Jerry Lewis' first film entry of the 1960's, "The Bellboy", turned out to be a bit of a fluke. He'd just finished filming "Cinderfella" at the end of 1959, but wanted to wait to release it as a family film over the Christmas season in 1960, instead of over the summer like Paramount Pictures wanted. In order to delay the release of "Cinderfella", Lewis convinced Paramount to finance an undeveloped project, which he would produce, write and direct before the summer season. The studio had their doubts, but nevertheless gave Lewis the green light.

While on his way to perform an engagement at the Fountainbleau Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida, Lewis finally came up with an idea for a film, in which he would play a silent bellboy running amok in the hotel. He quickly wrote a lengthy script and shot it over a period of four weeks, between February 8th and March 5th, 1960. The production was sped up by Lewis' use of locals as extras, and placing celebrities already appearing at the Fountainbleau in various roles. He later edited the film during a subsequent engagement in Las Vegas. Lewis' efforts to film the production on such a tight schedule led to his development of the "Closed Circuit Television Applied to Motion Pictures," now called the "video-assist technique." He was awarded a patent for this invention, one of his many contributions to the world of entertainment.

This is the paragraph where I normally outline the various plot devices within the film I'm reviewing, but "The Bellboy" is no ordinary film. As we're told by studio head Jack Emulsion (Jack Kruschen) during the opening scene, there is no story to the picture we're about to see. It's billed simply as a "visual diary of a few weeks in the life of a real nut," a clumsy, eager-to-please bellboy known simply as Stanley (Jerry Lewis). Essentially, the movie is 72 minutes of vignettes set at the Fountainbleau Hotel, pieced together in such a way so as to tell a credible story (which, by the end we're told is more of a moral). This style of storytelling became the theme for this era of Lewis' films - setting him loose in a location and allowing the sight gags to pile up, whether it be at a department store, a mental hospital, or a movie studio. The obvious location for a movie titled "The Bellboy" is in a hotel, and Lewis gives himself plenty of opportunities to be placed in one unexpected predictament after another in this lavish location.

"The Bellboy" is also Lewis' tribute to the silent film era. Not only does Stanley not utter a word throughout the movie - at least, not until the very end - but Lewis also asked Stan Laurel to play himself in the movie. Laurel turned the opportunity down, insisting his fans would be disappointed by his aged appearance, but was happy to offer input to Lewis on the script by suggesting scenes that would be better left cut from the final print. Lewis' cowriter (and former drummer), Bill Richmond, played Laurel as a caricature instead, randomly entering scenes from time to time with nary an explanation for his presence. As with silent films, background music plays a key role in the picture, thanks to the score by Walter Scharf. Comic sequences such as Stanley conducting an invisible orchestra in the ballroom are heightened by Scharf's score, and add to the production values of the film.

A film without a plot takes great chances, but Lewis' overall goal for "The Bellboy" was simply to make the audience laugh. Modern audiences may see some of the sequences as hit-or-miss, but the majority of them still hold up today. Lewis clearly has fun doing a small number of trick cuts throughout the picture, such as a scene in an empty diner and Stanley's handling of a flash-bulb camera in the dark of night. Running gags include Stanley's speedy serviceability, Bill Richmond's appearances as Stan Laurel, and Stanley's frequent scuffles with guests. There's also an amusing sequence early on when big-time movie star Jerry Lewis appears as himself to be a guest in the hotel, with his voluminous entourage in tow. Milton Berle is also a guest at the hotel, and finds himself in utter confusion when he meets Stanley, the bellboy who looks astonishingly just like Lewis! Lewis experiences his own double-take when he discovers a bellboy who looks just like Berle!

Along with Berle, there are cameo appearances from golfer Cary Middlecoff, and nightclub act The Novelites (funny, I always thought that was Lewis performing a dual role). Middlecoff shows up in one of many outdoor scenes away from the Fountainbleau, when Stanley causes him to miss a victory putt, while The Novelites appear in an amusing scene set at a strip club frequented by the bellboys. Though Stanley doesn't appear in this scene, Lewis was happy with the audience reaction to The Novelites and didn't mind taking the film's focus away from himself for a few minutes since his main interest was soliciting audience laughter from the film. Lewis more than achieves his goal in "The Bellboy", which ultimately did so well at the box office that he was able to write his own ticket at Paramount for the next few years until the production company was bought out by Gulf & Western and he chose to part ways.



"There's An Awful Lot Of Kooks In This Hotel": "The Bellboy" on DVD

Of the ten Jerry Lewis movies brought to DVD in the Fall of 2004, "The Bellboy" is second to "The Nutty Professor" in terms of bonus materials included in the package. Lewis fans will no doubt be pleased that his movies are finally starting to become available on the market, even if some of them are sparse on the bonus features.

Audio Commentary: Lewis offers a few interesting tidbits about the movie while congratulating his way through the audio commentary. Friend and neighbor Steve Lawrence chuckles his way through the commentary, as though watching the movie for the very first time.

Archival Materials: Rehearsals: seven minutes of rehearsal segments features Jerry and Walter Winchell rehearsing Winchell's narration sequence, a multiple ringing Telephone Gag with Stanley, and Jerry's Nightclub Act that he performed after production hours.

Archival Materials: Blooper - Milton Berle: I'm still not sure what's the exact blooper in this clip, but it's from the scene where the two bellboys who resemble Jerry Lewis and Milton Berle stand side by side.

Archival Materials: Deleted Scenes: three minutes of scenes cut from the movie, titled Bill Richmond as Stan Laurel, Too Many Bags, and A Star Arrives. Hit or miss selections, the latter two appear to be variations of the same scene.

Archival Materials: Jerry Receives A Letter From Stan Laurel: apparently, Lewis received a letter from Stan Laurel regarding the parody of him in "The Bellboy", so Lewis and his close friend and Laurel impersonator, Bill Richmond, take a moment to respond.

Archival Materials: Promo Spots: four promo spots for the movie, titled Walter Winchell Reports, It Happened In Room 728A, It Happened In Room 728B, and Introduction (an edited version of the theatrical trailer). I cast my vote for Room 728A as the funniest of them.

Archival Materials: Bellboy Bus Tour: Lewis' son, Chris, offers commentary over home video footage of Lewis promoting "The Bellboy" on a bus tour across the country. A very interesting piece that further highlights the innovations Lewis brought to the motion picture industry in his heyday.

Theatrical Trailer

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day