My Friend Irma Goes West (1950)

User Rating:

6.0/10   

Director:

Hal Walker

Writers:

Cy Howard (characters)
Cy Howard (screenplay)

Release Date:

4 July 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Musical

Plot:

Singer Steve, friend Seymour and fiance Jane, along with her dizzy blonde room mate Irma, have a series of misadventures on a California-bound train and end up involved with a gang of murderous gangsters in Las Vegas.

Plot Keywords:

Hollywood | Gangster | Contract | Television | Chimpanzee

Cast

John Lund	...	Al
Marie Wilson	...	Irma Peterson
Diana Lynn	...	Jane Stacy
Dean Martin	...	Steve Laird
Jerry Lewis	...	Seymour
Corinne Calvet	...	Yvonne Yvonne
Lloyd Corrigan	...	Sharpie Corrigan
Don Porter	...	Mr. Brent
Harold Huber	...	Pete
Joseph Vitale	...	Slim
Charles Evans	...	C.Y. Sanford
Kenneth Tobey	...	Pilot
Dick Stabile	...	Himself, Dick Stabile (as Dick Stabile and His Band)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | USA:Approved (PCA #14476) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Irma is kidnapped by the "notorious Corrigan Gang". Their leader Sharpie, a ruthless murderer, is played against type by endearing, lovable director-turned-actor Lloyd Corrigan in an obvious in-joke.

Quotes:

Jane Stacy: Irma, are you keeping something from me that I should know?
Irma Peterson: Jane, you can beat me, you can torture me, you can rack me on the wheel, you can quarter me into six and a half pieces, but you'll never find out from me that Yvonne, the French actress, is responsible for Steve singing at the Lucky Dollar Club.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs The Letter (1940)

Soundtrack:

Singing a Vagabond Song

The uproarious sequel to Martin & Lewis' film debut!

This is easily the funniest and most deep-down-hardy chuckle inducing film that the fabulous comedy duo of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis have ever starred in. And it makes its predecessor (My Friend Irma) pale in comparison. One of the only sequels I've ever known that's actually better than the original. Even though Dean and Jerry were only given fourth and fifth billing in the picture, because they were still so new in the industry, Jerry Lewis clearly ends up stealing the whole show! In between Dean Martin's dulcet tones as he sings some original songs in the film, Jerry is at his peak, complete with his legendary, goofy humor, delayed-reaction one-liners, and prat falls. He's probably the most valuable asset of the film. But this isn't to undermine the performances of the lead actors, who are also fabulous! Especially the dead-on, hilarious portrayal of Irma, the dizzy blonde, by Marie Wilson. Her character's innocent and gullible absent-mindedness which lands her in so much trouble will definitely provide some GOOD laughs...Definitely! This is the first review of this film on this site, and therefore the first one people will see when they look up this reference page, so I'm really trying to do it justice in my review. Let me just say that this movie is most probably the funniest picture of its era, and you can quote me on that. Way ahead of its time, it's hard to believe that this was produced half a century ago! Even my seven-year-old sister loves it, and it's HARD to win her over! Please give it a chance. I can promise that if you have even an inkling of a sense of humor inside you, you'll laugh so much that it'll be hard to find time for eating popcorn between chuckles! My rating for My Friend Irma Goes West, a solid, perfect 10. But 10 isn't really high enough for it. My own opinion of it surpasses 10 ineffably.