The Disorderly Orderly (1964)

Director:

Frank Tashlin

Writers:

Frank Tashlin (screenplay)
Norm Liebmann (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

16 December 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

When he flunks out of med school, Jerome Littlefield goes to work as an orderly in a private rest home where he wreaks havoc for everyone concerned...

Plot Keywords:

Slapstick | Hospital | Madcap Comedy | Gurney | Absurd Humor

Cast

Jerry Lewis	...	Jerome Littlefield
Glenda Farrell	...	Dr. Jean Howard
Susan Oliver	...	Susan Andrews
Karen Sharpe	...	Julie Blair
Kathleen Freeman	...	Nurse Maggie Higgins
Everett Sloane	...	Mr. Tuffington
Del Moore	...	Dr. Davenport
Alice Pearce	...	Mrs. Fuzzibee
Milton Frome	...	Board Member
John Macchia	...	Orderly
Jack E. Leonard	...	Fat Jack
Barbara Nichols	...	Miss Marlowe
Muriel Landers	...	Millicent
Frank J. Scannell	...	Milton M. Mealy (as Frank Scannell)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frank Alesia	...	Interne (uncredited)
Murray Alper	...	Patient (uncredited)
Allyson Ames	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Carol Andreson	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Danny Costello	...	1st Ambulance Interne (uncredited)
Frankie Darro	...	Board Member (uncredited)
Richard Deacon	...	Secondary Supporting Role (uncredited)
Robert Donner	...	Interne (uncredited)
Tommy Farrell	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Herbie Faye	...	Mr. Welles, Patient (uncredited)
Jack Fife	...	Moving Van Helper (uncredited)
Paul Frees	...	Opening Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Bob Harvey	...	Orderly (uncredited)
Mike Mahoney	...	Van Driver (uncredited)
Mike Mazurki	...	Moving Van Passenger (uncredited)
Kent McCord	...	Pre-Opening Credit Hospital Intern (uncredited)
Freddie Payne	...	Orderly (uncredited)
Marge Redmond	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Michael Ross	...	1st Ambulance Driver (uncredited)
Gabrielle Rossillon	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Benny Rubin	...	Waiter (uncredited)
Glen Walters	...	Tall Blonde Masseuse (uncredited)
William Wellman Jr.	...	Dr. Smathers (uncredited)
Cissy Wellman	...	Nurse (uncredited)
Dave Willock	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Francine York	...	Nurse (uncredited)

Directed by
Frank Tashlin

Writing credits
Frank Tashlin		(screenplay)
Norm Liebmann		(story) and
Ed Haas		(story)

Produced by
Paul Jones	....	producer
Jerry Lewis	....	executive producer
Arthur P. Schmidt	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Joseph J. Lilley

Cinematography by
W. Wallace Kelley		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Russel Wiles
John Woodcock

Art Direction by
Tambi Larsen
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Ray Moyer

Costume Design by
Edith Head
Sy Devore		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Bud Bashaw Jr.	....	makeup artist
Nellie Manley	....	hair style supervisor
Jack Stone	....	makeup artist
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor

Production Management
William Davidson	....	production manager (as Bill Davidson)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ralph Axness	....	assistant director
William R. Poole	....	assistant director

Art Department
Jim Cottrell	....	props
Martin Pendleton	....	props

Sound Department
Charles Grenzbach	....	sound recordist
Hugo Grenzbach	....	sound recordist
Don Merritt	....	sound
Jim Miller	....	sound
Bud Parman	....	sound

Visual Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	process photography
Paul K. Lerpae	....	special photographic effects
John P. Fulton	....	special photographic effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Ron Burke	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Ed Crowder	....	grip
Robert Dabke	....	grip
Lorne Netten	....	gaffer
Sterling Smith	....	still photographer
Dewey Wrigley Jr.	....	assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sy Devore	....	wardrobe: men
James M. George	....	wardrobe
Shirlee Strahm	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Arthur P. Schmidt	....	editorial supervisor

Music Department
Irvin Talbot	....	conductor
Gus Levene	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Richard Mueller	....	technicolor color consultant
Marvin Weldon	....	dialogue coach
Dorothy Yutzi	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Jerry Lewis Productions
• Paramount Pictures
• York Pictures Corporation

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1964) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1971) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Paramount Home Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Paramount-Films (1965) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1983) (1998) (Finland) (TV)
• Paramount Home Entertainment Finland (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Paramount Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• TV3 (1988) (Finland) (TV)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2006) (Finland) (TV)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

Finland:89 min | USA:90 min | UK:89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:11 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Jerry Lewis Productions

Trivia:

In the travel agency's window is a sign that reads, "TWA movie-in-flight: Jerry Lewis in 'The Disorderly Orderly'".

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Jerome is chasing the patient with the full-body cast, you can see the string attached to the cast that is pulling it down the hill.

Quotes:

Julie Blair:Can you drive an ambulance?
Nurse Higgins:Well, in the Army I drove a tank...

Movie Connections:

References That's My Boy (1951)

Soundtrack:

The Disorderly Orderly

Very hospital-able, especially since Gladys Kravitz is one of the patients.

Jerry Lewis may have reached his wackiest here. He plays Jerome Littlefield, an orderly who appears to be a combination of Insp. Clouseau and Gilligan. Pretty much most of the movie features him getting into a series of embarrassing situations. I personally think that they could have just left it at that and avoided the love story.

And yes, that's Alice Pearce as the over-communicative Miss Fuzzibee, right before she got the role of a certain nosy neighbor suspicious that there's a witch or something in the neighborhood. All in all, "The Disorderly Orderly" is classic comedy at its best. You gotta wonder how they did some of those scenes. Also starring Kathleen Freeman.