Te casse pas la tête Jerry
Original title: Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River
- 1968
- Tous publics
- 1h 39m
IMDb RATING
4.7/10
746
YOUR RATING
An American plans to bilk the British out of some considerable money with the help of an English con artist.An American plans to bilk the British out of some considerable money with the help of an English con artist.An American plans to bilk the British out of some considerable money with the help of an English con artist.
Robert Lee
- Bruce
- (as Robbie Lee)
Featured reviews
Jerry was cardboardish and unfunny. Good effort by Terry-Thomas, his scenes were funny. Jacqueline Pearce as Jerry wife was attractive but added nothing to the film. There was generally poor writing & directing. I was surprised to see Jerry Paris (the dentist neighbor from the Dick Van Dyke Show) was the director and not Jerry Lewis himself.
The unseen pilot of the Plane to Lisbon on the British Air Company that has no offices had some funny lines. I particularly like the line were they cruising " somewhere between 8,000 and 30,000 feet." I cannot really find any reason to recommend watching this movie, it is not campy and doesn't even show off Jerry's typical shtick.
The unseen pilot of the Plane to Lisbon on the British Air Company that has no offices had some funny lines. I particularly like the line were they cruising " somewhere between 8,000 and 30,000 feet." I cannot really find any reason to recommend watching this movie, it is not campy and doesn't even show off Jerry's typical shtick.
Pretty good film with Jerry Lewis and Terry Thomas involved in a money scam to raise money quickly. George Lester (Lewis) and his wife Pam (Jacqueline Pearce, who looks and sounds JUST like Audrey Hepburn, even her wardrobe) are getting a divorce, and in an attempt to hold onto her, George has spent a lot of money converting their house into a business. Pam will have none of it, and now George needs money fast. He and his buddy Willie Homer (Terry Thomas) come up with a scheme to sell something that belongs to Pam's new beau Dudley Heath (Nick Parsons). Thomas had made "Naked Truth" with P. Sellers ten years prior... Keep an eye out for a YOUNG Patricia Routledge - she will go on to be Hyacinth Bucket (its Bou - quet !) on BBC's "Keeping Up Appearances". She keeps getting in the way of George's scam. Viewers will know the gap-toothed Terry Thomas as the Colonel and botanist from Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (J. Lewis had a cameo in that) , and TONS of film appearances in the UK and the US. Here, Lewis plays the straight man, who spends most of the film storming and fuming, trying to keep Heath away from Pamela. The funniest scenes in the flick are on the two airplane trips from England to Lisbon, and the slapstick comedy there is done by the flight attendant (Bernard Cribbins). There ARE some funny one-off lines and scenes from J Lewis, (he even says two separate lines directly into the camera). While it IS a clever farce, this has more of a serious, believable story-line than the earlier, sillier J Lewis films where he spoke in a high pitched voice and tripped over himself every couple minutes. Unfortunately, the ending is quite weak, compared to the pace of the rest of the movie. Story by Max Wilk, who had also written "It Happened to Jane", starring Doris Day. Directed by Jerry Paris, best known from the Dick Van Dyke Show. He made the jump from acting to directing pretty early on, and did mostly directing from the 1960s on.
I'm a big fan of Jerry Lewis. It seems people either love him or hate him. They either get the humor or they don't. I have every movie he's made, except for this one. And after seeing it again today, I realize why.
First of all he's completely miscast. It was mistake to cast him in this role and an even bigger mistake for him to take the job. This obviously wasn't a role for a comedian because the film isn't a comedy. Is divorce funny? When is the last time you heard someone say, "My divorce was hilarious."?
Then there's Jacqueline Pearce, who plays the role of his wife, or ex-wife. I'm amazed at all the positive talk about her. She can't act, looks like she cut her hair herself while wearing a blindfold and is totally annoying.
And if the storyline wasn't bad enough, throw in a girls scout troop, with mumps headed up by the stuffy Patricia "voice like the French Chef" Routledge. Seriously? Why? It had nothing to do with the plot.
And as I stare at the screen in disbelief that this is a Jerry Lewis movie, it all makes sense when you realize it was directed by Jerry Paris - the untalented hack that played Dick Van Dyke's neighbor.
Odd that the video cover says "The original king of comedy at his outrageous best!" Yes, he's one of the original kings of comedy, but in this film he's never outrageous and at his all time worst.
First of all he's completely miscast. It was mistake to cast him in this role and an even bigger mistake for him to take the job. This obviously wasn't a role for a comedian because the film isn't a comedy. Is divorce funny? When is the last time you heard someone say, "My divorce was hilarious."?
Then there's Jacqueline Pearce, who plays the role of his wife, or ex-wife. I'm amazed at all the positive talk about her. She can't act, looks like she cut her hair herself while wearing a blindfold and is totally annoying.
And if the storyline wasn't bad enough, throw in a girls scout troop, with mumps headed up by the stuffy Patricia "voice like the French Chef" Routledge. Seriously? Why? It had nothing to do with the plot.
And as I stare at the screen in disbelief that this is a Jerry Lewis movie, it all makes sense when you realize it was directed by Jerry Paris - the untalented hack that played Dick Van Dyke's neighbor.
Odd that the video cover says "The original king of comedy at his outrageous best!" Yes, he's one of the original kings of comedy, but in this film he's never outrageous and at his all time worst.
In a film that will only really appeal if you're a keen fan of Jerry lewis, Terry - Thomas, for me,was the saving grace of this picture. It was the only reason I bought it in the first place, but thankfully, aided by some fine support from a young Patricia Routledge, Bernard Cribbins and John Bluthal, the film is still worth a look-in. The story is also quite amusing, although I can't help feeling that it could have been used to a much bigger comic impact. Thankfully, there are enough comic scenarios are characters to help fill out some of the gaps for the film to become too slow. Terry - Thomas puts in a fantastic, stereo-typical "cad" performance and there's some great mugging from Bernard Cribbins but apart from that, the film is a bit of a dead loss.
A labored comedy that lurches from one silly set piece to the next, 1968's "Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River" is certainly middling Jerry Lewis at best. In this one, Jerry plays an American wheeler-dealer living in London who is so busy chasing after money and arranging schemes that his wife, the yummy Jacqueline Pearce, dumps him in disgust. To win her back, Jerry turns her family mansion into a Chinese disco (don't ask!) and arranges a deal with his sometimes-partner, the usually dependable Terry-Thomas, to steal the plans for a new oil drill and sell them to the Arabs. Many unfunny situations ensue, some of them painful. Lewis is a bit cooler here than usual, only occasionally lapsing into his trademark goofiness. Jerry & Terry would have made a good comedy team, but they DO need something better to work with. Anywaste, I originally rented this one out because I had so enjoyed Ms. Pearce's work in a pair of 1966 Hammer horror films, "The Plague of the Zombies" and "The Reptile," and she turns out to be a gifted comedic actress here. Other pleasant surprises include the presences of Margaret Nolan (so fondly remembered by fans of the movie "Goldfinger") and Patricia Routledge, almost 25 years before playing Hyacinth Bucket on the Britcom "Keeping Up Appearances." Still, despite some good folks in the cast, I think I only laffed once: when Jerry said that one of his mumps had just exploded (again, don't ask!). This is a film that will best be appreciated by those who are either very stoned, very young or, I suppose, very French!
Did you know
- TriviaIn an interview on Australia's Studio 10, Patricia Routledge called working with Jerry Lewis a nightmare. She did not find him funny and reflected on her scene with him. Stating that despite director Jerry Paris being satisfied with their two takes, Lewis insisted on doing additional takes. A total of 14 takes were completed before Lewis was satisfied.
- GoofsIn the opening scene, George Lester is walking east across Piccadilly Circus. The next two shots show him walking east toward Piccadilly Circus - first in front of the Royal Academy of Art, then on the opposite side of the street passing Simpson's department store.
- Quotes
Dr. Pinto: [examining Homer's teeth] If you like, I could close that gap you've got there.
H. William Homer: You close my gap, I'll open yours.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Godzilla vs. Megalon (1991)
- SoundtracksDon't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River
Music by David Whitaker
Lyrics by Hal Shaper
Sung by Danny Street
- How long is Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- ¡No suban el puente, bajen el río!
- Filming locations
- Piccadilly Circus, Piccadilly, London, England, UK(opening credits: George crosses)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 39 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
Top Gap
By what name was Te casse pas la tête Jerry (1968) officially released in Canada in English?
Answer