The Errand Boy (1961)

A goofy paperhanger is hired to root out a financial inefficiency on a Hollywood studio lot, wreaking havoc as he goes.

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 '20s 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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Joe Besser was struggling for work at this time, and friend Lewis gave him a small role. It paid off well for Besser, who met Joey Bishop on the set, and wound up with a co-starring role on "The Joey Bishop Show" (1961) for the next few years.

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Goofs

The diver writes a question to the title character but omits the apostrophe from "DON'T".

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Quotes

Morty S. Tashman: Do you smoke ma'am?
[Bubblegum Blower in Elevator shakes her head]
Morty S. Tashman: Thank heavens.

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Connections

References Lili (1953)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

A couple good bits, but mostly disjointed and strange paced

I rented this movie lately after determining from a long search that it had the bit I had remembered ever since I saw it in '61. That scene is the boardroom pantomime Jerry does to a big-band song. That piece did turn out to be as clever (though not as elaborate) as I had remembered. Check it out. It is about 75 minutes into the movie. I had forgotten the rest of the movie, and after seeing it last night, now I know why. I think only Jerry-fans will be able to sit through it all. The "story" is so choppy I kept thinking I must have fallen asleep and missed something. Jerry was pretty full of himself (and preachy) when he did this collection of skits.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 November 1961 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Errand Boy

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