Bancando a Ama-Seca

...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 seen most of Jerry Lewis' comedies and I wasn't surprised that I liked this film, as it was made during a period in which most of his best films were made--the late 1950s (don't ask me what I think of the ones from the late 60s and 70s...yick). However, I must confess that while I liked the film overall, it was very uneven and about as many gags worked as flopped. As for me, I actually preferred many of the moments when Jerry wasn't trying to be funny-- such as one of the musical numbers where Jerry and the babies' grandfather sing a nice little duet.

The plot to this film is kind of weird. Clayton Poole (Lewis) used to date Carla Naples (Marilyn Maxwell) but now Carla has gone on to better things. She's now a big Hollywood star and her career is about to take a hit because she's pregnant and her husband died after only a day...and no one knows about the marriage. So, to avoid any sort of scandal, she plans on dumping the baby off on Clayton. However, she is surprised when she ends up having triplets. Yet, oddly, Clayton agrees to raise the kids even though they aren't his and he spends most of the rest of the film with the three adorable little girls. But, some rich biddy without kids decides to go to court to try to take the kids away, as everyone back in the 1950s KNEW that a man cannot raise a child by himself. What's next?

The film has lots of jokes that simply fall flat. The ones with the babies tended to work better because they were gentler and seemed less forced. As for the music, Jerry sings a lot of tunes (several of which were poorly chosen, as they were out of his musical range) and his acting is very nice. Overall, a cute little film that Lewis fans will love and others will at least tolerate.

It might be redundant to say that Jerry Lewis did his best work with Frank Tashlin as director, either by himself or with Dino. He was a comic genius, but it took another genius to bring out the best in him.

Paramount dusted off the Preston Sturges classic The Miracle Of Morgan's Creek for Lewis in his early years as a solo entertainer. When he was with Dean Martin, Paramount was always remarking earlier hits for the team so this was in tradition. It took a lot of rewriting because Lewis's raucous type of comedy is far different than Eddie Bracken's more gentle schnook like character. Still Jerry does generate a lot of whimsy and pathos in his character of Clayton Poole.

It seems years ago Lewis had a big old torch for Marilyn Maxwell who left town and became a Hollywood Star. Maxwell's younger sister Connie Stevens is also crushing out on Lewis, but he can't see for the glare in Maxwell's spotlight.

Marilyn is now in a family way expecting triplets as a result of a marriage to a bullfighter who died in the arena after the honeymoon. It was all a blur and she can't remember where she got married, only that she did.

Her agent Reginald Gardiner fixes up the answer, have her go away to quietly give birth, then send them to her old friend Lewis to take care of. Later she can adopt. Hey, it worked for Loretta Young back in the day.

Of course Jerry gets fond of the three and goes to extraordinary lengths to tend to the kids. His scenes with the infants are both Tashlin and Lewis at their best.

The only real criticism I have is Lewis's best comic moment is unfortunately right at the beginning where he gets involved with a some loose chimney bricks, a runaway firehose, and a great deal of chimney soot, wreaking havoc for the whole neighborhood. Something that good should have been saved for last.

Rockabye Baby is not quite the classic of Miracle Of Morgan's Creek, but it's right up there with some of Jerry's best.

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.