I’ve never made it through an entire Martin & Lewis movie but their nightclub-style routines are precious to me. They usually closed their ‘Colgate Comedy Hour’ shows with a free-wheeling, mostly unscripted rampage like the above which was performed on a local Los Angeles telethon in 1952. Their untethered energy was like nothing that had ever been seen–young Jerry’s manic shtick is as funny as his later movies were not. The appearance brings them on stage after an intro by Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Jerry immediately grabs Hopes hair and Crosby goes racing off the stage with no intention of returning. They keep urging him back on but no dice–Bing’s not even off to the side of stage but appears to have actually retreated to his dressing room. Why? My theory is that Bing was afraid Jerry was going to grab his toupee and throw it into the audience. And why not? The young Jerry would literally do anything for a laugh–his humor was violent, funny and mean, like the behavior of a crappy child who needs to be sedated and put to bed. Happy Monday to you!
April 26, 2024
3 Responses
Always loved this clip !!!!
so many great clips from that show and their movies never did them justice .. .Hal Wallis did the same thing with to Elvis his Elvis movies too for the most part
Hal Wallis made sure those movies were made cheaply and quickly, churning them out and keeping the stars names in the theaters. I never made it through an entire Elvis movie either.
Lewis was filled with talent…but he was annoying. Robin Williams’ standup comedy was similar (to me, anyway,) in that his stream of consciousness was amazing—but not funny.
I haven’t seen a Martin and Lewis film for decades, but I remember enjoying them. I can’t say that about the films Lewis directed. They had their great moments but they’re often boring. I think the same is true about Jacques Tati.
Of course, Lewis was a swell guy who wasn’t the least bit full of himself.