis) The Magician, especialy to Korea to entertain the troops. A great movie for adults and children.

Classic Jerry Lewis comedy
"The Geisha Boy" is the only Jerry Lewis movie I've ever seen and it's a good one. Jerry Lewis is a magician with a rabbit as a sidekick. He goes on the road one day to Tokyo, Japan where he meets a family that invites him to stay with them. A young boy becomes close with Mr. Wooley (Jerry Lewis) and wants him to be his father. For awhile, Mr. Wooley stays with the family until he learns that he has to go on the road again.

"The Geisha Boy" is a funny movie with some classic scenes such as when the rabbit gets loose on the plane and when Jerry Lewis's sandwiches keep mysteriously disappearing. If you like good old comedy movies, you should like this one. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

How I fell in love with Shirley MacLaine
Considering all that has happened since, it becomes easy to forget just how great Martin and Lewis were in the early to mid fifties. This was the first of their films that I saw and, to me anyway, it remains the best and a showcase for just how much fun they were. An additional plus is a very young Shirley MacLaine, who even then displayed an incredible screen presence in what could have been a throwaway role. She outshines Dorothy Malone and set my five-year-old heart on fire. They don't make movies like this any more and that's a shame. Shirley, wherever you are, I've been waiting.

My 8 year old's favorite rental!
This movie was a ton of fun. The classic scene "Bat Lady & Fat Lady" scene between Martin & Lewis made the picture. A very young (and quite attractive) Shirley MacLaine adds to the picture with a bit of wit.

When I showed this picture to my son he couldn't stop watching it. Whenever we go to the video store he asks to rent it. I figure that there are a lot of clean movies out there like this one that kids would love if only we adults would expose them to em. Of course for its time it shows quite a quantity of lovely ladies.

My wife absolutely died over the scene when Jerry tries to get his back fixed. This will definately be bought for my son's next birthday. I suggest you don't wait that long.

Even if you don't like Martin and Lewis-
It is difficult not to like this brilliant Frank Tashlin film. He did cartoons in the 1940's, and he adds surreal cartoon gags here as he did in his other under-rated film THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT. Made when Washington was investigating pin up girls like Bettie Page and horror comic books, the subplot and plea in support of kids comics was very rare for the era.
I have often said that you don't have to like Martin and Lewis to like a Frank Tashlin movie. This is the film to show people who don't get the pair. Dean gets to sing entire songs, Lewis does a scene imagining a steak dinner that works on any age group, and you will not believe how hot the young Shirley MacLaine looks in a Bat Girl costume.
Now, if they could get a letterboxed dvd out........

A Worthwhile Effort
Although the humor is a little childish and cartoonish at times, it was meant to be! In this Tashlin outing, Martin and Lewis team together again in a light and entertaining spoof of censorship and comic book culture. The Cold War plot thrown in at the end is timely, though out of place, in an otherwise exceptionally goofy live action cartoon.

do u want to laugh?
Each time is the first time...the scene with Shearly and Jerry is so funny and each time seems to be the first! ...And Dean is so handsome! ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Laughter Is The Best Medicine!
Jerry Lewis is Jerome Littlefield, an orderly at a mental institution who acts crazier than the patients. Since Frank Tashlin directed this movie, Jerry is free to concentrate solely on his performance, which he does to perfection. Once again Jerry is the lovable loser, who was thrown out of medical school because he felt the symptoms of every patient he diagnosed. This movie features a lot of great sight gags. Jerry fixes a television set in a patient's room that has poor reception, also known as snow. When he takes out the front of the TV, snow comes flying out of the set and soon fills the room! A patient is in a full body cast from head to toe, looking like a plastered mummy. Jerry accidentally knocks him over, the patient goes rolling down a hill and crashes into a tree. There's pieces of broken plaster everywhere, but no body! Jerry declares, "I lost a patient!" The movie concludes with one of the craziest chase scenes in movie history, as a wheeled stretcher with an injured man on it rolls out of the back of an ambulance and continues to roll down hills, while first one, then two ambulances chase him. This movie features more LPMs (laughs per minute) than most modern comedies, and is one of Jerry's funniest films.

Calling Dr. Jerry Funnybone, stat!
This is a hilarious nuthouse romp (although) Jerry makes everywhere a nuthouse.

The common Lewis flaw of getting carried away with a pathos-driven subplot (this time Susan Oliver trying to bump herself off) bogs things down a bit, but the sight gag totals serve to mellow it out in general.

The only real mistake happens at the tail end of the flick, when a wild chase ensues, ending with Jerry's boss rolling on a stretcher down the street, along a pier and into the ocean.

But right before that happens, two ambulances collide on either side of Jerry - one with Jerry's girlfriend in it and the other... shows no driver!

In fact, right before the crash, the movie's director Frank Tashlin even goes to all the trouble of showing us in a closeup that the ambulance's cab is empty, except that someone is still somehow turning the steering wheel.

What's up with THAT?!

A One Laugh Comedy!
I remember watching Jerry Lewis in a movie when I was a kid and liking it, I think it was called Cinderfella but I watched The Disorderly Orderly recently and since I love slapstick humor I thought I would love this movie but really it wasn't all that funny and when Jerry Lewis would use that loud voice for his character that gave the head nurse headaches it just kind of got on my nerves too.

I laughed once during this movie and that was when he was outside and the psychiatric patient tied him up in the straight jacket and he very slowly was trying to make his way back to the inside of the hospital and a snail passed him moving faster then he was.

superb
I loved this when I was a kid and I'm glad to say I still do now at 42! This is one of Jerry Lewis's finest with some really clever visual gags and an inspired use of sound(look out for the apple scene.)Kathleen Freeman is also great as the long suffering head nurse.The whole cast is excellent really and Everett Sloane is on fine form as the very un-pc director of the hospital.
A great film and very nearly up there with Lewis's(not Eddie Murphy's!) The Nutty Professor.

Great Comedy
This movie starts out kind of stupid, but about fifteen minutes into it you will be laughing on the floor. It as a great movie that the whole family can enjoy and will have you wanting to see other JL movies too! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

For specialized tastes only
This movie was intended for only the British audience. It assumes that the viewer knows about the details of the highly stratified British social customs in the early post war period. So much of the information necessary for the plot is contained in such subtle details as someone wearing a bowler hat or the upper class person offering a middle class person sherry and then leaving the room.

Unless you recognize the significance of these things the people seem to be doing strange random things and the entertainment value of the story is removed.

Tony Randall a Good Actor Was Badly Miscast Here!
Tony Randall as Hercule Poirot? You've got to be kidding? I liked Tony Randall in movies like Pillow Talk and he was great as Felix Unger in the Odd Couple TV show but he is no Poirot and he is definitely no David Suchet who all Poirot's will forever be measured, and after him Peter Ustinov and Albert Finney! Tony is just badly miscast as Poirot he's too tall, too skinny, etc, I also want to point out that Tony Randall is not the terrible actor the other reviewers are suggesting he is but he was just not right for tthe roll of Porot! Even though I'm not sure if he would have made a good Poirot they should have cast Robert Morley as Poirot and Tony Randall as Hastings and maybe it would have made a little more sense!

Icky-pooh
If you only LOOK at the cover for this video, you can tell that the lead is no Peter Ustinov, the yardstick by which all Poirot actors are measured:

Death on the Nile (1978) ASIN: 6302990114

Evil Under the Sun (1982) ASIN: 6302990130

Thirteen at Dinner (1985) ASIN: 079074130X

Appointment With Death (1988) ASIN: 0790741318

You will get a headache or some sort of ache watching this. Save your money and save your time. Don't watch this adaptation-watch Ustinov instead!

This was a SPOOF, right?
If you only LOOK at the cover for this video, you can tell that the lead is no David Suchet, the yardstick by which all Poirot actors are measured. Randall is almost scary-looking in this movie, certainly not the slick, suave Belgian sleuth that we are used to.

And good grief, who desecrated one of Agatha Christie's most thrilling and intriguing plots ever? This plot has little subtlety and all the jokiness is insufferable. Don't watch this adaptation-watch Suchet instead!

Of course, if this is a spoof, then they succeeded mahhhh-vellously! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

It;s really not that bad
Why this film was a commercial failure and is critically loathed is beyond me. No, this is not one of Bob's best, not by any means. But Hope himself is in fine form, and while the film is uneven, there are enough good one liners and sight gags to satisfy his fans. Hope is ably supported by an ace supporting cast, including Phyllis Diller, Dick Sargent, and Jeffrey Hunter. Just sit back, relax, and laugh.

A surprisingly sub-par military comedy from Bob Hope
It is rather ironic that Bob Hope (who turned 100 today) provided so much entertainment for American troops in the field from World War II to Vietnam and beyond yet could only come up with this less than stellar military comedy. Bob plays the titular Sgt. O'Farrell, the power behind the throne on a U.S. base during World War II. When the base turns dry, the result of a Japanese torpedo and unsympathetic officeers, the sarge comes up with a plan, involving his own private navy, to get beer to the troops. O'Farrell is helped by Calvin Coolidge Ishimura (Mako), a Japanese deserter hiding out on the island. Once the boys are liquored up, the next goal becomes female companionship. The good news is that this brings Gina Lollobrigida to the island; the bad news is that it also brings Phyllis Diller, who plays Nellie Krause. She takes a liking to O'Farrell, which makes it difficult for him to go after Gina (or "Maria" as she is called--but no name on earth is as good as Gina Lollobrigida). Hope and Diller worked fine in their first film together, "Eight on the Lam," but not this time around as she relentlessly pursues O'Farrell. There is some good slapstick shtick and good lines here and there, but overall it is rather uneven. Is this the best Bob Hope comedy film ever? No, that remains "Paleface," even above the Road pictures. But it is not as bad as "The Iron Petticoat" with Katharine Hepburn. Be glad I do not let anybody see my copy of that film. "The Private Navy of Sgt. O'Farrell" is worth one look, but I would not consider it worth repeat viewings.

Hope fan
This movie is so cornball that I just love it. Bob and Phyllis together are great, and so is Jeffrey Hunter. Light hearted goofy fun! Wish it were cleaned up and put in widescreen though cause the ocean island setting is very scenic.

Leonard... Get Real!!
Of all the Bob Hope Movies during the sixties, this was one of the best (even though I loved them all). It had the slapstick with Hope and Diller playing off each other, the friendly Japanese soldier (Kinda like McHale's Navy TV Series), and just a light hearted plot that wasn't offensive to anyone. Leonard, you must have been sleeping thru this one, because you usually like the easy going movies like I do)... I just wish they would release the others, such as Boy Did I get A Wrong Number and Critic's Choice on DVD... Enjoy the fun everyone!!

Bob's a Blast!
This is one of my absolute favorite Bob Hope movies. The supporting cast is wonderful, and the plot is light-hearted and entertaining. I could watch this one over and over again--and have. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

Fella Fabulous!
I recall watching some Jerry Lewis movies when I was a child while visiting my Aunts house. I was entertained. As I grew older I found that Jerry Lewis became lost in childhood memories. However, one late night I was watching television and this movie was on. I had missed the beginning, and had to go to bed before the end, if I hadn't I would have been up to 5:30. I thought this movie was sooo cute, that I just had to order it. And it was worth it. I love the Cinderella gone upside down plot of this movie, and Jerry is an adorable jem. Perhaps I was a fan all along, but this movie had to remind me of it. This movie inspires me to see more of what Jerry has to offer and perhaps view some more of his movies as a grown up! A child grownup that is, who always roots for the underdog!

Modern Day Cinderella Story -- Jerry Lewis Style!
One of Lewis's early non-Martin films. Superior production values and charm throughout, this is a true Sunday afternoon family affair.

Based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale "Cinderella", orphaned Lewis is trapped in the situation of being royally taken advantage of by a selfish, scheming step-mother and her two full-grown layabout, playboy-wanna-be sons. The estate and a sizable fortune that went with it was to go to Lewis, but his "family" cleverly swindeld him, making Lewis feel grateful to be "allowed to stay". Used and abused as house-boy, Lewis attracts the attention of a love-interest, much to the chagrin of the two rejected step-brothers. The rest is predictable.

Not a huge box-office success, this piece of light Hollywood candy nonetheless has found steady fans in the wonderful world of TV re-runs. Like Annette & Frankie and their beach outings, a steady supply of 1960s Jerry Lewis films have been shown and shown again on small screens all over the world. To own this gem on VHS is a sound investment in the comedy entertainment of any household. A big winner in my book!*****

Heaps of fun and laugh's
Jerry Lewis is sooooooo good in this movie. It's better than Cinderella and make's me laught every time I watch it (which has been many.)I will never get sick of it. There are lot's of very funny lines. If your a Jerry Lewis fan it won't fail to please.

Lewis at his best
Cinderfella is a wonderful spin on the classic tale of the poor step-child and wicked step-family. The story is witty and Jerry Lewis is absolutely hilarious. The presence of the Count Basie Orchestra is icing on the cake!!

Cinderfella
Cinderfella is a great movie classic. It is full of fun, very classy and has a great storyline. Jerry Lewis brings to life one of the world's most beloved fairytales(Cinderella) in his own unique style. I recommend this wonderful movie classic to anyone who appreciates great, classy comedy. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Son of Paleface
SON OF PALEFACE is a sequel, of sorts, to Bob Hope's 1948 hit PALEFACE. It reunites Hope with Jane Russell (Calamity Jane in the previous movie, Mike 'The Torch' Delroy in this one.) Singing cowboy Roy Rogers rounds out the lead roster as Federal Agent Roy Barton.
Hope plays Peter 'Junior' Potter Jr., a recent Harvard grad who travels west to claim his inheritance. Russell plays a masked bandit and Rogers the Fed investigating a series of stagecoach holdups. There's a search for a cache of gold hidden by Junior's father but beyond that the plot doesn't get in the way much at all. If it did, you'd wonder how the masked Torch is able to keep her identity a secret. Yeah, she's wearing a mask, but the hip-hugging jeans and tight blouse she wears when a-robbing make it kind of obvious who it is under the mask.
Not that it matters much. The plot is just thick enough, thank you. Russell and Rogers play it straight and provide Hope with strong foils to play against. By 1952, when SON OF PALEFACE was made, Bob Hope had the blustering coward schtick down cold. Teamed here was director and former Warner Brothers animator Frank Tashlin things get a little wacky. Non sequiturs, snappy one-liners and mugging close-ups are the rule here. Tashlin throws in some very cartoon-y gags, as well. Hope drinks an impossibly tall drink in a bar. After a moment the pipe he's smoking straightens out and spits fire. The H on his Harvard shirt curls. The pipe curls and his nose is caught in the bowl. Smoke hisses out of Hope's ears. His head spins rapidly, then his body. His head sinks into his coat and his hat covers the neck hole. Russell lifts the hat and peeks in....
You get the idea. It's all good family fun with just a scene or two that might zoom past the uninitiated. For instance, when Hope drives his roadster across the desert two vultures perch on the rumble seat. At one point Hope turns on them and says "Hey! Martin and Lewis! Beat it!" Fortunately, the visual and verbal gags come at such a rapid-fire rate we aren't forced to mull over such mysterious references. Before we're given a chance to think about it Hope has driven through an ice-rink desert mirage and the vultures have changed into penguins.
SON OF PALEFACE is one of those rare movies that will appeal to almost everybody and offend almost nobody.

Golden age western is a winner
Delightful western spoof is one of Bob Hope's best films, and he has plenty of solid support from the busty Jane Russell and the King of the Cowboys, Roy Rogers and his golden palomino, Trigger, "the smartest horse in the movies". Junior Potter [Hope] comes west to inherit his dad's wealth and instead finds himself saddled with his numerous debts and an irate townsfolk is ready to take out their frustrations on Harvard man Potter. Rogers is in town to investigate a series of bank robberies led by "The Torch" and the trail leads to lovely Mike [Russell], a dance-hall singer by day and a black-clad raider by night. Hope fires off snappy one-liners throughout the film's 95 minutes and he has a humorous sequence with Trigger in a hotel room while trying to escape from agent Rogers. Several songs are presented in the movie, among them the popular tune, "Buttons and Bows".

Hope at his Best!
Quite seriously (in a manner of speaking!) this is the best of all of Bob Hope's movies. Although the Road To.. films are classics and will forever feature in the Comedy Hall of Fame, this little-known gem is a real riot! This probably comes closest to Road to Utopia in terms of zaniness.
A sequel-of-sorts to the hugely inferior The Paleface, this movie lays it's cards on the table from the very beginning as we are introduced to the titular 'hero' through a very witty narration ("This girl has just the kind of lips I like to kiss - one on top and one on the bottom") that includes the almost obligatory Bing Crosby cameo. Following this is a few minutes of plot development (and, strangely, this film has more plot than most straight westerns) before Junior Potter (Hope) bursts into town. Great one-liners abound ("I'm an innocent man and if you have any justice in you, you'll accept my bribe") but the real beauty of the film is the surreal, almost cartoon-like direction. Of course the direction has every right to be cartoon-like - it's directed by Frank Tashlin who started in Hollywood directing Porky Pig! Wild action includes Hope's reaction to a Micky Finn, Hope's attempts to blend in with his cowboy costume, Hope and Trigger sharing a bed and talk (tastefully done!) and a crazy chase finale involving banana skins!
Supporting players Jane Russell, Roy Rogers and, of course, Trigger do extremely well in the shadow of Hope who pulls out all of the stops for a career-best performance. The songs, including Buttons and Bows with a twist, are great and the script, apart from the few straight seems which are kept to a minimum, compares well with the Marx Brothers at their best.
Don't believe me - watch it and see for yourself!

Funny stuff
I like this film quite a bit. I always liked Bob Hope as a kid and this film is pretty funny. I didn't buy this one for Bob though, I LOVE Jane Russell and had the hots for her as a kid. This film is a good fun family film that is pretty silly. If in a silly mood check this film out!

Silly fun
I've never seen the original film but used to catch this one alot on tv when I was a kid. I am a HUGE Jane Russell fan and enjoy the silly humor presented here in this film but truly got it for Jane Russell. She looks good in the film and that is a very dim witted reason to REALLY enjoy this film but it's the truth. I think its a good silly romp for the whole family and for anyone who can laugh at Bob hope. It was alot funnier as a kid of course but it's good if in a silly mood. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Son of Paleface
SON OF PALEFACE is a sequel, of sorts, to Bob Hope's 1948 hit PALEFACE. It reunites Hope with Jane Russell (Calamity Jane in the previous movie, Mike 'The Torch' Delroy in this one.) Singing cowboy Roy Rogers rounds out the lead roster as Federal Agent Roy Barton.
Hope plays Peter 'Junior' Potter Jr., a recent Harvard grad who travels west to claim his inheritance. Russell plays a masked bandit and Rogers the Fed investigating a series of stagecoach holdups. There's a search for a cache of gold hidden by Junior's father but beyond that the plot doesn't get in the way much at all. If it did, you'd wonder how the masked Torch is able to keep her identity a secret. Yeah, she's wearing a mask, but the hip-hugging jeans and tight blouse she wears when a-robbing make it kind of obvious who it is under the mask.
Not that it matters much. The plot is just thick enough, thank you. Russell and Rogers play it straight and provide Hope with strong foils to play against. By 1952, when SON OF PALEFACE was made, Bob Hope had the blustering coward schtick down cold. Teamed here was director and former Warner Brothers animator Frank Tashlin things get a little wacky. Non sequiturs, snappy one-liners and mugging close-ups are the rule here. Tashlin throws in some very cartoon-y gags, as well. Hope drinks an impossibly tall drink in a bar. After a moment the pipe he's smoking straightens out and spits fire. The H on his Harvard shirt curls. The pipe curls and his nose is caught in the bowl. Smoke hisses out of Hope's ears. His head spins rapidly, then his body. His head sinks into his coat and his hat covers the neck hole. Russell lifts the hat and peeks in....
You get the idea. It's all good family fun with just a scene or two that might zoom past the uninitiated. For instance, when Hope drives his roadster across the desert two vultures perch on the rumble seat. At one point Hope turns on them and says "Hey! Martin and Lewis! Beat it!" Fortunately, the visual and verbal gags come at such a rapid-fire rate we aren't forced to mull over such mysterious references. Before we're given a chance to think about it Hope has driven through an ice-rink desert mirage and the vultures have changed into penguins.
SON OF PALEFACE is one of those rare movies that will appeal to almost everybody and offend almost nobody.

Golden age western is a winner
Delightful western spoof is one of Bob Hope's best films, and he has plenty of solid support from the busty Jane Russell and the King of the Cowboys, Roy Rogers and his golden palomino, Trigger, "the smartest horse in the movies". Junior Potter [Hope] comes west to inherit his dad's wealth and instead finds himself saddled with his numerous debts and an irate townsfolk is ready to take out their frustrations on Harvard man Potter. Rogers is in town to investigate a series of bank robberies led by "The Torch" and the trail leads to lovely Mike [Russell], a dance-hall singer by day and a black-clad raider by night. Hope fires off snappy one-liners throughout the film's 95 minutes and he has a humorous sequence with Trigger in a hotel room while trying to escape from agent Rogers. Several songs are presented in the movie, among them the popular tune, "Buttons and Bows".

Hope at his Best!
Quite seriously (in a manner of speaking!) this is the best of all of Bob Hope's movies. Although the Road To.. films are classics and will forever feature in the Comedy Hall of Fame, this little-known gem is a real riot! This probably comes closest to Road to Utopia in terms of zaniness.
A sequel-of-sorts to the hugely inferior The Paleface, this movie lays it's cards on the table from the very beginning as we are introduced to the titular 'hero' through a very witty narration ("This girl has just the kind of lips I like to kiss - one on top and one on the bottom") that includes the almost obligatory Bing Crosby cameo. Following this is a few minutes of plot development (and, strangely, this film has more plot than most straight westerns) before Junior Potter (Hope) bursts into town. Great one-liners abound ("I'm an innocent man and if you have any justice in you, you'll accept my bribe") but the real beauty of the film is the surreal, almost cartoon-like direction. Of course the direction has every right to be cartoon-like - it's directed by Frank Tashlin who started in Hollywood directing Porky Pig! Wild action includes Hope's reaction to a Micky Finn, Hope's attempts to blend in with his cowboy costume, Hope and Trigger sharing a bed and talk (tastefully done!) and a crazy chase finale involving banana skins!
Supporting players Jane Russell, Roy Rogers and, of course, Trigger do extremely well in the shadow of Hope who pulls out all of the stops for a career-best performance. The songs, including Buttons and Bows with a twist, are great and the script, apart from the few straight seems which are kept to a minimum, compares well with the Marx Brothers at their best.
Don't believe me - watch it and see for yourself!

Funny stuff
I like this film quite a bit. I always liked Bob Hope as a kid and this film is pretty funny. I didn't buy this one for Bob though, I LOVE Jane Russell and had the hots for her as a kid. This film is a good fun family film that is pretty silly. If in a silly mood check this film out!

Silly fun
I've never seen the original film but used to catch this one alot on tv when I was a kid. I am a HUGE Jane Russell fan and enjoy the silly humor presented here in this film but truly got it for Jane Russell. She looks good in the film and that is a very dim witted reason to REALLY enjoy this film but it's the truth. I think its a good silly romp for the whole family and for anyone who can laugh at Bob hope. It was alot funnier as a kid of course but it's good if in a silly mood. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Son of Paleface
SON OF PALEFACE is a sequel, of sorts, to Bob Hope's 1948 hit PALEFACE. It reunites Hope with Jane Russell (Calamity Jane in the previous movie, Mike 'The Torch' Delroy in this one.) Singing cowboy Roy Rogers rounds out the lead roster as Federal Agent Roy Barton.
Hope plays Peter 'Junior' Potter Jr., a recent Harvard grad who travels west to claim his inheritance. Russell plays a masked bandit and Rogers the Fed investigating a series of stagecoach holdups. There's a search for a cache of gold hidden by Junior's father but beyond that the plot doesn't get in the way much at all. If it did, you'd wonder how the masked Torch is able to keep her identity a secret. Yeah, she's wearing a mask, but the hip-hugging jeans and tight blouse she wears when a-robbing make it kind of obvious who it is under the mask.
Not that it matters much. The plot is just thick enough, thank you. Russell and Rogers play it straight and provide Hope with strong foils to play against. By 1952, when SON OF PALEFACE was made, Bob Hope had the blustering coward schtick down cold. Teamed here was director and former Warner Brothers animator Frank Tashlin things get a little wacky. Non sequiturs, snappy one-liners and mugging close-ups are the rule here. Tashlin throws in some very cartoon-y gags, as well. Hope drinks an impossibly tall drink in a bar. After a moment the pipe he's smoking straightens out and spits fire. The H on his Harvard shirt curls. The pipe curls and his nose is caught in the bowl. Smoke hisses out of Hope's ears. His head spins rapidly, then his body. His head sinks into his coat and his hat covers the neck hole. Russell lifts the hat and peeks in....
You get the idea. It's all good family fun with just a scene or two that might zoom past the uninitiated. For instance, when Hope drives his roadster across the desert two vultures perch on the rumble seat. At one point Hope turns on them and says "Hey! Martin and Lewis! Beat it!" Fortunately, the visual and verbal gags come at such a rapid-fire rate we aren't forced to mull over such mysterious references. Before we're given a chance to think about it Hope has driven through an ice-rink desert mirage and the vultures have changed into penguins.
SON OF PALEFACE is one of those rare movies that will appeal to almost everybody and offend almost nobody.

Golden age western is a winner
Delightful western spoof is one of Bob Hope's best films, and he has plenty of solid support from the busty Jane Russell and the King of the Cowboys, Roy Rogers and his golden palomino, Trigger, "the smartest horse in the movies". Junior Potter [Hope] comes west to inherit his dad's wealth and instead finds himself saddled with his numerous debts and an irate townsfolk is ready to take out their frustrations on Harvard man Potter. Rogers is in town to investigate a series of bank robberies led by "The Torch" and the trail leads to lovely Mike [Russell], a dance-hall singer by day and a black-clad raider by night. Hope fires off snappy one-liners throughout the film's 95 minutes and he has a humorous sequence with Trigger in a hotel room while trying to escape from agent Rogers. Several songs are presented in the movie, among them the popular tune, "Buttons and Bows".

Hope at his Best!
Quite seriously (in a manner of speaking!) this is the best of all of Bob Hope's movies. Although the Road To.. films are classics and will forever feature in the Comedy Hall of Fame, this little-known gem is a real riot! This probably comes closest to Road to Utopia in terms of zaniness.
A sequel-of-sorts to the hugely inferior The Paleface, this movie lays it's cards on the table from the very beginning as we are introduced to the titular 'hero' through a very witty narration ("This girl has just the kind of lips I like to kiss - one on top and one on the bottom") that includes the almost obligatory Bing Crosby cameo. Following this is a few minutes of plot development (and, strangely, this film has more plot than most straight westerns) before Junior Potter (Hope) bursts into town. Great one-liners abound ("I'm an innocent man and if you have any justice in you, you'll accept my bribe") but the real beauty of the film is the surreal, almost cartoon-like direction. Of course the direction has every right to be cartoon-like - it's directed by Frank Tashlin who started in Hollywood directing Porky Pig! Wild action includes Hope's reaction to a Micky Finn, Hope's attempts to blend in with his cowboy costume, Hope and Trigger sharing a bed and talk (tastefully done!) and a crazy chase finale involving banana skins!
Supporting players Jane Russell, Roy Rogers and, of course, Trigger do extremely well in the shadow of Hope who pulls out all of the stops for a career-best performance. The songs, including Buttons and Bows with a twist, are great and the script, apart from the few straight seems which are kept to a minimum, compares well with the Marx Brothers at their best.
Don't believe me - watch it and see for yourself!

Funny stuff
I like this film quite a bit. I always liked Bob Hope as a kid and this film is pretty funny. I didn't buy this one for Bob though, I LOVE Jane Russell and had the hots for her as a kid. This film is a good fun family film that is pretty silly. If in a silly mood check this film out!

Silly fun
I've never seen the original film but used to catch this one alot on tv when I was a kid. I am a HUGE Jane Russell fan and enjoy the silly humor presented here in this film but truly got it for Jane Russell. She looks good in the film and that is a very dim witted reason to REALLY enjoy this film but it's the truth. I think its a good silly romp for the whole family and for anyone who can laugh at Bob hope. It was alot funnier as a kid of course but it's good if in a silly mood. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

A fun Hope Christmas flick
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this lesser-known Bob Hope Christmas film. Bob Hope plays a shifty race track con man who finds h