Hollywood or Bust (1956)

A singer who can't pay his bookie joins a nerdy, star-struck movie fan and his Great Dane in a cross-country convertible ride to Hollywood.

Director:

Frank Tashlin

Writer:

Erna Lazarus

Stars:

Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Pat Crowley

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Dean Martin	...	Steve Wiley
Jerry Lewis	...	Malcolm Smith
Pat Crowley	...	Terry Roberts
Maxie Rosenbloom	...	Bookie Benny
Anita Ekberg	...	Anita Ekberg

Storyline

The last movie with Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin together, is a satire of the life in Hollywood. Steve Wiley is a deceiver who cheats Malcolm Smith when he wins a car, claiming that he won it too. Trying to steal the car, Steve tells Malcolm that he lives in Hollywood, next to Anita Ekberg's. When Malcom hears that, they both set out for Hollywood and the adventure begins...

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Plot Keywords:

great dane | cross country | raffle | gambler | convertible | 

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Taglines:

A COAST TO COAST FUN TOOT! (original print ad - all caps)

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Genres:

Comedy | Musical

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original screenplay by Erna Lazarus concerned the adventures of a down-on-her-luck ex-chorus girl and a con man as they made their way to California. It was conceived as a vehicle for Shirley Booth and Humphrey Bogart. By the time Frank Tashlin got through re-tooling it for Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, it bore little resemblance to the original script. Nevertheless, Lazarus retained the sole writing credit.

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Goofs

When Malcolm "fixes" Terry's beater, he leaves a pile of spare parts directly in front of her vehicle, but she drives forward immediately afterward as if there were no obstructions in her path.

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Quotes

Steve Wiley: [to Malcolm] I'm thinkin' of somethin'. I'm thinkin' of double homicide - one for each of your heads!

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Crazy Credits

Dean Martin addresses the audience: "Our hats are off to the Oriental movie fan." (Jerry Lewis is in Asian garb watching a movie, trying to eat popcorn from a bowl with chopsticks and he finally tosses them).

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Connections

Referenced in Here's Lucy: Lucy and Carol Burnett (1971)

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Soundtracks

The Wild and Wooly West
Music by Sammy Fain
Lyrics by Paul Francis Webster

User Reviews

Good swan song

It's hard to believe that this was Martin and Lewis' last film. It was reported that they could barely stand each other to make this film--this is hardly evident when you watch it. There are some great laughs in the film, such as the beginning when Jerry spills popcorn in the lady's hair.

Some great comedic stuff is provided by the dog, Mr. Bascom. There is an especially cute segment where he meets and "falls in love" with Anita Eckberg's dog. Oops....don't want to give too much of it away.

All in all this is a very funny movie, and well worth buying or renting.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 December 1956 (UK)

Also Known As:

Beginner's Luck

Filming Locations:

Taos, New Mexico, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$3,300,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hal Wallis Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1