The Disorderly Orderly (1964)

Medical student Jerome Littlefield works as an orderly at a private clinic where he creates havoc due to his ineptitude.

Director:

Frank Tashlin

Writers:

Frank Tashlin (screenplay), Norm Liebmann (story)

Stars:

Jerry Lewis, Glenda Farrell, Susan Oliver

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jerry Lewis	...	Jerome Littlefield
Glenda Farrell	...	Dr. Jean Howard
Susan Oliver	...	Susan Andrews
Everett Sloane	...	Mr. Tuffington
Karen Sharpe	...	Julie Blair
Kathleen Freeman	...	Nurse Maggie Higgins
Del Moore	...	Dr. Davenport
Alice Pearce	...	Mrs. Fuzzibee
Milton Frome	...	Board Member
John Macchia	...	Orderly
Jack E. Leonard	...	Fat Jack
Barbara Nichols	...	Miss Marlowe
Danny Costello	...	First Ambulance Driver
Michael Ross	...	First Ambulance Intern
Benny Rubin	...	Waiter

Storyline

When he flunks out of med school, Jerome Littlefield goes to work as an orderly in a private rest home where he wreaks havoc for everyone concerned. Dr. Jean Howard is the exasperated head of the sanitarium who almost becomes a patient after the antics of the frantic employee. When talkative patient Mrs. Fuzzibee happily and continuously relates her maladies to Jerome, he hilariously has psychosomatic symptoms that mirror those of the nutty woman. He discovers that his high school girl of his dreams, Susan Andrews has been brought to the sanitarium after a suicide attempt. He secretly pays for the destitute young woman's stay while helping to restore her confidence and self respect, much to the jealousy of his girlfriend, Julie Blair, a young and pretty nurse who has high hopes of becoming the future Mrs. Littlefield.

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Plot Keywords:

slapstick comedy | battlefield | climbing a mountain | starts with narration | bandaged foot | 

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Taglines:

Jerry's a mad medicine man on the ward-path in a hospital that should have known better!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

The nurse's song in French is about the flowers in her garden, while Jerome's continuation of the song, though containing certain recognizable words, is not fluent French.

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Goofs

When Jerome is chasing the patient with the full-body cast, you can see the string attached to the cast that is pulling it down the hill.

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Quotes

Julie Blair: Can you drive an ambulance?
Nurse Higgins: Well, in the Army I drove a tank...

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Walter Matthau (1978)

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Soundtracks

The Disorderly Orderly
by Earl Shuman and Leon Carr
Sung by Sammy Davis Jr.
Sammy Davis thru the courtesy of Reprise Records

User Reviews

Unusual Jerry Lewis movie

This is the usual Jerry Lewis slapstick, though a lot of it seems somewhat forced this time around. Still, writer/director Frank Tashlin keeps it breezy and fast-paced, and makes some memorable scenes, such as the wild chase at the end. Tashlin's previous work in animation is really evident here.

What's unusual about this J.L. entry is that there are a number of quite serious moments, ranging from a criticism of for-profit medical care, and the saga of a suicidal patient Lewis' character falls for. These moments are treated so serious (and convincingly) it's really odd to find them in such a slapstick movie.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 February 1965 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

The Disorderly Orderly

Filming Locations:

2700 Laurel Pass Ave./8300 Carmar Place, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jerry Lewis Productions, York Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1