Hook, Line and Sinker (1969)

Man (Lewis) is told by his doctor (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 ... See full summary »

Director:

George Marshall

Writers:

Rod Amateau (screenplay), Rod Amateau (story)

Stars:

Jerry Lewis, Peter Lawford, Anne Francis

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jerry Lewis	...	Peter J. Ingersoll / Fred Dobbs
Peter Lawford	...	Dr. Scott Carter
Anne Francis	...	Nancy Ingersoll
Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez	...	Perfecto (as Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez)
Jimmy Miller	...	Jimmy Ingersoll
Jennifer Edwards	...	Jennifer Ingersoll
Eleanor Audley	...	Mrs. Durham
Henry Corden	...	Kenyon Hammercher
Sylvia Lewis	...	Karlotta Hammercher
Phillip Pine	...	Head Surgeon
Felipe Turich	...	Foreign Mortician
Kathleen Freeman	...	Mrs. Hardtack - Baby Sitter

Storyline

Man (Lewis) is told by his doctor (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 death so that his wife and family will not have to suffer for what he's done. Lewis eventually discovers that his friend, the doctor, set the entire scenario up so that he could get Lewis' wife.

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Plot Keywords:

doctor | debt | best friend | unfaithfulness | surgery | 

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Taglines:

JERRY IS ON THE LOOSE!...living it up today like there's no tomorrow!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film of director George Marshall.

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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.

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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.

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Connections

Featured in I Walk the Line (1970)

User Reviews

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.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 June 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

Kook's Town

Filming Locations:

Aeroporto, Lisbon, Portugal

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jerry Lewis Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1