davidm-14
There are the ones who think he's a legendary comic genius from the 50's on. These are the folks who suffered through every bad self-directed movie and endless labor day telethon (let's welcome tony orlando and dawn!).And then there those who think his single greatest moment was playing jerry langford in the king of comedy. as the years have gone by, i have found i'm in the latter group.i have found that jerry lewis, and other comedians of his time like bob hope, terribly unfunny, especially in their movies. while the bellboy is an amazing piece of art (if you consider what he did to create it), it just isn't funny. it's a story-free tale, gag after gag, starring a largely silent jerry lewis, mugging at the camera like a chimp and creating strangely penalty-free chaos. like he always does. because i love the story of how he made it, i almost never turn it off if i come across it.i do have to put this film in the same category as the ladies man, which i always watch also, but because of that amazing multi-level set.
calgal84
If you don't believe Jerry Lewis is a comic genius, you need to see this film. The humor. The cinematography. Everything is spot on. I know people have said there is no plot to this but watch it. There is. And it's sad and funny, as all good comedy truly is. Still one of my favorites. Watch the reactions of all the people around him. Watch how each scene is set up and framed. Jerry Lewis never saw the critical acclaim here in the US as he did in Europe but I believe he was way ahead of his time. Comedians like Adam Sandler, Eddie Murphy, and even Jim Carrey owe a debt of gratitude for Jerry Lewis paving the way. I wish the younger generation would discover Jerry Lewis' movies, including this one, because I believe they would appreciate his humor and artistry. Check out this movie, The Nutty Professor, Cinderfella and the Errand Boy.
Lee Eisenberg
Jerry Lewis's directorial debut casts him as a none-too-bright bellhop in Miami Beach's Fontainebleau Hotel. The producer at the beginning explains the the movie has basically no plot, just a series of gags. That's basically true. "The Bellboy" is quite literally just an excuse to be funny, and Jerry Lewis definitely succeeds. It's the sort of flick that they truly must have had fun making. There is one scene in particular that must have been a little risqué to film - you'll know it when you see it - and some of the humor is certainly a little outdated, but in the grand scheme of things, this is a comedy classic! Also starring Alex Gerry, Bob Clayton and Milton Berle.HE WHAT?!!!!!!!!!!
kuciak
I have not seen this film in some 40 years. When I saw it as a child, I realized even then, that there was some art to this film. I finally got to see it on DVD in 2009. The first 28 minutes of this film is really good, and the last 28 minutes is not bad. From 29 minutes to 43, it has a lot to be desired. No, I don't find the telephone sequence very funny. When released in 1960, it was double billed with Tarzan the Magnificent, a very strange pairing.A Gentlemen from Australia, 4 years my junior, said that the film did not have a point, or meaning. I respectively disagree. In the DVD audio commentary where Jerry Lewis discusses the film with Steve Lawrence, he near the end of the film says to Mr. Lawrence "you can understand why people did not know that the kid did not talk".The final climactic scene, when the bellboys are talking about a strike I think is the films denouncement. Here we are given an indication that Stanley might not be this stupid bumbling idiot that others think he is. Some of his co-workers mention that he is hard working, and fast. He shows his skills in putting seats in an auditorium so quickly together. If Mr. Lewis had wanted to show him as a stupid idiot, the scene where he takes this jet up into the air, he would have had the character of Stanley act in fear as he is flying the plane. But he does not, he lands the plane without any problems. While Stanley makes mistakes, and may do absurd things, Jerry Lewis asks the question, if we allow Stanley to speak, perhaps we would discover a really intelligent human being.Throughout the film, Mr. Lewis asks the question, who are really the idiots. Mr. Lewis I think even makes fun of himself, the real Jerry Lewis, when he plays himself with his bunch of yes people who travel with him. The sequence, in many ways reminded me of La Dolce Vita, La Aventura, which were released the same year. It also brought back memories of Woody Allens Star Dust Memories, made some 17 years latter. There is a scene where Stanley, is sitting my a glass window, looking at the bottom of a swimming pool, the man who has just finished the work there, and taken down some boards, is polite. But one of the guests of the FountainBleu who sees Stanley, calls everyone to come down to look at this crazy person eating at the bottom of the pool. Here Jerry Lewis shows who really are crazy. Amazing to me that the real management of the Fountainbleu did not get that the joke might be on them.Also look how people treat the bellboys, calling them boy. Ironically, there is not one black person in the film, which for us in 2009 calls attention to itself. Also you do not see Spanish Speaking people, unless the gentlemen who wants his pants pressed is one. Had the Stanley character, been a black person, I am sure that even in 1960, people would have understood what Mr. Lewis was maybe trying to say.Mr. Lewis says this is a film as a homage to Stan Laurel, though in it you see a lot of Jaque Tati. When I finally saw a Tati film, I realized the similarities even then to The Bellboy. The Stan Laurel character does not work to well now, because we know that it is not him, though it 1960, perhaps it did work.I could not give it 10 out of 10, because not all of the film works for me, but those who have seen it, and perhaps dismissed it as just a series of gags, should see it again and reevaluate it. Perhaps the film is about our not being able to communicate, and that if we did, that those who we think are not worth knowing, perhaps are. The American film goer of 1960 was right, while the critics back then were wrong. While American critics only could look at Mr. Lewis as a commercial entity, the critics across the Atlantic, "Those silly French", were correct in realizing the worth of Jerry Lewis. I have not seen many other films by him, and perhaps he did not live up to what promise he showed with his first directing effort (Though many say his Nutty Professor, which I have seen some of is his masterpiece), The Bellboy is an interesting film, that should not be dismissed as just a series of jokes.
