Jerry Lewis was many things. A very successful comedian, actor and humanitarian. His screen persona never changed from film to film and I for one am not a big fan of this goofy hammy infantile characterization that his ultra nerd portrayed in his films. The other skill sets that he had for which he was not readily appreciated for was as filmmaker/screenwriter and director. His 1961 film, “The Ladies Man”, is a great example of everything he was. I am assuming that Hollywood demanded that he continue making Jerry Lewis movies that included the irritating, bumbling Nerd that was who he was on screen. Working through these demands and limitations, Lewis still managed with this film to create something different and at times interesting. First of all, the movie is more or less plot-less. This was something Lewis did in his directorial debut, “The Bellboy”. Making a Hollywood commercial film without a plot was never really done before and way ahead of its time. This was a film method more inclined with the art of Jacques Tati and the French new wave then a low brow American comedy. The success of “The Bellboy”, allowed Lewis to continue with this method and “The Ladies Man”, follows the same tenants of having very little in terms of plot. The story has Lewis playing his Nerd as a young man recently devastated by the unfaithfulness of his high school sweet heart. He swears off all women but somehow gets hired as a houseboy in a large boarding house full of beautiful women. From there the film uses this premise to allow Lewis to create set-up after set-up for his silly character. As an actor and as far as this character goes, the over exaggerated goofiness is sometimes extremely hard to watch. The anachronisms of this nerd would be later and in my opinion with greater success copied by Jim Carrey. There are however a few very funny scenes to be found here. For example, the sound test Lewis does with the sound man of a television crew performing a live early reality TV show at the house. Everything is exaggerated creating elements that sometimes result in giggles but other times just a grimace. What is somewhat special about the movie however is the amazing dollhouse-like set of the boarding house. Almost the entire film is set in this house and Lewis created a fascinating set-piece with this huge three story building, built on a movie set made to look like a cut out cardboard toy. At many points in the film, the camera follows it’s numerous characters as they do different actions at the same time. The wide scope tracking shots of these scenes allowed me to take in all the action going on in the house without being confused or losing interest. The timing of these scenes is impeccable. The walls in the house exist only in our thoughts and minds as they are invisible for the camera allowing us to see a depth of view that is as intricate as the story is silly. Lewis was using his fame and opportunity to incorporate his great imagination and artistic eye. For him a plot was not important, which is why the film is designed without a plot. The only way he would have been allowed to experiment in his design and direction was to promote the film as a stupid comedy. There is one scene where Lewis enters a forbidden room and encounters a bright sparklingly white interior inhabited by a “Les Vampires” like Vamp, dressed entirely in black. From there and for no apparent reason or explanation, the spider lady and Lewis go through a bizarre dreamlike dance sequence that is mesmerizing. About half way through the film, I realized that I was watching a surrealistic dream or nightmare (depending on your perspective). This is a fascinating movie and it’s not because of the bumbling irritating nerd at its center.
1001 Movies before you die 