Jerry, der Herzpatient

I saw this film for the 1st time at age 10 and I just loved it. My 11 yr. old loved it too. Jerry tries a bit different role here. At first he's a more believable, realistic person, probably tired by now of playing a lovable but bumbling idiot, then as the movie progresses, he starts to slip back into his more lovable, funny guy, routine on his fishing trips. The whole story is told to a group of doctors by Jerry and you wonder what landed him in a hospital all during the movie. The ending reveals it and is surely slap stick humor, but leaves you smiling and wanting another Jerry Lewis film to watch. I noticed the Bewitched set instantly, even at age 10. Good movie just not his best!

I have tried any number of times to understand why the French think Jerry Lewis is the comic equivalent of Charlie Chaplin. I always fail. His sophomoric mugging always leaves me cold. Therefore I was surprised to see him in a new vein in this flick which I caught on American Movie Classics. Gone is the juvenile horseplay of his earlier films with Dean Martin. We have here a more restrained and mature comic style, shown to good form at the start of the movie, which is a series of set pieces showing off comic aspects of life in suburbia. Unfortunately, the film goes downhill as it deals with his extravagant fishing trip.

Fred C. Dobbs (Jerry Lewis) is on the operating table in a foreign country. He recounts his story for the medical students. Nothing goes right for the insurance agent family man who is actually named Peter Ingersoll. His only joy is fishing but his wife Nancy (Anne Francis) complains about the costs. His doctor Scott Carter (Peter Lawford) tells him that he's dying. With a large life insurance policy, his family is secured. His wife suggests that he takes an epic blow-out tropical fishing trip.

I don't mind that he's unhappy with his suburban life. I'm not rooting that hard for him to go have a single man adventure. He's lusting for the beautiful babes and that seems rather lonely and unfunny. I actually would like him to go into the wilds or get into the local life. He needs to get in touch with himself and get some character growth. Was he pitching for Pepsi back in the day? Sometimes, dated comedic references can go over my head. As for the rest of the premise, I stop caring about it. Jerry is doing some Weekend at Bernie slapstick that would be funny if I actually cared. I see what he's trying to do. It's a comedy that I don't find funny.

The premise here is pretty familiar: family man and insurance company employee Peter Ingersoll (Jerry Lewis) is told that he's dying by his doctor and supposed "friend" Scott Carter (Peter Lawford). Thinking that he has mere months to live, Peter follows his wife's suggestion to go on an expensive vacation on his company's dime. Peter racks up about six figures in debt, and then is tracked down by Scott, who tells him, guess what? I made a mistake, and you're not dying. Now Peter is embroiled in a variety of fraudulent schemes to avoid any sort of consequences.

"Hook, Line and Sucker" was, in this viewers' humble opinion, one of Jerry's lesser vehicles from this era. The fact that the scenario is routine stuff is just one problem, but the screenwriter, Rod Amateau, and director, George Marshall, don't develop things in any truly interesting or funny ways, and the whole story is mostly uninspired. There are some solid laughs at the outset, as well as a pretty amusing punchline at the end, but overall this is far from Jerry's best.

Jerry gives it a reasonably good performance, falling back on some classic Jerry zaniness. His "heart attack" is hilariously stupid, and when he's required to play the role of an "Australian" character, it's real eye-rolling stuff. He gets decent support from Lawford, and the gorgeous Anne Francis, as Peters' homemaker wife. Jennifer Edwards (daughter of filmmaker Blake Edwards) and Jimmy Miller play Peters' kids, and there is a brief role for Jerry's longtime repertory player Kathleen Freeman as an inattentive babysitter.

This delivers some laughs, and has a fairly bright wrap-up, but there are no genuine comedy fireworks to speak of.

Five out of 10.

Jerry Lewis (as Peter Ingersoll) is in a hospital, with a medical team ready to operate on him, and a bunch of people who seem like an audience reacting, as he tells his story: He had a TV situation comedy-like family, complete with a TV show set out of "Bewitched". His doctor Peter Lawford (as Scott Carter) tells Mr. Lewis that, due to a bad heart, he has only months to live. Lewis' wife Anne Francis (as Nancy) suggests he spend his last months traveling and spending credit card money...

The plot of this movie doesn't have any discernible logic. Lewis, Lawford, and Francis carry on what the filmmakers thought was a funny situation? You can follow along with the happenings, but it doesn't make any sense; and, it certainly isn't funny. The one "joke" that may jolt you comes at the end of the film. However, it doesn't have much to do with the story (other than the obvious fact that Jerry Lewis enjoys fishing). A better idea might have been for Lewis to stop making movies like this, get some good writers, and do a real TV comedy.

** Hook, Line and Sinker (5/7/69) George Marshall ~ Jerry Lewis, Peter Lawford, Anne Francis