Papá soy yo

...but still had more than a few drawbacks. This is a very loose re-imagining of Preston Sturges' MIRACLE AT MORGAN CREEK, but has only a few scenes that relate back to that classic screwball comedy, preferring to showcase star Jerry Lewis doing whatever he felt like doing. It's heavily sentimental (not necessarily a bad thing) and likely because Jerry Lewis was the producer as well as the star, many of the slapstick and physical comedy bits are dragged out long past their amusement factor.

It's also much more of a musical than I'd remembered (including several okay songs sung by Lewis himself plus one by newcomer Connie Stevens), and the "White Virgin of the Nile" movie-musical production number (for Marilyn Maxwell's movie-within-the-movie) is one of the high points of the entire film, along with director Frank Tashlin's hysterical in-jokes about the pernicious influence of television commercials.

Despite some faults, it's still a very entertaining film and very much a time-capsule of the late 1950s.

I used to love Jerry Lewis films as a kid, and although I prefer the Lewis/Martin combos to his solo efforts, this would have to be one of my favorites.

I never used to like this, I found the slapstick unfunny, but it has grown on me over the years. Although the first 15-30 minutes aren't great, once Lewis is looking after the triplets there is a lot of fun to be had here, and Lewis plays his character with great pathos, in fact some parts of his performance are enough to bring tears, the way he portrays Claytons unrequited love for Carla.

The film also includes some lovely songs, particularly the Italian lullaby he sings with Papa Naples.

Recommended!

I have to admit I've never been a rabid Jerry Lewis fan (even with a French last name, I can't join some of my relatives on the Continent in idolizing him), but, in looking back, I've seen more of his movies than I might have preferred. This one, though, was a lot of fun, possibly because it was a delightfully vulgar remake of a Preston Sturges classic.

The VistaVision/Technicolor production values are first-class; the supporting cast is able to withstand Jerry's frantic goofiness (especially Marilyn Maxwell, who gets to perform the wacked-out production number, "White Virgin of the Nile," and Ida Moore as Jerry's elderly landlady, avidly and simultaneously consuming every product being advertised on the TV she is constantly watching); and Frank Tashlin's direction pilots Jerry through the plot's crazy machinations with just the right touch of cartoon-like unreality.

If you're a Lewis fan, it's a must-see; if you aren't you may still find it an enjoyable way to spend a mindless 103 minutes.

Saw this film in its original release and later on some television re-runs. I like the film because it allows Jerry to face the situations that make for a movie that is a lot of fun. He is called upon to watch twin babies of a girl he thinks he is in love with who is a movie star, so while she goes all over the world filming he gets a crash course in baby rearing. Connie Stevens at her best is also along as a girl who really likes him. Some of the moves she put on him are quite risque for the 50's. Jerry does it all in this film. I like this period of his career after he broke up with Dean Martin. He made some great films until he transferred to Columbia. He seemed to get too much control of what he did and most of these films are quite unfunny. The wonderful Paramount's including this film, Who's Minding the Store, and his best in my opinion The Nutty Professor show him in his heyday. It's hard to imagine a theater full of families laughing so hard but I assure you they did, I was there.

This is another typical Jerry Lewis comedy. Overall, it will make you laugh. But more, this is a musical that makes you laugh. Jerry Lewis hits a home run for his typical audience. No surprises here, if you are a fan of his work, this is a treat. Then again, the supporting cast including Marilyn Maxwell, Connie Stevens and Salvatore Baccaloni make it more than just a Jerry Lewis comedy. Baccaloni is perfect. At first you hate him and then love him. Connie Stevens is beyond beautiful. She is as sexy as she can be for the decade. She plays the perfect girl next door who is head over heels for Jerry. The trick is, it is Jerry who is playing hard to get. This adds to the wonderful genre that Lewis created in his comedies. This is a nice story that offends nobody. This is hard to do when making a successful comedy. Somewhere, usually someone is the butt of the joke. Here, Jerry is the butt as well as the rest of the cigarette (wink wink).