El ingenuo

A fun 1964 film that combines Jerry Lewis's talents in directing, screenwriting, and comedy, offering a critical look at the American entertainment world. It features well-known names in supporting roles, such as Ina Balin, Everett Sloane, Phil Harris, Keenan Wynn, and Peter Lorre.

The film begins with the unexpected death of a much-loved comedian in a plane crash. The comedian's management team (producer, writer, press agent, etc.) panics, fearing unemployment now that they've lost their "golden goose." To overcome this situation, they decide to find someone completely talentless but naive and easily manipulated to replace the deceased comedian and turn him into a new star. This person is Stanley Belt (Jerry Lewis), the clumsy bellboy at the hotel where they work. As the team tries to reinvent Stanley and open the doors of fame for him, comedic events ensue. However, Stanley's natural lack of talent complicates matters. During this process, Ellen (Ina Balin) from the team develops sympathy for Stanley and genuinely tries to help him.

The film satirically addresses and criticizes the artificial nature of fame in Hollywood, how a star is "manufactured," and the behind-the-scenes workings of show business. Additionally, there are plenty of scenes where Lewis makes nods to Chaplin-esque physical comedy.

Overall, it's a typical/standard Jerry Lewis film and a good entry point into Lewis's cinema for first-time viewers. This is because it contains many of his thematic and stylistic traits and is a production where Lewis boldly puts his persona front and center.

If your a big Jerry Lewis fan, and I am, you will enjoy The Patsy. It's not his funniest, at least on a consistent basis, but it does have it's share of big laughs. The premise is that a big music star perishes in a plane crash and his associates, including Claude Raines and John Carradine, need to find a replacement. In steps bumbling Jerry as a hotel employee who must be turned into the next big music star. Some hilarious scenes such as Jerry being groomed in a beauty salon, being "taught" how to sing by the always dependable Hans Conried and Jerry's attempt at lip-synching his hit song on TV. again, not his best but enjoyable and funny enough for me!

This is Jerry Lewis at his best.Sure I could say the same thing about him in many other movies.The master clown plays this time a bellboy named Stanley Belt.A star comedian dies, so they want to train a nobody, in this case Stan the bellboy, to be the new star.But hiring Stan to fill the shoes of the comedian really isn't such a good idea.He can't do anything right and there are so many things he has to do.So many things he has to learn, and there's not too much time to learn it all.The Patsy (1964): directed by Jerry Lewis, writing credits Jerry Lewis and Bill Richmond.This is a funny comedy with a deeper meaning.Jerry does his comic act with his own unique style, that many have tried to imitate.But let's face it; nobody is better than the original.Ina Balin is a terrific leading lady.She plays Ellen Betz and is really sweet in her part.Everett Sloane is Caryl Fergusson and he's marvelous.Phil Harris is great as Chic Wymore.Keenan Wynn is wonderful as Harry Silver.Also his father, Ed Wynn can be seen in the movie.And so can Keenan's son Ned Wynn.Peter Lorre does his final movie role in The Patsy.He was a great, great actor in both comedies and more serious roles.Scatman Crothers is there to give shine to the shoes.Then there are people you may recognize from other Lewis movies, like Del Moore, Buddy Lester and Nancy Kulp.Some people are there as themselves, like Hedda Hopper, Rhonda Fleming, George Raft, Mel Tormé and Ed Sullivan.Not too many movies have a cast like that! Two of my favorite scenes are where Jerry paints a tuxedo on himself and the flashback sequence showing Jerry as a youngster in a dance where the girls don't want to dance with him.Those scenes show what a great mime Jerry really is.Here in Finland they have been showing Jerry Lewis movies on Sundays this summer.The last time they showed his movies successively was in 1998.Now I can see the tragedy in Jerry's characters better than I did back then.Then I saw only the crazy and zany and funny man.Now I can see his characters are often tragic figures who also happen to be very funny.Jerry Lewis can still make me laugh like crazy.Jerry is a fool with heart.Nobody can do it like Jerry Lewis.

The Patsy boasts a fantastic cast but falls incredibly short. Lewis is rather cringeworthy in a handful of sequences here with the exception of about three skits (the ice in the beginning, the chair/seat sketch somewhere in the middle) and the finale). It's also worth mentioning Lewis was fantastic at breaking the 4th wall and using scene set-up and prop set-up rather masterfully. He just doesn't keep it consistent enough in this. It would also help if he didn't babble nonsense so much. Worth watching if your a fan of Lewis. Definitely doesn't crack his best work though.

Jerry Lewis directing Jerry Lewis, shouldn't that go wrong? No not really. The Lewis-films nearly always rely on his physical acting, which must be seen as his strongest asset. This is also true in "The Patsy" and it's actually going very well. At least for the first hour of the film. Perhaps it should have been a little shorter.

Jerry plays the bellhop Stanley, who serves at a hotel. Now in that hotel a group of employees of a newly dead comedian are talking about their future. One of them Morgan Heywood (played by Peter Lorre) gets the idea to find a man that they first of all can control, and secondly teach the trade of entertainment. After Stanley have tried to serve the team champagne (with ice, wet ice!) They find that he well be the perfect new man. Now this starts the most fun part of the film, he tries his luck at singing recording and what else he needs to know. Along the way the secretary of the team Ellen (Ina Balin) and Stanley falls in love. All that takes about an hour, sadly the last 40 minutes doesn't live up to the good start. The solution to, if Stanley will be successful and if he and Ellen will be a pair. Guess yourselves our even better see the film.