The Errand Boy (1961)

Paramutual Pictures wants to know where all the money is going, so they hire Morty to be their spy. Morty works for Mr. Sneak and gets a job in the mail room so that he can have access to ... See full summary »

Director:

Jerry Lewis

Writers:

Jerry Lewis, Bill Richmond

Stars:

Jerry Lewis, Brian Donlevy, Howard McNear

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jerry Lewis	...	Morty S. Tashman
Brian Donlevy	...	Tom 'T.P.' Paramutual
Howard McNear	...	Dexter Sneak
Dick Wesson	...	The A.D.
Robert Ivers	...	Young NY Director Who Argues with T.P.
Pat Dahl	...	Miss Carson
Renée Taylor	...	Miss Giles
Rita Hayes	...	Singer Who Dubs Davitt
Stanley Adams	...	Grumpy
Kathleen Freeman	...	Mrs. Helen Paramutual / Mrs. T.P.
Isobel Elsom	...	Irma Paramutual
Sig Ruman	...	Baron Elston Carteblanche
Felicia Atkins	...	Serina
Doodles Weaver	...	Weaver
Fritz Feld	...	Busby - Roaring 20's Director

Storyline

Paramutual Pictures wants to know where all the money is going, so they hire Morty to be their spy. Morty works for Mr. Sneak and gets a job in the mail room so that he can have access to the lot. But all that Morty ever finds is that he can cause havoc no matter what he does.

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Plot Keywords:

written and directed by cast member | satire | physical comedy | slapstick comedy | gag humor | 

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Taglines:

It's the Nut - At His Nuttiest!

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Genres:

Comedy | Family

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 June 1962 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

De golpe en golpe

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jerry Lewis Productions, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the scene where Anastasia Anastasia toasts a dead man, the portrait of the man she's toasting is Francis X. Bushman, a matinee idol of the Silent Age of film, whose career continued well into the 1960s with such films as Sabrina (1954). This was not the only time Jerry Lewis requested Bushman in one of his films, as a portrait also appears in his film The Ladies Man (1961).

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Connections

Featured in The 81st Annual Academy Awards (2009)

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Soundtracks

Lover
(uncredited)
Lyrics by Lorenz Hart
Music by Richard Rodgers

User Reviews

My favourite Jerry Lewis movie

Those who dismiss 'The Errand Boy' as juvenile comedy in the vein of the awful Tom Green are way out of line - this film in particular is entertaining, genuinely funny, and acted and directed with charm by Jerry Lewis. Perhaps he was funnier in 'Who's Minding The Store' or 'The Nutty Professor', but this one remains my favourite.

It is the story of Morty, an underling at a Hollywood studio where he can cause as many problems as he can - in the canteen, on the sets, in the lift, as an unexpected extra during filming, and by overdubbing his own squeaky vocals over a finished soundtrack. The combined effect of all this is irresistable.

My favourite scene though is the one in the prop room, where Morty seeks advice from a couple of finger puppets about how to improve his life. Cliched, maybe, but unexpected amongst the silliness and really quite effective.