My Friend Irma Goes West

Although this picture was made as a sequel to MY FRIEND IRMA it took on a life of its own because of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Martin & Lewis were virtual unknowns when they were featured in the first Irma, were still unknowns when Goes West was filmed. BUT... but... by the time this film was released the boys had become the hottest comedy team in American history. This film was a smash hit almost entirely because it featured Martin & Lewis. When the boys' next movie came out, At War with the Army, I remember me and my brother waited 2 1/2 hours at Loew's 2400 seat Palace theater in Washington, DC to get in. This was during the movies lean years when folks were staying home with their 7" Motorola b&w TV's. Odd to recently see VHS copies of that picture on sale at Safeway for 99 cents. OH... My Friend Irma Goes West was very funny!

The follow-up to 1949's my friend irma. Mostly the same cast. But in this one, martin and lewis do a bit with the orchestra. And when they head to hollywood to find success, they cross paths with a real shady gang of crooks. It's okay. Kind of goes all over the place. It's a journey, with lots of silliness, singing, and a mostly plausible story. Imdb tells us part of it was really filmed in las vegas. This one directed by hal walker.. had made a couple road films with bob hope and bing crosby. And was nominated for souls at sea! Irma had started as a character on the radio, and made the jump to film at just the right time.

This is a sequel to "My Friend Irma", though oddly it doesn't exactly pick up where it should. At the very end of the last film, Irma fell into a construction ditch on the way to the church to FINALLY marry Al. Now, when this second film begins, Al and Irma are still not married and there's no explanation as to why.

This film picks up where it began so far as Al (Dean Martin) and his singing career are concerned. He's still singing at small venues and even has a TV appearance--but it pays almost nothing. His problems seem over when a guy comes to the apartment and Jane (Diana Lynn) is able to negotiate a nice Hollywood contract. There's only one problem---the 'producer' is really an escaped mental patient and Al and his friends have no idea they are heading west with no job waiting.

As a result, they find themselves stuck on the way there. They are lucky enough to meet the very hot-to-trot Ms. Yvonne Yvonne--a stereotypical French actress. She offers to have Steve sing in Vegas at nightclub and their financial difficulties are over...for now. But, as Yvonne Yvonne definitely has the hots for Steve, what is Jane to do--especially since she and Steve are engaged?! Later, Al falls in with some illegal gamblers (no big surprise) and goes to work for them. However, while working in their crooked casino, Al's roulette table pays off big--but shouldn't have since the table was supposedly rigged. So, the gangsters decide to make Al and Irma pay. Can they be rescued and can Steve and Jane work out their problems and find happiness? Tune in and see in this modestly diverting film. Oddly, however, the comedic elements (Irma and Seymour) are among the least entertaining aspects of this comedy.

By the way, one thing I loved about this movie and "My Friend Irma" is that Al has no last name. Even when the police question him, he only uses the name Al--as does Irma who refers to herself as the "future Ms. Al". Cute.

Wacky comedy where the gags keep coming from every direction. Poor Irma, to get in movies she's got to get to Hollywood with her troupe of friends, agents, boyfriends, and monkeys. Will she make it or will she keep getting on trains to Chicago. It's special fun for us geezers who recall ditzy Irma's popular radio show where Wilson also starred. Then too, the production date is 1950. So, the movie includes such period snippets as: TV is just beginning, Hopalong is a favorite show, and Margaret Truman's singing career is a common joke. Thus it's also nostalgia time for many of us. And oh yes, mustn't forget the glimpse of a rural Las Vegas before it became fun city.

All in all, the flick's a humorous delight that proves even Jerry Lewis is funny in small doses. Here he shares the laugh stage with a dippy Irma, an unexpectedly funny John Lund, and the superlative Pierre who mugs it up in true Chimp fashion. Then too, Martin shows his leading man stuff but unfortunately gets a clunky song to warble. And how about cutie Diana Lynn, sort of an early Debbie Reynolds. Too bad her career was cut short by a stroke.

I could have done without the gangster bit, but at least director Walker keeps things moving. Then too, the various threads aren't always blended but who cares. In short, the 90-minutes manages more than its share of laughs, along with a starting gate for the 50's unforgettable Martin and Lewis.

For their second film Martin and Lewis did a sequel to My Friend Irma taken from Marie Wilson's popular radio comedy where John Lund finally got Wilson to the altar and Wilson and best friend and roommate Diana Lynn was also marrying Martin.

The weddings were forgotten in My Friend Irma Goes West as Dean Martin guest stars on a radio program and attracts the attention of film star Corinne Calvet to the jealousy of Diana Lynn. Lund is also footloose and fancy free again with his eternal get rich quick schemes that were a big component of My Friend Irma.

However Lynn puts her foot down and takes over management of Martin's career and negotiates a contract with a Hollywood mogul. Who turns out to be an escapee from a booby hatch, but our fearless quintet goes out to Hollywood first class for a job that doesn't exist.

Martin's singing and Lewis's clowning do get them noticed in Las Vegas as he gets booked in Bugsy Siegel's up and coming town. And Lund gets outdealed literally by gangster Lloyd Corrigan in a marvelous bit of casting against type. Of course all the financial and romantic problems get sorted out in the end.

When I reviewed the first My Friend Irma film I said that the Irma character would be great for Jessica Simpson to revive. After seeing this film I still maintain that. God has a special province for Marie Wilson's character who just tra-la-la's through life and somehow makes it through.

There's a bit more of Dean and Jerry in this film than the previous one. Their next film would be At War With The Army where they would finally star.

Corinne Calvet talked at length about this film for Nick Tosches's biography of Dean Martin. Her experience in Hollywood was not a happy one and she mentions the casting couch that both Hal Wallis and Darryl Zanuck used with regularity. In her case she was to service them also for her then husband John Bromfield. She said that Dino was a pleasant person to work with, confident and assured. She liked Jerry as well, but felt there was a certain insecurity with him as he was continually 'on' all the time as if trying hard to please.

The film called for her to work with a chimpanzee, her and Jerry and she said the ape was paying close attention to her. She was asked where she was in her menstrual cycle and when she told director Hal Walker, he said the ape was giving her a booty call. That was a bit unnerving, but I'll bet Corinne got passes just as crude from some humans.

The score was written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans and it yielded an early hit for Dean Martin with I'll Always Love You which has a nice Latin flavored tempo to it. My Friend Irma Goes West is still a funny film and the comedy is timeless so it really could be revived today.

Are you reading this Jessica Simpson?