In "The Patsy", Jerry Lewis was able to assemble a long list of respected character actors. Nevertheless what resulted was a weak unlikely comedy.
A famous comedian is killed in a plane crash. His production team producer Caryl Ferguson (Everett Sloane), writer Chic Wymore (Phil Harris), publicist Harry Silver (Keenan Wynn), director Morgan Heywood (Peter Lorre), dresser Bruce Arden (John Carradine) and secretary Ellen Betz (Ina Balin) are left without their meal ticket. They decide to find an unknown (guess who?) and make him into a star.
Bell boy Stanley Belt (Lewis) happens to stumble (to put it mildly) into the meeting of the team and is picked as the new meal ticket to be. They try to make him into something he isn't with mixed results. First Richard Deacon is assigned the task of outfitting him, next Hans Conried (in one of the film's highlights) tries to teach him how to sing. Next is a trip to the barber (Neil Hamilton) and the stereotypical shoe-shine boy (Scat Man Crothers). He next goes to record a song with Phil Foster in charge and then appears at a small night club Emceed by Jerry Lester.
Finally, Stanley is ready to throw in the towel but is convinced by lady love Ellen to soldier on. Incredibly, Stanley gets booked on the Ed Sullivan show where he ad libs his performance and...........................................................................
Lewis gets plenty of opportunities to display his comedic talents but there's nothing out of the ordinary. Quite a list of cameos though including George Raft, Rhonda Fleming, Hedda Hopper, The Four Step Brothers (in an entertaining dance number), Mel Torme and Ed Wynn. Kennan Wynn's son Ned also appears as a band member making it three generations of the Wynn family in the film.
Also appearing are Lewis regulars Del Moore, Benny Rubin, Robert Ivers, Richard Bakalyan and Fritz Feld. Kathleen Freeman is supposed to be in there some place but I missed her. And the ending, what was that all about?
A sad footnote. Peter Lorre, who didn't want to do this film but needed the money, passed away only days after the film was completed. Watch his expression as he makes his final curtain call. Lorre and Carradine had appeared in several classic horror films back in the day. This was a an unfortunate ending to their long relationship.
A famous comedian is killed in a plane crash. His production team producer Caryl Ferguson (Everett Sloane), writer Chic Wymore (Phil Harris), publicist Harry Silver (Keenan Wynn), director Morgan Heywood (Peter Lorre), dresser Bruce Arden (John Carradine) and secretary Ellen Betz (Ina Balin) are left without their meal ticket. They decide to find an unknown (guess who?) and make him into a star.
Bell boy Stanley Belt (Lewis) happens to stumble (to put it mildly) into the meeting of the team and is picked as the new meal ticket to be. They try to make him into something he isn't with mixed results. First Richard Deacon is assigned the task of outfitting him, next Hans Conried (in one of the film's highlights) tries to teach him how to sing. Next is a trip to the barber (Neil Hamilton) and the stereotypical shoe-shine boy (Scat Man Crothers). He next goes to record a song with Phil Foster in charge and then appears at a small night club Emceed by Jerry Lester.
Finally, Stanley is ready to throw in the towel but is convinced by lady love Ellen to soldier on. Incredibly, Stanley gets booked on the Ed Sullivan show where he ad libs his performance and...........................................................................
Lewis gets plenty of opportunities to display his comedic talents but there's nothing out of the ordinary. Quite a list of cameos though including George Raft, Rhonda Fleming, Hedda Hopper, The Four Step Brothers (in an entertaining dance number), Mel Torme and Ed Wynn. Kennan Wynn's son Ned also appears as a band member making it three generations of the Wynn family in the film.
Also appearing are Lewis regulars Del Moore, Benny Rubin, Robert Ivers, Richard Bakalyan and Fritz Feld. Kathleen Freeman is supposed to be in there some place but I missed her. And the ending, what was that all about?
A sad footnote. Peter Lorre, who didn't want to do this film but needed the money, passed away only days after the film was completed. Watch his expression as he makes his final curtain call. Lorre and Carradine had appeared in several classic horror films back in the day. This was a an unfortunate ending to their long relationship.