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Who's Minding the store is Jerry Lewis at his very best! Frank Tashlin directing, and with Tashlin directing Lewis, you know it's going to be a CLASSIC. One moment after another in this 1963 film, Jerry Lewis leads the audience into one madcap nutfilled scene after another, from the scene where Jerry's supposed to be selling gourmet "De-Lights" food, being forced to eat Fried ants in a scent free sauce, to trying to sell shoes to a 300 Lb. Female Wrestler, who's actually been hired to make Jerry want to quit... Well this film is as funny as any film of the 1960's, included are the Pink Panther, Shot in the Dark and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World....

This is also one film of Jerry's that you really don't have to be a fan of Jerry's to appreciate...with an awesome supporting comedy cast of Agnes Moorehead, John McGiver, Ray Walston Jill St. John, this film in my opinion is Jerry Lewis FINEST, without Dean Martin, and maybe his best of all-time. (But that would take alot of doing.) My advice, If you get the opportunity to see "Who's Minding the Store?" See it, if you don't find it utterly hilarious, it's time to make an appointment with the undertaker.

"Who's Minding the Store?" is a movie that is so stupid its funny. This film contains scenes that are incredibly dim-witted. Other scenes are dumber than dumb. But I found myself laughing at what was going on. I haven't seen alot of Jerry Lewis movies with the exception of a few including this one. "Who's Minding the Store?" stars Lewis as Norman Pfeiffer, a hapless young man who works as a poodle dog walker and animal sitter. He is engaged to be married to a lovely young woman named Barbara played by Jill St. John (before she became a Bond woman in "Diamonds Are Forever"). Barbara works at a department store as an elevator operator. One day she goes to visit Norman while dog-sitting, and she breaks the news to him that her bosses want Norman to come work at the store. Norman is thrilled to get the chance to work close to his girl, and (foolishly) accepts the job. However, what Barbara doesn't know is that this is a scheme by her mother Phoebe Tuttle (played by "Bewitched" star Agnes Moorehead), who just happens to be the store owner. Phoebe is not happy one bit that her daughter is engaged to this imbecile. So she orders the store manager Mr. Quimby (Ray Walston) to give Norman the hardest, most impossible jobs to do so that he'll quit his new job and hopefully end up breaking off his engagement to Barbara. The jobs that Norman does in this film are unbelievable, and in the process ends up turning the store upside down into a disaster area. I laughed, and laughed, and laughed, at the stupidity of what went on and I couldn't help it. This movie cracks me up (interesting, because 20 years after Lewis made this he made a movie titled oddly enough "Cracking Up"). I feel kind of guilty admitting that I like this film, but I did.

*** (out of four)

Not my Favorite J.L. Film, (that would be Errand Boy), but delightful, nonetheless. Great physical comedy and some lightweight satire ("a man has to be king of his own ranch style tract home").

The woman who played Jane Hathaway in Beverly Hillbillies makes a cameo appearance as a Big Game Hunter looking for a new rifle in the Sporting Dept., where Jerry's Character is working the counter.

The usual slapstick devices come into play such as the golf bag sch tick (you know, the one), the golf ball going out the window...making, let's just say..multiple bounces along its journey, and of course.

The exercise bicycles on the mattress, and ensuing endurance jog make my side hurt with laughter.

Home sick from work or school, either from a cold or the bad ironic humor that pervades your weekdays? This is your film.

If you don't like Jerry, you have no soul.

Jerry Lewis plays Norman Phiffier, a poodle dog walker who is going to marry a rich girl named Barbara Tuttle (Jill St. John) who works as an elevator operator at a department store.Barbara doesn't want Norman to know that she's rich.Barbara's mother Phoebe Tuttle (Agnes Moorehead) doesn't want her daughter to marry such a fool as Norman so she gets Norman a job from the store Barbara works and gets him the worst jobs.Norman has to eat fried ants for example.Frank Tashlin's Who's Minding the Store from 1963 is filled with hilarious situations.Jerry Lewis causes disasters and makes people crack up.It's hard to say the best movie of Jerry Lewis but this must be one of the them.It has everything Jerry Lewis fans need.Watch this movie if you want to get a good laugh a'la Jerry Lewis.

When I turned 16 or so and began to develop a mature sense of aesthetics, the films of Jerry Lewis became anathema to me. Suddenly I couldn't stand him, and that culturally elitist attitude has persisted to the present day. Yet when asked which of the films I've ever seen are the funniest, I have to mention this one. I don't remember much about it -- I saw it in a drive-in on a misty night in 1963 when I was 12 -- but I still recall the scene in the appliance department of the store, with the vacuum cleaner sucking up everything in sight. I don't think I have laughed that hard since -- it's amazing I survived to see the age of 13!