That's My Boy

That's My Boy was the first film in which people really started to take notice of Jerry Lewis and start classifying him with comedians like Chaplin and Keaton and Langdon. After over 60 years the film still holds up very well because it's got a universal theme, a kid who can't get out from under the shadow of his father.

Jerry is the nervous, spastic, and underachieving kid of former All American Eddie Mayehoff who later went on to be a captain of industry. Mother Ruth Hussey tries to help, but she too is dominated by Mayehoff who can't hear anyone's voice beyond his constant bloviating bellow. The man isn't blind he has to see what kind of kid he raised. Nevertheless he's going to turn Lewis into the next generation Mayehoff and he's got the money to make the attempt. He even pays for school jock Dean Martin to go to college as well and tutor Lewis in the fine arts of being a football hero and big man on campus.

That however interferes with Dino's efforts at courting Polly Bergen who Jerry is also interested in. I think you can see where this is going.

It all culminates as it always does in college pictures in the big football game at the end. Some of the gags are not as well presented as in such films as College Humor, Horsefeathers, and Hold 'Em Jail, still you'll get a few laughs from them.

Dino was shortchanged here. He gets two numbers nothing original just interpolated songs like Ballin' The Jack which he sings and dances with Bergen and I'm In The Mood For Love. Dino is strictly in support of Jerry for the first time.

But Jerry shows some real pathos in That's My Boy and was rightly praised by the critics. This film might have marked the beginning of the end for them as a team.

I can see Jim Carrey doing a remake of this for today's audiences. If not, every nerdy kid in America will identify with Jerry's character in That's My Boy.

This is a very funny Martin & Lewis classic. D eano plays the popular American footballplayer and Lewis is quite enjoyable as the classic clown. Although not as good as Laurel & Hardy, still very good entertainment after 50 years.

That's My Boy (1951)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Junior Jackson (Jerry Lewis) is a weak nerd who just happens to be the son of Jarring Jackson (Eddie Mayehoff) who was a star football player. The father knows his boy is a weak loser but he makes him get on a college football team and he pays for Bill Baker (Dean Martin) to go in hopes that he can turn his boy into a real man.

THAT'S MY BOY isn't the greatest comedy that you're going to see but there are enough good moments in it to make it worth watching. It's funny going through these Martin & Lewis comedies because their films were pretty much like several famous comedy duos before them. One film would deal with college. Another film might deal with Hollywood. Other subjects would include horror elements and of course they would feature both music and laughs. This film isn't among the better Martin & Lewis pictures but it's worth watching if you're a fan of theirs.

I think the highlight of the picture happens with the songs that Martin is allowed to do. Martin gets two different songs but "I'm in the Mood for Love" was certainly the best and also the highlight of the picture. As for Martin, that's pretty much all he has to do as his character doesn't appear that much in the film. He does get to do a drunken spill towards the end and of course he would master this later in his career. Lewis is pretty much what you'd expect as he plays that weak, dimwitted character like very few could. Ruth Hussey adds some nice support as does Polly Bergen and John McIntire in their small roles. Mayehoff is also very good in his role as the strong father.

THAT'S MY BOY doesn't contain enough laughs to make it what I'd consider a "good" movie but at the same time there's no question that fans of the duo will enjoy it.

I think it's a real shame that this movie has never been made available on tape or disc - it's hysterical!! Sure, not all of the hysterics are intentional (e.g., Dean Martin, who was 34 when this was made, and looking every year of it, playing a high school senior. The only thing missing from his prom scene are the smokes & martinis...although they're certainly present in spirit. Classic). They even allow Deano a couple of songs: the funny "Ball & a Jack" sequence is intercut with Lewis ineptly trying to match Martin's suave moves from the sidelines, but a backseat seranade of "I'm in the Mood for Love" is so out of place and arbitrary that it's priceless! Nonetheless, the comedy that was intended comes off quite well, especially the great Eddie Mayhoff ("How to Murder Your Wife") as Lewis's hilariously overbearing & macho father (unintended comedic moment II: Mayhoff doing pushups at the beginning of the film, proclaiming to be the epitome of health. He looks, however, to be in awful shape!). This film is certainly dated, but it really adds to its charm. Imagine a time when butter, pancakes and syrup were considered good for you (as is sleeping with your window open)! People didn't question the "correctness" of hunting. Doctors smoked. Men shaved with straight razors. College students didn't wear baseball caps and baggy pants. Dean Martin attends your high school!! It's all here! I must have gone through about 10 different copies of this over the years (it showed up quite often on the old "late, late movie" shows that used to be on network television. I always screwed up the commercial edits). AMC shows this sometimes, so check it out!

Eddie Mayehoff is great in the beginning and I actually think Jerry Lewis does some of his best acting as Junior! A good chunk of the humor in this movie is due to the irony of how the characters perceive themselves or are portrayed as compared to the reality. I just wish Dean Martin's character would have been better. I find his role in this movie to be disappointing. He is capable of much more.

Overall, I really enjoyed the first half or so, but was a little bored toward the middle/end. If you enjoy slower movies and want to see a good performance by both Eddie Mayehoff and Jerry Lewis, this is a good one.