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IMDbPro

Hook, Line and Sinker

  • 1969
  • Passed
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
5.3/10
864
YOUR RATING
Jerry Lewis and Peter Lawford in Hook, Line and Sinker (1969)
A man (Jerry Lewis) is told by his doctor (Peter Lawford), and best friend, that he has a terminal illness. At his wife's urging, he lives life to the fullest, racking up insurmountable debts. When the damage is done, his friend the doctor tells him that he's not dying.
Play trailer2:51
1 Video
35 Photos
Comedy

A man (Jerry Lewis) is told by his doctor (Peter Lawford), and best friend, that he has a terminal illness. At his wife's urging, he lives life to the fullest, racking up insurmountable debt... Read allA man (Jerry Lewis) is told by his doctor (Peter Lawford), and best friend, that he has a terminal illness. At his wife's urging, he lives life to the fullest, racking up insurmountable debts. When the damage is done, his friend the doctor tells him that he's not dying. Unfortuna... Read allA man (Jerry Lewis) is told by his doctor (Peter Lawford), and best friend, that he has a terminal illness. At his wife's urging, he lives life to the fullest, racking up insurmountable debts. When the damage is done, his friend the doctor tells him that he's not dying. Unfortunately, his life will eventually be ruined by his actions. So, they decide to stage his deat... Read all

  • Director
    • George Marshall
  • Writers
    • Rod Amateau
    • David Davis
  • Stars
    • Jerry Lewis
    • Peter Lawford
    • Anne Francis
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    5.3/10
    864
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • George Marshall
    • Writers
      • Rod Amateau
      • David Davis
    • Stars
      • Jerry Lewis
      • Peter Lawford
      • Anne Francis
    • 15User reviews
    • 7Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:51
    Watch Official Trailer

    Photos35

    Anne Francis and Peter Lawford in Hook, Line and Sinker (1969)
    Anne Francis and Peter Lawford in Hook, Line and Sinker (1969)
    Jerry Lewis and Anne Francis in Hook, Line and Sinker (1969)
    Jerry Lewis and Anne Francis in Hook, Line and Sinker (1969)
    Jerry Lewis in Hook, Line and Sinker (1969)
    Jerry Lewis in Hook, Line and Sinker (1969)
    Jerry Lewis, Anne Francis, and Kathleen Freeman in Hook, Line and Sinker (1969)
    Jerry Lewis and Norman Leavitt in Hook, Line and Sinker (1969)
    Jerry Lewis in Hook, Line and Sinker (1969)
    Jerry Lewis in Hook, Line and Sinker (1969)
    Jerry Lewis and Peter Lawford in Hook, Line and Sinker (1969)
    Jerry Lewis and Anne Francis in Hook, Line and Sinker (1969)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jerry Lewis
    Jerry Lewis
    • Peter J. Ingersoll…
    Peter Lawford
    Peter Lawford
    • Dr. Scott Carter
    Anne Francis
    Anne Francis
    • Nancy Ingersoll
    Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez
    Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez
    • Perfecto
    Jimmy Miller
    • Jimmy Ingersoll
    Jennifer Edwards
    Jennifer Edwards
    • Jennifer Ingersoll
    Eleanor Audley
    Eleanor Audley
    • Mrs. Durham
    Henry Corden
    Henry Corden
    • Kenyon Hammercher
    Sylvia Lewis
    Sylvia Lewis
    • Karlotta Hammercher
    Phillip Pine
    Phillip Pine
    • Head Surgeon
    Felipe Turich
    • Foreign Mortician
    Kathleen Freeman
    Kathleen Freeman
    • Mrs. Hardtack - Baby Sitter
    Murray Alper
    Murray Alper
    • Member - Board of Inquiry
    • (uncredited)
    Leon Alton
    Leon Alton
    • Burial Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    Tom Anfinsen
    • Burial Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    Pat Armitage
    • Nurse
    • (uncredited)
    Al Bain
    Al Bain
    • Burial Spectator
    • (uncredited)
    Larry J. Blake
    Larry J. Blake
    • Chief of Police
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • George Marshall
    • Writers
      • Rod Amateau
      • David Davis
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The interior set of the Ingersoll house is the same used for Bewitched (1964).
    • Goofs
      During the deep sea fishing scenes the footage is always of a large blue marlin being caught, but the fish Peter's crew finally hauls on board is a small, gray sailfish.
    • Quotes

      Dr. Scott Carter: There's only one decent thing left for you to do: turn yourself in.

      Peter Ingersoll: Decent thing? That's insane!

      Dr. Scott Carter: I'll be behind you all the way.

      Peter Ingersoll: Oh, sure you will. A mile behind me.

    • Connections
      Featured in I Walk the Line (1970)

    User reviews15

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Not Lewis' best work but still entertaining
    The film starts out so seriously. A group of doctors and nurses in scrubs enter the operating room looking quite grim, as if they are about to save a patient's life. The gallery is filled with interested witnesses.

    And then the patient is asked what happened. We don't see precisely what happened to him until much later, but I will say the procedure is related to fishing, hence the film's title.

    In flashbacks, the story is told. Peter Ingersoll is an insurance agent who joins an emotionless, dedicated group marching into work as if part of a military unit at precisely 9 AM. He has a "Leave It to Beaver" family living in a "Leave It to Beaver" house. Well, not exactly. His kids treat him like a moron. Certainly not the impression one had of Ward.

    Peter does some work around the house and gets into the usual Jerry Lewis type messes--a rodent in the garden, a stopped up sink (this gag is really funny). One gets the impression, though, that he's not really happy. For example, though this film has a G rating, we do get to see that Peter and Nancy have some ... trouble in the bedroom. Unlike Ward and June, we can imagine where this couple's kids came from.

    Peter's good friend Scott is also his doctor. Scott tells Peter he has some sort of incurable condition that will give him only months to live (though there are no obvious symptoms). Peter decides to enjoy what life he has left. And being an insurance man, he has a great policy that will leave his wife secure after he dies. So Peter decides to run up $150,000 in debt on a lavish round-the-world fishing vacation, figuring the creditors will not go after a grieving widow.

    There is a problem, though, which gives the film most of its comedy potential. I shouldn't give that away.

    Anyone looking for the zany Jerry Lewis style might be disappointed. The two gags early in the movie, and a limbo dance in the Caribbean, are about all the examples of the classic Lewis style until the movie's second half. Lewis does get to display more of his trademark behavior pretending to be Fred Dobbs in Europe. Still, this is an entertaining and funny movie.

    Peter Lawford is very good. The other leading actors do a good job, and there are some really silly scenes in Europe.

    The film got a G rating, though it should be mentioned a couple is apparently naked in a hotel, with the appropriate parts covered. But this could mean anything--right? Something similar happens with Peter and his wife. And of course there is slapstick violence. But nothing really makes this film out of bounds for most kids.

    I had a good time.
    helpful•10
    1
    • vchimpanzee
    • Feb 24, 2011

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 6, 1969 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Kook's Town
    • Filming locations
      • Aeroporto, Lisbon, Portugal
    • Production company
      • Jerry Lewis Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $1,236,060
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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