The stage curtains open ...
"I'd have never known about the phony ticket or the stealing if you didn't tell me, which means you're very noble. You're as noble as Abraham Lincoln or Raymond Massey."
"Hollywood or Bust" (1956), starring the comedy team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, holds the most fond memories of any of their movies for me. Ironically, it was the most bitter of movies for both Martin and Lewis as this would be their last film together, and then a years-long feud began. In fact, things had gotten so bad between them, that they refused to speak off-camera while shooting this movie - and Lewis stated later that he wasn't ever able to watch this film because it would've been too painful to see. But, for the rest of us, this is still a fun, comedic road adventure.
Steve Wiley (Martin) owes a large gambling debt, so he has counterfeit tickets created to dishonestly win a car during a theater raffle drawing one night. He plans to take the car to Hollywood and sell it for top dollar to pay off his debt. However, when Malcolm Smith (Lewis) clambers aboard the stage waving the real winning ticket, they are both awarded the car ... each owning half. Malcolm also wants to go to Hollywood to meet his dream girl crush, actress Anita Ekberg (playing herself). So, they pack up their bags, Malcolm's Great Dane, 'Mr. Bascomb', and hit the highway. Along the way, they cross paths with another traveler named Terry - and while Malcolm continues to dream of Anita, Steve's eyes are only for Terry. We watch as they have some madcap adventures on their way to the West Coast where things don't quite turn out the way any of them expected.
I first saw this one on TV when I was just a kid, and I loved the Martin and Lewis movies. For some reason, this was my personal favorite one, and the one I remember the most. I liked the concept of both of them winning the car and butting heads along the way to California with the comedic stylings that only Jerry Lewis could bring, and the straight man antics that Dean Martin had down only too well. In an attempt to make Hollywood more glamorous than it might have been, the film is stock full of posing beauties who wave to the traveling duo all throughout the movie - which was highlighted by Anita Ekberg herself.
Even knowing how hard it must have been for them to make this movie, it is still a real pleasure to watch. It is a highly enjoyable film from days gone by when the smallest, happiest things could make movie stars burst into a harmony of song. Jerry Lewis is one of those comedians who could make me laugh just by walking onscreen. I would recommend this classic at a solid 7 stars out of 10. It's too bad that this marked the end of something so good, but it is a good way to go out.
"I'd have never known about the phony ticket or the stealing if you didn't tell me, which means you're very noble. You're as noble as Abraham Lincoln or Raymond Massey."
"Hollywood or Bust" (1956), starring the comedy team of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, holds the most fond memories of any of their movies for me. Ironically, it was the most bitter of movies for both Martin and Lewis as this would be their last film together, and then a years-long feud began. In fact, things had gotten so bad between them, that they refused to speak off-camera while shooting this movie - and Lewis stated later that he wasn't ever able to watch this film because it would've been too painful to see. But, for the rest of us, this is still a fun, comedic road adventure.
Steve Wiley (Martin) owes a large gambling debt, so he has counterfeit tickets created to dishonestly win a car during a theater raffle drawing one night. He plans to take the car to Hollywood and sell it for top dollar to pay off his debt. However, when Malcolm Smith (Lewis) clambers aboard the stage waving the real winning ticket, they are both awarded the car ... each owning half. Malcolm also wants to go to Hollywood to meet his dream girl crush, actress Anita Ekberg (playing herself). So, they pack up their bags, Malcolm's Great Dane, 'Mr. Bascomb', and hit the highway. Along the way, they cross paths with another traveler named Terry - and while Malcolm continues to dream of Anita, Steve's eyes are only for Terry. We watch as they have some madcap adventures on their way to the West Coast where things don't quite turn out the way any of them expected.
I first saw this one on TV when I was just a kid, and I loved the Martin and Lewis movies. For some reason, this was my personal favorite one, and the one I remember the most. I liked the concept of both of them winning the car and butting heads along the way to California with the comedic stylings that only Jerry Lewis could bring, and the straight man antics that Dean Martin had down only too well. In an attempt to make Hollywood more glamorous than it might have been, the film is stock full of posing beauties who wave to the traveling duo all throughout the movie - which was highlighted by Anita Ekberg herself.
Even knowing how hard it must have been for them to make this movie, it is still a real pleasure to watch. It is a highly enjoyable film from days gone by when the smallest, happiest things could make movie stars burst into a harmony of song. Jerry Lewis is one of those comedians who could make me laugh just by walking onscreen. I would recommend this classic at a solid 7 stars out of 10. It's too bad that this marked the end of something so good, but it is a good way to go out.