The Patsy (1964)

An incompetent bellhop is recruited to fill in for a deceased comedian.

Director:

Jerry Lewis

Writers:

Jerry Lewis, Bill Richmond

Stars:

Jerry Lewis, Ina Balin, Everett Sloane

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jerry Lewis	...	Stanley Belt / Singers of the Trio
Ina Balin	...	Ellen Betz
Everett Sloane	...	Caryl Fergusson
Phil Harris	...	Chic Wymore
Keenan Wynn	...	Harry Silver
Peter Lorre	...	Morgan Heywood
John Carradine	...	Bruce Arden
Hans Conried	...	Prof. Mulerr
Richard Deacon	...	Sy Devore
Scatman Crothers	...	Shoeshine Boy (as Scat Man Crothers)
Del Moore	...	Policeman
Neil Hamilton	...	The Barber
Buddy Lester	...	Copa Café MC
Nancy Kulp	...	Helen, Theatergoer
Lloyd Thaxton	...	Lloyd

Storyline

When a star comedian dies, rather than letting anyone know, his comedy writers decide to find and teach an unknown to fill his shoes for a big show the comedian had been schedeled for. But the man they choose - bellboy, Stanley Belt - can't do anything right, and time's running out.

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | newspaper headline | reference to cinderella | beverly hilton | boeing 707 | 

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Taglines:

Jerry's a dumb-like-a-fox bellhop that some smart alecs manipulate into stardom...

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the end of the movie, as Jerry says "We could gather a few" (kids), His mouth says "make some". Possibly changed by the censors as too suggestive for children.

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Quotes

[Ina Balin, as Ellen, is bawling after seeing Jerry's character Stanley fall over the balcony of his apartment. Jerry Lewis appears from the right, behind her]
Stanley Belt: Aren't you overacting a little bit, Miss Bawling... Balin... Balin? It's a movie, you see? I'm fine. Uh, the people in the theater know I ain't gonna die. Here, it's a movie stage. Here, look at this, see? There's wires and lights and I'm gonna make more movies, so I couldn't die. It's like a "make-believe." It's a dumb city.
Ellen Betz: Mr. Lewis, ...

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Connections

Featured in North (1994)

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Soundtracks

I Lost My Heart in a Drive-In Movie
Lyrics by Jack Brooks
Music by David Raksin
Performed by Jerry Lewis

User Reviews

Jerry Lewis, one of the kind

This is Jerry Lewis at his best.Sure I could say the same thing about him in many other movies.The master clown plays this time a bellboy named Stanley Belt.A star comedian dies, so they want to train a nobody, in this case Stan the bellboy, to be the new star.But hiring Stan to fill the shoes of the comedian really isn't such a good idea.He can't do anything right and there are so many things he has to do.So many things he has to learn, and there's not too much time to learn it all.The Patsy (1964): directed by Jerry Lewis, writing credits Jerry Lewis and Bill Richmond.This is a funny comedy with a deeper meaning.Jerry does his comic act with his own unique style, that many have tried to imitate.But let's face it; nobody is better than the original.Ina Balin is a terrific leading lady.She plays Ellen Betz and is really sweet in her part.Everett Sloane is Caryl Fergusson and he's marvelous.Phil Harris is great as Chic Wymore.Keenan Wynn is wonderful as Harry Silver.Also his father, Ed Wynn can be seen in the movie.And so can Keenan's son Ned Wynn.Peter Lorre does his final movie role in The Patsy.He was a great, great actor in both comedies and more serious roles.Scatman Crothers is there to give shine to the shoes.Then there are people you may recognize from other Lewis movies, like Del Moore, Buddy Lester and Nancy Kulp.Some people are there as themselves, like Hedda Hopper, Rhonda Fleming, George Raft, Mel Tormé and Ed Sullivan.Not too many movies have a cast like that! Two of my favorite scenes are where Jerry paints a tuxedo on himself and the flashback sequence showing Jerry as a youngster in a dance where the girls don't want to dance with him.Those scenes show what a great mime Jerry really is.Here in Finland they have been showing Jerry Lewis movies on Sundays this summer.The last time they showed his movies successively was in 1998.Now I can see the tragedy in Jerry's characters better than I did back then.Then I saw only the crazy and zany and funny man.Now I can see his characters are often tragic figures who also happen to be very funny.Jerry Lewis can still make me laugh like crazy.Jerry is a fool with heart.Nobody can do it like Jerry Lewis.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 July 1964 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Son of Bellboy

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures, Patti Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1