IMDb > Who's Minding the Store? (1963)

Who's Minding the Store? (1963) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.6/10   561 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 52% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Frank Tashlin
Writers:
Harry Tugend (story)
Frank Tashlin (writer) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for Who's Minding the Store? on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 November 1963 (USA) more
Genre:
Comedy more
Plot:
Norman Phiffier works as a store clerk in a large department store. Clumsy and inept, he can't do anything right. Boy are they in trouble! full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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User Comments:
Inspired lunacy; relentless entertainment. more (16 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Jerry Lewis ... Norman Phiffier

Jill St. John ... Barbara Tuttle
Ray Walston ... Mr. Quimby
John McGiver ... Mr. John P. Tuttle

Agnes Moorehead ... Mrs. Phoebe Tuttle
Francesca Bellini ... Shirley Lott
Peggy Mondo ... Lady wrestler
Nancy Kulp ... Emily Rothgraber
John Abbott ... Roberts
Isobel Elsom ... Hazel, a Dowager
Kathleen Freeman ... Mrs. Glucksman
Fritz Feld ... Irving Cahastrophe, the Gourmet Manager
Milton Frome ... Francois, the Driver
Mary Treen ... Mattress Customer
Dick Wessel ... Traffic cop (as Richard Wessel)
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
90 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
UK:U | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl
Company:
Jerry Lewis Pictures more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Norman Phiffier's previous jobs include that of caddy, TV repairman, and Paramount Theater usher. Jerry Lewis played a caddy in The Caddy (1953) and a TV repairman in both Rock-a-Bye Baby (1958) and It'$ Only Money (1962). He also made a number of movies for Paramount, including Who's Minding the Store? (1963) more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: Watch carefully as Jerry Lewis mimes typing a letter to the accompaniment of Leroy Anderson's rapid-fire orchestral piece "The Typewriter." Lewis messes up twice, and reacts to his mistakes both times, but keeps going. Apparently, the spontaneity of the performance was more important to Lewis and director Frank Tashlin than an error-free take. more
Quotes:
Mr. Quimby: How do you suppose I got to be the general manager of this great store? How?
Norman Phiffier: How? How?
Mr. Quimby: I'll tell you! I'll tell you!
Norman Phiffier: Go ahead! Go ahead!
Mr. Quimby: I will! I will!
more
Movie Connections:
References Death of a Salesman (1951) more
Soundtrack:
The Typewriter more

FAQ

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful.
Inspired lunacy; relentless entertainment., 18 September 2006
7/10
Author: b1b1b1c27 from New York City, USA

Reasons to watch and enjoy this film have been enumerated by other commentators here. Some others:

1) The way Jill St. John's character, against all reason, is ga-ga over Jerry's. Seems like the fantasy of every dorky guy in the world: Just keep pluggin', and eventually a hot babe will develop an unreasoning crush on you.

2) An early and egregious example of product placement! After all, the flick IS set in a department store, so we're treated to not-so-subliminal ads for Browning rifles (worked into Jerry's scene with Nancy Kulp), Planter's nuts (in the toasted ants scene), MacGregor outerwear etc. And of course, the star of the film (much like the chandelier in the stage musical "Phantom of the Opera") is really the Hoover vacuum cleaner in the famous appliance department scene. It even has the word HOOVER boldly emblazoned across its bag, and the name only gets bigger and bigger as the bag inflates to Thanksgiving-Day-parade balloon size.

3) Already mentioned, but bears repeating: Francesca Bellini is enchantingly gorgeous, and really seems a much more exciting catch than Jill St. John!

4) As mentioned, fine performances by the character actors Agnes Moorehead, John McGiver (one of his more interesting outings) and Ray Walston.

5) The true inspiration of the film is the way each of the many vignettes or set pieces builds from a pianissimo of silliness all the way up to a triple fortissimo of surreality, leaving sense, taste and every other useless item behind. It is indeed a live action cartoon, and in Jerry Lewis it has a cartoon character come to life.

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