The team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis were an explosion, coming out of nowhere and leaving an
impression that's lasted half a century since their last performance. Together only ten years
from the day they first shared a stage in 1946 until the exact same date in 1956 when their
relationship finally crumbled, Martin & Lewis started in nightclubs and blasted through radio,
television and of course the movies. There were comedy duos before and have been afterwards but
Martin and Lewis were nearly a perfect match. One an unflappable ladies man who could croon and
swing his way through life, the other a cascade of gags, sentiment, impressions, off-key singing
and any other bits of chaos that seemed inappropriate. Theirs was a go-for-broke attitude that
was as likely to use dusty vaudeville bits or skip the planning and improvise for a bit.
Though TV may have preserved Martin & Lewis' act in its purest form, their film career was in
many ways the most spectacular. With 16 films in seven years their schedule would have overcome
many other performers, especially with the constant stream of other appearances. Even more
impressive is that they were able to stay reliably solid, something you can witness on the
Martin & Lewis Collection: Volume 1 (Paramount) which has eight of their first nine films
and a nice Al Hirschfeld caricature on the cover. Missing is 1950's
At War with the
Army, produced by the duo's own York Productions; possibly the rights weren't available but
you can find the film from several companies that specialize in budget public-domain films. In
any case the collection is a great opportunity to follow the first half of Martin & Lewis'
career and see some nice films as well. It's interesting that their path roughly paralleled
Abbott and Costello's: initial tryouts in supporting roles then a trio of service comedies
before moving along to genre parodies. But it's only a superficial resemblence since Abbott and
Costello made films that are interesting only in bits while Martin and Lewis' films work more
consistently and with greater range--perhaps driven by Jerry's infamous perfectionism or maybe
it was just a studio willing to spend a bit more money.
Martin and Lewis' initial films tested the waters. Their debut was 1949's
My Friend
Irma, based on a popular radio show that followed the misadventures of Irma (Marie Wilson),
a ditzy blonde given to malapropisms and general kookiness. Of course that's a little hard to
maintain next to Jerry Lewis even when he's a bit subdued. Wilson and a few supporting players
were brought over from the radio show for a story about trying to make a fortune off Dino's
singing ability. The result is a pretty standard comedy for that time so it's really only
Martin & Lewis' appearance that this is even remembered today. They couldn't have spent much
time working on it since sections are clearly pulled directly from their nightclub act. Also of
note is John Lund playing Irma's scheming lowlife boyfriend Al to the hilt.
My Friend Irma
Goes West (not an actual Western, fans would have to wait a few years until
Pardners)
appeared just eight months after the first film but oddly ignores the plot of the entire last
half hour of the previous film. This time Martin & Lewis have larger roles and it doesn't hurt
that Corinne Calvet was tossed in as a sexpot film star but the result is all too obviously
rushed. All the outdoor Southwestern scenes are done in front of projection screens and again
chunks come from Martin & Lewis' act, including a great bit where Lewis tries to conduct
Martin's backing orchestra. Boyfriend Lund is toned down and Lewis does a dubious Indian
impersonation but at least the film shows Martin & Lewis weren't just a one-time hit.
At War with the Army followed (missing from the set as described above) and then in 1951
That's My Boy, one of the low points of either performer's career. They're no longer
supporting players but now up front and center though unfortunately trapped in a story about
Lewis trying to please his football hero father with the help of quarterback Martin. A kind of
Harold Lloyd retread,
That's My Boy is painfully heavyhanded while rarely working as
comedy and never as drama. It's the kind of film where a psychiatrist appears just long enough
to explain the blatantly obvious father-son friction then promptly disappears. Some viewers
might get a kick out of seeing Martin (age 34) and Lewis (25) play teenagers and others can't
help but wonder whether in 1951 quarterbacks also returned punts and kicked the extra point or
the studio just wanted to give Martin more screen time. The film has the look of a cheap
television production with everything lit in full glare, clumsy camera movements and sets that
feel like they'll tumble apart if an actor turns too suddenly. Inexplicably it was nominated
for a Writer's Guild Award as best-written comedy and inspired a one-season TV show.
But put all that behind you. Martin & Lewis hit the proverbial pay dirt with
Sailor
Beware (1952) where the fellows somewhat unintentionally end up in the Navy and then try to
win a silly bet. It was based on a play previously filmed three times but now adapted by Three
Stooges scripter Elwood Ullman with additional dialogue by Abbott & Costello's regular gag
writer John Grant. There's nothing tired about the resulting film because it shows Martin &
Lewis to full effect in a nice mix of both verbal and physical humor. There are some nightclub
bits again but also routines built out of the circumstances, one of the most memorable being
Lewis' attempts to swab the deck of a submarine while unaware it's submerging. The plot itself
is pretty much irrelevant but allows a wide variety of situations: a physical exam, a kissing
contest, cramped ship's quarters, a Hawaiian luau. Martin sings at his most Bing Crosby-like
and even makes an explicit reference to it. Add a cameo by Betty Hutton (who starred in a
previous version of the film, 1942's
The Fleet's In) and an early appearance by James
Dean who has one line of dialogue and it's easy to see how Martin & Lewis earned so many fans.
The duo followed this success with a couple of slightly more routine but still entertaining
films.
Jumping Jacks (1952) places them in the paratroopers and features more military
hijinks. Imagine Jerry Lewis dealing with a rough drill sergeant or trying to pack a parachute
and you've got the general idea. Note that Dino's character is named Chick just as Bud Abbott
was in a couple of films.
The Stooge (1952) had been filmed two years earlier but
withheld from release, perhaps because producer Hal Wallis reportedly didn't much like it. The
film isn't in the usual Martin & Lewis mold since it's mostly a drama with comic bits and
curiously the story reflects the duo themselves though it's not clear how much of that was
deliberate. Martin plays a singer/performer during the 1930s who decides he should be a solo
star instead. When his act bombs, Lewis helps out as an enlisted stooge and they're immediately
popular but Martin still considers this a solo act and pushes Lewis' character into the
background. The film captures show business self-obsession and drive clearly without becoming
cliched. Both main characters are believable: Martin arrogant and star-addled, Lewis
charmingly loyal and unconcerned about money. Most of the comedy is performed within the
storyline, usually in wonderful routines the two do on Broadway stages, and for a touch of
period authenticity all the songs but one are actually from the period. (Originally issued as
Martin's first 10" album but interested fans can find them on a CD called
Dean Martin
Sings.)
The Stooge isn't
All About Eve or
A Star is Born but it's
certainly been unfairly dismissed over the years.
The more humorous
Scared Stiff (1953) is the collection's other standout. A remake of
Bob Hope's 1940
The Ghost Breaker (itself based on a play filmed twice in the silent
era), this is easily the set's best-looking film due to director George Marshall and
cinematographer Ernest Laszlo (
Inherit the Wind among seven Oscar nominations and one
win). They seem to have decided to work as if this was a straight-forward mystery with a touch
of noir (most of the ghost story parody is wisely kept towards the end) so there's a visual
richness to the rainy streets, foggy ship decks and moist tropical jungle that recalls classic
Hollywood. Just as important Martin & Lewis are given a strong supporting cast with Lizabeth
Scott as the woman in distress, Dorothy Malone as a loose showgirl, George Dolenz as an
unreliable lawyer and Carmen Miranda as ship-board entertainment (her last film appearance).
The songs are some of the best in the series, even novelty numbers like "Enchiladas" and "Bongo
Bingo," and Dean gets one top-notch romantic ballad. Martin even opens the film with a
performance of his earlier hit "I Don't Care if the Sun Don't Shine" which was recorded the
following year by a young Mississippi guy named Elvis Presley. The song was originally intended
for
Cinderella but never made the cut and while Martin and Patti Page both had hits with
it in 1950, Elvis based his version on what he saw in
Scared Stiff.
The Caddy (1953) also boasts strong songs, this time from the great Harry Warren and
lyricist Jack Brooks. Martin's signature "That's Amore" was introduced in this film but "What
Wouldcha Do Without Me?" and "The Gay Continental" (the latter performed by Lewis alone) are
just as memorable. There's the usual comedy setup; this time Lewis as a superb golfer with such
stage fright that he can't play in tournaments so he pairs with the untutored talent of Martin
so they can win enough money to save the fishing business of Martin's family. Oh, don't worry
whether that makes much sense because again the story isn't quite the point. There are echoes
of
The Stooge in the way that Martin's character heads for the high life to romance Donna
Reed and pushes Lewis away as merely his caddy but it never overpowers the film. After all
there's an extended sequence of pure slapstick at the opening where Lewis accidentally
demolishes much of a department store and he's given other comic routines to avoid growling
watchdogs, deal with the low ceiling of his bedroom or simply follow his fiance home. Martin &
Lewis may have been coasting through
The Caddy (and their personal relations were really
starting to fray at this time) but not many people could coast this productively.
The
Martin & Lewis Collection features the films in the solid transfers we've come to
expect. The one exception being
That's My Boy which is a bit soft though since the
original film wasn't very nice looking it might not much matter. There are no extras except for
an occasional trailer and while nobody expects full audio commentaries and behind-the-scenes
documentaries a set like this definitely deserves at least a written overview of the team's
history. Let's hope that Volume 2 follows soon since it should include Martin & Lewis'
masterpiece
Artists and Models as well as such strong contenders as
Hollywood or
Bust and
Living It Up.
For more information about
Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis Collection: Volume 1, visit
Paramount Home Entertainment. To order
Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis
Collection: Volume 1, go to
TCM Shopping.
by Lang Thompson
