The Nutty Professor (1963)

Director:

Jerry Lewis

Writers:

Jerry Lewis (written by) and
Bill Richmond (written by)

Release Date:

4 June 1963 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

What does he become? What kind of monster?

Plot:

To improve his social life, a nerdish professor drinks a potion that temporarily turns him into the handsome, but obnoxious, Buddy Love.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Student | Professor | Chemistry | Teacher

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Jerry Lewis	...	Professor Julius Kelp / Buddy Love / Baby Kelp
Stella Stevens	...	Stella Purdy
Del Moore	...	Dr. Hamius R. Warfield
Kathleen Freeman	...	Millie Lemmon
Med Flory	...	Football Player
Norman Alden	...	Football Player
Howard Morris	...	Mr. Elmer Kelp
Elvia Allman	...	Edwina Kelp
Milton Frome	...	Dr. M. Sheppard Leevee
Buddy Lester	...	Bartender
Marvin Kaplan	...	English student
David Landfield	...	College Student
Skip Ward	...	Football Player
Julie Parrish	...	College Student
Henry Gibson	...	Gibson, College Student
Les Brown	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mushy Callahan	...	Cab Driver (scenes deleted)
Murray Alper	...	Gym Attendant (uncredited)
Les Brown Jr.	...	Student at Senior Prom (uncredited)
Joseph Forte	...	College Faculty Member (uncredited)
Art Gilmore	...	Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Gavin Gordon	...	Clothing Salesman (uncredited)
Terry Higgins	...	Purple Pit Cigarette Girl (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes	...	Faculty Member at Senior Prom (uncredited)
Richard Kiel	...	Bodybuilder at Gym (uncredited)
Les Brown and His Band of Renown	...	Themselves (uncredited)
Gary Lewis	...	Boy (uncredited)
Forbes Murray	...	Faculty Member at Senior Prom (uncredited)
Emil Richards	...	Musician - Percussionist (uncredited)
Michael Ross	...	Weight Lifter at Gym (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Purple Pit Customer (uncredited)
Doodles Weaver	...	Rube (uncredited)
Dave Willock	...	Purple Pit Customer (uncredited)
Celeste Yarnall	...	College Student (uncredited)
Francine York	...	College Student (uncredited)

Directed by
Jerry Lewis

Writing credits
Jerry Lewis		(written by) and
Bill Richmond		(written by)

Produced by
Ernest D. Glucksman	....	producer
Arthur P. Schmidt	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Walter Scharf

Cinematography by
W. Wallace Kelley

Film Editing by
John Woodcock

Art Direction by
Hal Pereira
Walter H. Tyler		(as Walter Tyler)

Set Decoration by
Robert R. Benton		(as Robert Benton)
Sam Comer

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Nellie Manley	....	hair stylist supervision
Jack Stone	....	makeup artist
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor

Production Management
Hal Bell	....	assistant production manager
William Davidson	....	production manager (as Bill Davidson)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ralph Axness	....	assistant director

Art Department
Martin Pendleton	....	property master

Sound Department
Charles Grenzbach	....	sound recordist
Hugo Grenzbach	....	sound recordist
Bud Parman	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Bill Wistrom	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Paul K. Lerpae	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Bob May	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Murray Young	....	key grip (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sy Devore	....	wardrobe: men
Nat Wise	....	wardrobe: men

Music Department
Walter Scharf	....	conductor
Walter Scharf	....	musician: "I'm In the Mood for Love" (uncredited)

Other crew
Marshall Katz	....	assistant to producer
Richard Mueller	....	technicolor color consultant
Marvin Weldon	....	dialogue coach
Dorothy Yutzi	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures
• Jerry Lewis Enterprises

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1963) (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1968) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• CIC-Taft Home Video (19??) (Australia) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2004) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2002) (UK) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (19??) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Paramount Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD) (special edition)

Other Companies

• Band of Renown  group cast members
• Phoenix Film Office  special thanks

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Finland:K-8 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:Unrated | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Stella Stevens' character's name was first Stella Paine, but Stevens asked Jerry Lewis to change it to Stella Purdy.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Julius is making the potion in his lab he closes the blinds and it is glaringly bright outside. Then when he drinks the potion the clock reads 9:30 at night.

Quotes:

Dr. Hamius R. Warfield: Warfield finishes with papers handed to him by secretary Lemmon... Where's your pad?
Millie Lemmon: Oh it's not quite a mile from campus. It's a small flat, but you should see what I did with the drapes! Oh! You meant my steno pad. I'll be right back with it.
Dr. Hamius R. Warfield: Never mind, what is it?
Millie Lemmon: Mr. Buddy Love is hear to see you, and is he ever a gasser! Should I have him come in?
Dr. Hamius R. Warfield: If you can do so without fainting.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Bones: The Girl in the Fridge (#1.8)" (2005)

Soundtrack:

The Marine Hymn

Still the best version there is

The original Jerry Lewis version of this movie is still the best one ever. Irregardless of the special effects employed in the Eddie Murphy version, or the novelty of him playing multiple characters at the same time, the original has something the copycat doesn't - Jerry Lewis, still one of the best comedians on the planet. Lewis doesn't need the power of special effects or multiple roles to fully convey the story here. How he transforms from a nerdy professor to a suave and sweet-talking singing/dancing/kissing Romeo is a sight to behold. He employs acting techiques which manage to convince us that these are 2 distinct people with distinct personalities and characters. No one can top Lewis in his prime, and this is one of better movies.