Die Pechvögel

Through the course of the 1960s, the so-called 'Rat Pack' splintered apart. After a perceived slight, Frank Sinatra completely broke off his relationship with Peter Lawford and the old Vegas Rat Pack days were over. Despite this, Lawford managed to maintain his friendship with another Rat Packer...Sammy Davis. So, it's not particularly surprising that the pair made a film together in 1968, "Salt and Pepper". What WAS surprising about this vanity project was that two years later, they made a sequel...and this one was directed by none other than Jerry Lewis.

Once again, Charlie Salt (Sammy Davis) and Christopher Pepper (Peter Lawford) are swinging friends in London. However, after getting in trouble with the law, the pair go to Christopher's brother, Lord Sydney Pepper (also played by Lawford) for money. Chris' estranged twin brother wants little to do with him and the pair have a big fight. Later, when Chris returns to Lord Sydney's flat, he finds his brother on the floor...dead. For some inexplicable reason (none of which is apparent to the audience), Chris pretends to be Sydney....and doesn't tell his partner that he's alive. What also is inexplicable is that Chris isn't particularly curious about WHO killed his brother...as well as worrying that they might now try to kill him! Plot holes? Oh, you betcha!

The film is a combination buddy film, comedy and action/adventure film...with some musical numbers by Davis tossed into the mix...even though they really seem out of place. Overall, the film screams 'Vanity Project!!'....and it looks clear that Lawford and Davis had a great time making the film...though only the most ardent fans would share this enthusiasm. The laughs are mostly tired and over-done, there is excessive mugging at the camera, the plot illogical and the film tough going for the average person...particularly someone NOT enamored or familiar with these actors.

By the way, fans of British horror might at least enjoy seeing a cameo by Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing...which somes from out of no where in the last half of the film. Also, there is talk about a sequel to "One More Time" at the end of the movie...this never came to be.

In London, Chris Pepper (Peter Lawford) and Charlie Salt (Sammy Davis Jr.) get arrested and lose their nightclub. Chris' twin brother Lord Sydney Pepper is tired of the embarrassment. He's willing to pay their fines but insists that they leave the country. They refuse. They go live it up with Chris pretending to be Sydney. Then Chris finds Sydney's dead body. He decides to switch places but it turns out that Sydney had been murdered.

Chris should have told Charlie as soon as possible. This should be a buddy comedy. For that to happen, they need to be both in on the scam and then both get in trouble. This could have been a fun screwball comedy as the duo gets chased around by the killers. It's not funny with Chris hiding the truth in the first half. Sammy is sort of released in the second half. I can certainly see the comedic potential of this pairing. Apparently, this is a sequel and maybe the first one is better.

Salt & Pepper return, a bit more grizzled (especially in Lawford's case) and a lot more manic (particularly in Sammy's case, who also sheds his hepcat's pomade sheen for an au courant afro) in this manure-for-brains atrocity.

This time, the expatriate Rat Packers seem less concerned with hitting on dollybirds and more concerned with taking pratfalls and wearing goofy costumes. Indeed, under the direction of Jerry Lewis, the once swinging club owners are transformed into the second coming of Martin and Lewis.

Jerry changes the dynamics of the partnership here: instead of the Dino figure doing the singing, it's the Jerry clone who warbles the ditties (three to be exact). The Total Filmmaker also encourages Davis to make "funny" faces like there's no tomorrow, and Sammy gleefully obliges. Bugging his one good eye and contorting his rubber lips in all directions, D. Gives a master class in mug-a-minute, desperately unfunny overacting.

For the record, S & P still smoke a whole lot of cigarettes. They also have a brief run-in with Christopher "Dracula" Lee, Peter "Dr. Frankenstein" Cushing and Dudley Sutton as a leering hunchback. Which provokes Sammy to let out a scream loud enough to hear in Las Vegas.

Alas, the one thing he doesn't do is scream "Hey, la-a-a-a-d-dy!!!!!" Aww, what a gyp.

One More Time (1970)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Charles Salt (Sammy Davis, Jr.) and Christopher Pepper (Peter Lawford) are once again on the run after being connected to a murder of the rich Lord Syndey Pepper (Lawford).

ONE MORE TIME really shouldn't have been made and I'm really not sure why it was. This here is a sequel to SALT AND PEPPER, which apparently made enough money at the box office where the producers thought a sequel would be a good idea. For some reason, Jerry Lewis was brought on to direct the picture. I viewed this shortly after the legendary comedian passed away. Days after I went through countless talk show appearances and various interviews and yet I never heard him talk about this film.

With all of that said, I wasn't a fan of the original picture and this one here was pretty much more of the same as we get Davis and Lawford running around, trying to be funny but being letdown by a pretty bland screenplay. There's just nothing fresh or original here and both stars just appear to be going by the numbers. What's even stranger is that Lewis stayed behind the camera yet he has Davis doing this strange scenes that just don't work. Davis is pretty much asked to act like Lewis but it's not funny and it's more awkward than anything else.

The film has some fairly poor pacing and there simply weren't enough laughs here to make the film worth sitting through. If you enjoyed the first film then perhaps you'll enjoy this one a tad bit more than I did. The highlight is without question a cameo by a couple British stars.

Follow-up to Salt and Pepper where Peter Lawford and Sammy Davis Jr. played two very middle-aged swingers running a night spot called Salt and Pepper. This time around the two get into trouble for repeated problems and ask Lawford's lookalike brother(yes, he plays him as well) for money. Turns out he is a Lord and owns the family castle given up by Pepper so long ago. Also turns out he is involved in smuggling diamonds and is a double agent, etc... Lawford's brother is killed and Lawford as Pepper assumes his brother's role and hilarity is to ensue - NOT! While I believe this to be a more engaging and slightly more amusing vehicle than the original Salt and Pepper, it really doesn't have a lot going for it. Jerry Lewis directs his buddies Davis and Lawford and with his special brand of humour. We get Davis trying to be Jerry Lewis in several scenes: a scene with him seeing how everything is huge in his new bedroom at the castle where he looks and everything looks so huge. I have seen Lewis pull this same thing countless times. Davis; not sure if this is a compliment or not, is no Lewis; however. He just doesn't have the same lunatic spirit though he has some scenes which are slightly amusing. Most of the time he does come off as being very flat because the material is so tiresome and over-used. The brightest spots in the movie are Lawford's as he pulls off playing the two brothers really rather well. The plot is ridiculous. Are we really to believe that these two over-the-hill guys are hip swingers? Davis of course sings a few tunes including the somewhat catchy "One More Time" as the opening and end credits roll. For me the only fascinating aspect of the film is the addition of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in brief - and I mean BRIEF - cameos. In one scene Davis finds a wooden secret panel in the castle that has behind it , down some steps, a laboratory with Cushing standing, a woman on a gurney, and Lee bearing fangs. Cushing has a brief line or so as does Lee. Their screen time is embarrassingly slight. Why Lewis didn't given them a bit more time amazes me as THIS scene is the opening scene in this film's theatrical trailer! Unfortunately Cushing and Lee maybe have 30 seconds of screen time. But if you are a completist in either's filmography, you will have to endure One More Time at least once.