Review #989: The Nutty Professor.
Cast:
Jerry Lewis (Professor Julius F. Kelp/Buddy Love/Baby Kelp), Stella Stevens (Ms. Stella Purdy), Del Moore (Dr. Mortimer S. Warfield), Kathleen Freeman (Ms. Millie Lemmon), Howard Morris (Mr. Elmer Kelp), Elvia Allman (Mrs. Edwina Kelp), Julie Parrish (College Student), Milton Frome (Dr. M. Sheppard Leevee), Buddy Lester (Bartender), and Med Flory (Warzewski) Directed by Jerry Lewis.
Review:
When I reviewed the remake back in 2013, I had given the film a 8/10 star rating while not comparing it to this film, due to not having seen it; in any case, the remake has aged finely for me, having a charm to it that worked just fine. I say all of this not to cast a shadow on this film, but because it wouldn't feel right to not do so. No matter which version you prefer, they both are good film, so let's move on to the original, which happens to be the first film on this show that features the late Jerry Lewis.
At any rate, this film (based on the novel Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde) does tend to have more hits than misses while serving as good amusement, with Lewis being the key highlight. His high energy along with how he plays both characters make for good entertainment to watch, with both characters having their moments to shine. His performance as Kelp is certainly endearing and also fairly clever (with a particularly distinctive voice as well). Lewis had stated that Buddy Love was based on every obnoxious self-important hateful hipster that he had known, contrary to the perception from others of it serving as a lampoon of his former comedy duo partner, Dean Martin. In any case, there is something quite about his performance as Love that seems to captivate you and never let you take his eye off him, despite the nature of his character. Stevens does a fine job, being fairly capable in handling scenes with both of Lewis's characters consistently enough. Moore serves for some amusing banter scenes with Lewis while also being welcomely over-the-top. The rest of the cast serve their purpose fairly well. The nature of film is a bit of a double-edged sword: the film does take risks and has a variety of gags and characters while also being unpredictable at times, but the tone of the film occasionally feels uneven, with the climax being a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, the sequences at the dance are pretty effective, but the last scene and how it seals the film up with Lewis and Stevens's characters seems a bit murky. In any case, this is a successful film that certainly has enough laughs and charm to make for a good time.
Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.
