La polka des marins

This is not especially well written. The songs are not memorable. The cast, however, squeezes a lot out of this Martin and Lewis in the Navy situation. They both look great as young sailors. They are believable. The scenes on the submarine show how cramped it must have been on those underwater missions in the 1950s and before.

Lots of sailors in many scenes. Hundreds perhaps, in a big outdoor exercise field, and again in a boxing arena.

You will see James Dean in his scene. He does stand out even though he is an extra here. In a scene where Jerry walks across a busy street we see some of his "almost accident" comedy which he would bring into play years later in The Patsy.

Dean giving Jerry boxing instructions is a good comedy skit to watch for. Jerry in the boxing ring shows his high energy that was his trademark in the late '40s and early '50s. Dean and Jerry dancing is a bit of a treat. Not great, but better than most non dancing movies.

Worth seeing if you don't mind black and white. Good ending.

Tom Willett

When I see these old Martin and Lewis films again, I'm always amazed and curious. Curious as to why I found them so funny when I saw them at the time of their release and amazed that I enjoyed them so much. Martin was always the essence of Mr. Cool. Good looks, smooth with the chicks and that soft Italian voice. Lewis was always a loose cannon, with his goofy slapstick and sentimental shifts. This film is typical with an implausible story and lots of crazy situations but memorable mostly for (later-to-be) screen legend, James Dean's first film lines, "That man's a professional!"

You can't judge these films on the same level as today's comedy. Martin had a style of his own and showed he could act in later films. Lewis just kept being Lewis, which if you enjoyed him, you caught his later films (I'd outgrown him by then and thought Geisha boy was one of the silliest films I've ever seen). He could never do a prat-fall like Peter Sellers nor be as genuinely goofy as Robin Williams, but he could tickle your funny bone at times.

One has to take Martin & Lewis like a dash of salt & pepper. Why does Martin put up with Lewis? Then again, why do all the women in this movie like Jerry? Because he is innocently likeable! Martin sings a few good songs (lip-sync'd at least once) and Jerry manages to kiss more girls than in all his other movies combined. I generally find that I can take just so much of Jerry's antics before they become aggravating. BUT.... in this film, watch when Jerry gets stuck outside on a submerging Navy submarine! EXCELLENT! Buster Keaton should have been proud. I give the film a 7.

Sailor Beware is the 5th big screen outing for Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis. It's directed by Hal Walker and also stars Corinne Calvet, Marion Marshall, Robert Strauss & Leif Erickson.

As was normally the way with a Martin & Lewis vehicle, the plot is rather thin. This one sees the boys, against all odds, pass the requirements for joining the Navy. When Lewis' bumbling kissing phobe Melvin Jones is mistaken for being "Mr Temptation" on a TV show, it leads to a big wager amongst the ranks that he can't kiss supposedly ice cold Corinne Calvet. The bet is on and chaos follows. Sailor Beware is one of the better black & white pictures from the duo. It finds Lewis on particularly manic form, suffice to say those with an aversion to his high energy buffoonery are best advised to stay away. Highlight here is the whole boxing sequence, the pre fight chatter and the actual fight itself. Some good tunes like Sailor's Polka and Blue Hawai brighten up proceedings, while Robert Strauss as a Bluto type character is perfect foil for the duo.

As a double act they were just about finding their feet in this one. Better things were to come but this certainly pays dividends for the Martin & Lewis fan. 7/10

"Melvin Jones" (Jerry Lewis) is a young man with several medical conditions which includes having several allergies. So when a doctor advises him that an ocean voyage could help him out he decides to join the U.S. Navy. Yet even though most of his ailments would preclude him being able to pass the entrance physical, he somehow manages to squeeze by each important test and subsequently enlists. Additionally, while at the examination station he meets another young man named "Al Crowthers" (Dean Martin) who who has a "trick knee" which typically disqualifies him for entrance into the U.S. Navy. On this particular day, however, he discovers that the standards have been lowered and finds himself now serving alongside Melvin as they head to basic training. Once there they manage to go on a liberty pass and it's then that Melvin is accidentally labeled a "ladies' man" which results in a high-stakes wager being placed on him as to whether he can get a certain nightclub singer in Hawaii by the name "Corinne Calvet" (Corinne Calvet) to kiss him in public. Melvin, of course, knows next to nothing about women and the fact that he is allergic to most of the lipstick and makeup that women wear only serves to make the challenge all the more difficult for him. Likewise, the fact that Corinne doesn't care much for sailors doesn't help his cause either. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that I think this film is one of the best Jerry Lewis-Dean Martin films produced in that it has an interesting plot, decent acting and some really good humor throughout. In short, I enjoyed this film and for the reasons stated earlier I have rated it accordingly. Above average.