THE LADIES' MAN
US, 1961, 106 minutes, Colour.
Jerry Lewis, Helen Traubel, Jack Kruschen, Doodles Weaver, Gloria Jean.
Directed by Jerry Lewis.
The Ladies' Man was written, produced and directed by Jerry Lewis himself. It is an entertaining star vehicle. It starts with many clever comedy routines and a great deal of style. It emphasises Lewis' persona as the poor little man – afraid of girls. However, the film veers towards sentiment and more slapstick comedy. However, it is an interesting example of Lewis' capacity for inventive comedy as well as showing his ordinary slapstick brash style.
1. The title and expectations? As applied to Jerry Lewis? His work, his pathetic small man character - and relationship with women?
2. The style of the film? The emphases on comic routines and imaginative presentation? The writing and direction of Lewis as well as his acting?
3. The conventionalities of the plot: the hero and his fear of girls after being jilted, his wanting to escape them, landing in a girls' academy with so many attractive girls, his wanting to escape, his helping, his being needed? The pathos of the character and his relationships? The relationship to the head of the school, to the sympathetic secretary, to the girl in need?
4. How well delineated were the characters - especially of the Head, her secretary? The individual girls?
5. How much of the success of the film depended on the routines? The opening with the album and its look? The introduction to Milltown and the long tracking shot from the quiet walk down the road to chaos? The sinking bed? The full suitcase with so much coming out of it? The importance of the long routine with the girls waking up, the jazz music and their choreography to the alarm? The importance of Herbert and his job-seeking, the talk with Kathy? Jerry Lewis impersonating Herbert's mother? The set-up of the academy and the cross-section of the house and the way this filled the screen and enabled choreographed movement? Herbert and his glasses and the good morning? The several Herberts in his name? The various speeches - about faith, being fed? The smash routines e.g. the smashing of the glass collection? The furniture? The rehearsal of the letter delivery? The butterflies? The pet with its milk, meat, roaring? The final escape? The Gainsborough routine, the hat? The guest routine with Buddy Lester? The humour of the George Raft routine, the flipping of the coin and missing it, the dance? How enjoyable were these routines - their illustrating their illustrating styles of American comedy?
6. How well did the film sustain its comedy? The inventiveness, the visual humour verbal humour, farce and satire? Sentiment and pathos? How well does Jerry Lewis blend these? Lewis' particular contribution to American comedy? The basic point behind this small man being seen as the ladies' man?
