The Bellboy.

Review #1404: The Bellboy.

Cast: 
Jerry Lewis (Stanley / Jerry Lewis), Alex Gerry (Mr. Novak, Hotel Manager), Bob Clayton (Bob, Bell Captain), Sonny Sands (Sonny, Bellboy), Eddie Schaeffer (Eddie, Bellboy), Herkie Styles (Herkie, Bellboy), and David Landfield (David, Bellboy), with narration by Walter Winchell. Written, Produced and Directed by Jerry Lewis.

Review: 
"I learned from my dad that when you walk in front of an audience, they are the kings and queens, and you’re but the jester. And if you don’t think that way, you’re going to get very, very conceited."

Creativity can be a funny thing. Jerry Lewis was a creative comedian that found himself with deserving nicknames as "The King of Comedy" and "The Total Filmmaker" that earned respect all around the world (with the most notable being France). The son of a vaudevillian and pianist, Lewis aspired to make people laugh from an early age, notably by doing a mime act involving a phonograph by the time he was 15. In the next five years, he tried his hand at burlesque houses, soda jerk, and theater ushering before being encouraged to try again in comedy. One person he met while performing in clubs that changed his trajectory was nightclub singer Dean Martin, and the two formed an act together in 1946. They soon succeeded with their performance of slapstick and vaudeville jokes, and they would soon make their way to radio, television, and films (which they would appear in sixteen films from 1949 to 1956). Their partnership ended ten years later owing to tension between the two, but both found new heights to reach in their respective fields of comedy and singing, with Lewis' first solo film being The Delicate Delinquent (1957), which was also his first film as producer and (uncredited) writer. In a long career that spanned from 1946 until his death in 2017, Lewis would star, write and direct in several films over the decades (primarily in the 1950s and 1960s) along with performing comedy on the stage, teaching film at the University of Southern California, releasing albums and most importantly raised awareness for muscular dystrophy through his hosting of the annual telethon of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (for which he served as national chairman) that he did for several decades that is estimated to have raised over two billion dollars in donations.

This was a key film for Lewis, since this proved to be his directorial debut. It occurred because of Paramount Pictures (who he worked for since the Martin and Lewis films began) wanted to release Cinderfella (1960) in the summer, while Lewis favored the winter. To settle this, Lewis was tasked to do another film for them for them to release in 1960, with the limited timescale to make it leading to Lewis taking the hands of directing, writing (done in eight days), starring and producing out of his own pocket. This film was done in four weeks by Lewis at Miami Beach's Fontainebleau Hotel, where he performed at night while doing the film during the day. It was in this film that he utilized a video-assist system of cameras and closed circuit monitors, which were pioneering for their time, since a shot scene could be checked instantly through the video-assist as opposed to having go through raw footage at the end of the day, which was important for Lewis as he was starring and directing at the same time. This especially is important for a film that describes itself as one without plot that seems reminiscent of silent films with its mostly voiceless main character played with excellence by Lewis, who apparently was offered suggestions by famed comedian Stan Laurel about the film (which seems to be reflected by a lookalike that appears from time to time in the film). In any case, the film finds a fair level of balance in its gags, reaching silly heights with sight gags and other means of amusing the audience for 72 minutes that utilizes its one main setting of a hotel to make for light fun. There are quite a few highlights present, such a cameo from Milton Berle in which they both play themselves and butlers, or perhaps a sequence involving him getting pulled into an family argument literally by both sides. It is a pleasant little experience to share curiosity over when it comes to wanting a good time with some gags that hit most of the marks required that make for timeless viewing as a silly gem for Jerry Lewis.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.