Ragazzo tuttofare

This movie is one of my all time favorites! Every time I see it I catch something new I hadn't seen before, and, even after watching it so many times, it never ceases to set me into a fit of laughter! Future viewers: Ignore all that junk about it being dated, etc.! Watch this movie and decide for yourself- JL is awesome, and you WON'T be disappointed!

This movie is solid gags. No plot and JL is very open about that....only gags or what they used to call 'blackouts'. I have simply never laughed so hard as when I watched this movie. But as for the scene where he loses it by the elevators, you may or may not like it (French?) but it nearly caused me to have an early death. Tape it, rent it or buy it, but if you have come this far, watch it!

No Plot -- The film starts with this proclamation. This film is definitely one of Jerry Lewis' best of his carrier. Filmed during the height of his movie output in the 1960's, this film is comedy unto its own sake. The gags just don't stop -- you aren't given a moment to relax, because it's all so funny, you can't stop laughing. The NO PLOT aspect only helps, as the audience is free to concentrate on the moment. I still burst into laughter when the hotel manager is called by the airport to inform him 'HE WHAT!?' Yes, this film is dated by today's standard, but that should come as no surprise. This film was the product of a different era -- and a different society. The change in our society was what made him decide to briefly retire from film in the '70s. The standards of humor just changed. And performers had to change with it. But film is permanent. It is set in celluloid. It can be re-edited, but what would be the point? For anyone who can appreciate 'the artist' for his art, this film still can be enjoyed. For anyone who can look at past films for nostalgia, this film can be enjoyed. It's called comedy -- 'nuff said.

In The Bellboy we get to see two Jerry Lewises. Jerry plays a bellboy at the famous Miami Beach Fountainbleu Hotel where a good deal of the film is shot. And he plays movie star Jerry Lewis who happens to be staying at the Fountainbleu with one very large entourage. That's one of the gags in a funny scene involving a limousine. Also staying there is Milton Berle in another gag involving an identical Milton as well as an identical Jerry.

Jack Kruschen plays the head of Paramount Pictures in a prologue opening where he explains this film has no plot or story, it's just the day in the life of a singularly inept bellboy. He's the bane in the existence of hotel manager Alex Gerry and bell captain Bob Clayton. Jerry must be related to someone important otherwise he would have been canned years ago.

That raucous Lewis laugh and voice you will not hear at all, still Jerry puts together a lovely series of sight gags without a sound coming from him. Usually that voice is so much a part of his comedy shtick you'd think he'd be lost without it, but he carries off his goal of making a film that is a tribute to the famous silent comedians of yore.

One gag involves writer Bill Richmond doing an imitation of Stan Laurel. My guess is that Jerry tried to get the real Stan to do this film, but probably health reasons prevented it. It wasn't one of the better gags in the film, it could have used the real Stan to make it work.

The Bellboy is a quieter, but not more gentle Jerry Lewis.

This is one of Jerry Lewis' most unusual films. While many of his are quite episodic (with lots of little comedy skits buried within the film), this one is episodic--with no real plot to support it. In other words, it's JUST comedy skits and there is no attempt to create a back story or plot. While this isn't the sort of film I'd usually want to see, it's nice for a change of pace. In many ways, it reminds me of the Mr. Hulot films by Jacques Tati--which isn't surprising, as Lewis has praised Tati's work (and vice-versa).

The film takes place at a swank Miami hotel. Jerry plays a bellboy who always seems to be getting into trouble or being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Many of the skits are only mildly funny--but they come so quickly that it really doesn't matter. Among the best of the routines is when the great actor, Jerry Lewis, comes to the hotel-- as well as Milton Berle. Seeing the bellboy AND Lewis was a clever touch--and I loved seeing the entourage that got out of Lewis' limo. Quite engaging and worth seeing. I also marvel that Lewis wrote, directed and starred in this film and did it so very quickly.