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.

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Plot Keywords:

gangster | contract | train | television | roulette | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 July 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Irma im goldenen Westen

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

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.

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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).

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Quotes

Irma Peterson: I miss my mother and father. They were just like parents to me.

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Connections

Spoofs The Letter (1940)

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Soundtracks

I'll Always Love You
Written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans
Sung by Dean Martin

User Reviews

It picks up right after the last film...almost.

This is a sequel to "My Friend Irma", though oddly it doesn't exactly pick up where it should. At the very end of the last film, Irma fell into a construction ditch on the way to the church to FINALLY marry Al. Now, when this second film begins, Al and Irma are still not married and there's no explanation as to why.

This film picks up where it began so far as Al (Dean Martin) and his singing career are concerned. He's still singing at small venues and even has a TV appearance--but it pays almost nothing. His problems seem over when a guy comes to the apartment and Jane (Diana Lynn) is able to negotiate a nice Hollywood contract. There's only one problem---the 'producer' is really an escaped mental patient and Al and his friends have no idea they are heading west with no job waiting.

As a result, they find themselves stuck on the way there. They are lucky enough to meet the very hot-to-trot Ms. Yvonne Yvonne--a stereotypical French actress. She offers to have Steve sing in Vegas at nightclub and their financial difficulties are over...for now. But, as Yvonne Yvonne definitely has the hots for Steve, what is Jane to do--especially since she and Steve are engaged?! Later, Al falls in with some illegal gamblers (no big surprise) and goes to work for them. However, while working in their crooked casino, Al's roulette table pays off big--but shouldn't have since the table was supposedly rigged. So, the gangsters decide to make Al and Irma pay. Can they be rescued and can Steve and Jane work out their problems and find happiness? Tune in and see in this modestly diverting film. Oddly, however, the comedic elements (Irma and Seymour) are among the least entertaining aspects of this comedy.

By the way, one thing I loved about this movie and "My Friend Irma" is that Al has no last name. Even when the police question him, he only uses the name Al--as does Irma who refers to herself as the "future Ms. Al". Cute.