Mensageiro Trapalhão

Directorial debut for writer-producer-star Jerry Lewis is a funny collection of skits centering around a put-upon bellhop at the Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami Beach. Having just completed "Cinderfella" for a mid-year release, Lewis suggested to Paramount Pictures they hold off showing that film until Christmas and gave them this one in its place (put together in near-record time). Short and relatively painless, the movie benefits from Haskell Boggs' sharp black-and-white cinematography, Walter Scharf's bright score and, of course, the snazzy locale. Lewis smoothly segues from one sight-gag to the next, his mugging relatively restrained. **1/2 from ****

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!

Stanley (Jerry Lewis) is a bellhop at a posh Miami hotel. It is hard to see how he stays employed! When a manager tells him to empty the trunk of a guest's car, for example, the auto turns out to be a Volkswagen beetle. Confused, Stanley nevertheless takes out the car's engine and presents it to the guests. Another time, an overweight lady checks into the hotel in order to complete a diet program. She loses a great deal of pounds and looks great but Stanley decides to give her a box of chocolates, as a reward, and she reverts to her old habits and fatter self. In short, this film is a series of episodes in the life of a hotel bellboy, strung together nicely. Lewis' usual facial expressions, physical humor, and antics are here for the world to see. As a legendary comic, he does a nice job but, this is certainly not his most memorable film. One would have to say The Nutty Professor or even one of my favorites, Way Way Out, are better examples of his talent. With that in mind, however, fans of Lewis should definitely carve out a couple of hours to watch this movie. It is fun, if not totally successful, flick.

If you don't believe Jerry Lewis is a comic genius, you need to see this film. The humor. The cinematography. Everything is spot on. I know people have said there is no plot to this but watch it. There is. And it's sad and funny, as all good comedy truly is. Still one of my favorites. Watch the reactions of all the people around him. Watch how each scene is set up and framed. Jerry Lewis never saw the critical acclaim here in the US as he did in Europe but I believe he was way ahead of his time. Comedians like Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy, and even Jim Carrey owe a debt of gratitude for Jerry Lewis paving the way. I wish the younger generation would discover Jerry Lewis' movies, including this one, because I believe they would appreciate his humor and artistry. Check out this movie, The Nutty Professor, Cinderfella and the Errand Boy.

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.