My Friend Irma Goes West (1950)

En route to Hollywood, singer Steve, his partner Seymour and fiancée Jane, Jane's airheaded roommate Irma, and Irma's con artist fiancé Al have a series of misadventures and end up involved with a murderous gang.

Director:

Hal Walker

Writers:

Cy Howard (screenplay), Parke Levy (screenplay)

Stars:

John Lund, Marie Wilson, Diana Lynn

Cast

Credited cast:
John Lund	...	Al
Marie Wilson	...	Irma Peterson
Diana Lynn	...	Jane Stacey
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	...	Band Leader
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tamba the Chimp	...	Pierre

Storyline

In this sequel film, all the characters remain the same; Al is still unemployed, Jane still has show-biz aspirations for boyfriend Steve; Steve and Seymour are still partners, and Irma is still Irma, which isn't all that easy. Al gets Steve a singing job on television, which is seen by a Hollywood producer. He signs Steve to a long term movie contract, and all hands depart for Hollywood. But, alas, the producer turns out to be an escaped lunatic, and they end up in Las Vegas, where Irma manages to get kidnapped by gangsters, who are very unhappy with Irma.

---

Plot Keywords:

gangster | contract | train | television | roulette | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Musical

---

Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

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.

---

Goofs

This is a sequel to My Friend Irma (1949). However, at the end of that movie, Al and Steve are waiting at the church for Irma and Jane for a double wedding. Also, Irma has won a radio contest worth $50,000 (approximately half a million dollars today, adjusting for inflation). At the beginning of My Friend Irma Goes West (1950), the weddings never happened and neither did the financial windfall. Steve and Seymour are back working at the orange juice stand, setting up similar plot circumstances as the first movie (much like a typical radio or TV sitcom).

---

Quotes

Jane Stacy: I wonder if Steve's photogenic.
Irma Peterson: Why of course not. He's as healthy as a horse.

---

Connections

Spoofs The Letter (1940)

---

Soundtracks

Fiddle and Gittar Band
Written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans
Sung by Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis

User Reviews

Irma tra-la-la's again

For their second film Martin and Lewis did a sequel to My Friend Irma taken from Marie Wilson's popular radio comedy where John Lund finally got Wilson to the altar and Wilson and best friend and roommate Diana Lynn was also marrying Martin.

The weddings were forgotten in My Friend Irma Goes West as Dean Martin guest stars on a radio program and attracts the attention of film star Corinne Calvet to the jealousy of Diana Lynn. Lund is also footloose and fancy free again with his eternal get rich quick schemes that were a big component of My Friend Irma.

However Lynn puts her foot down and takes over management of Martin's career and negotiates a contract with a Hollywood mogul. Who turns out to be an escapee from a booby hatch, but our fearless quintet goes out to Hollywood first class for a job that doesn't exist.

Martin's singing and Lewis's clowning do get them noticed in Las Vegas as he gets booked in Bugsy Siegel's up and coming town. And Lund gets outdealed literally by gangster Lloyd Corrigan in a marvelous bit of casting against type. Of course all the financial and romantic problems get sorted out in the end.

When I reviewed the first My Friend Irma film I said that the Irma character would be great for Jessica Simpson to revive. After seeing this film I still maintain that. God has a special province for Marie Wilson's character who just tra-la-la's through life and somehow makes it through.

There's a bit more of Dean and Jerry in this film than the previous one. Their next film would be At War With The Army where they would finally star.

Corinne Calvet talked at length about this film for Nick Tosches's biography of Dean Martin. Her experience in Hollywood was not a happy one and she mentions the casting couch that both Hal Wallis and Darryl Zanuck used with regularity. In her case she was to service them also for her then husband John Bromfield. She said that Dino was a pleasant person to work with, confident and assured. She liked Jerry as well, but felt there was a certain insecurity with him as he was continually 'on' all the time as if trying hard to please.

The film called for her to work with a chimpanzee, her and Jerry and she said the ape was paying close attention to her. She was asked where she was in her menstrual cycle and when she told director Hal Walker, he said the ape was giving her a booty call. That was a bit unnerving, but I'll bet Corinne got passes just as crude from some humans.

The score was written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans and it yielded an early hit for Dean Martin with I'll Always Love You which has a nice Latin flavored tempo to it. My Friend Irma Goes West is still a funny film and the comedy is timeless so it really could be revived today.

Are you reading this Jessica Simpson?

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 July 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

My Friend Irma Goes West

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wallis-Hazen

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1