The Errand Boy

Director: Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis

Overview

The second of Jerry Lewis' directorial endeavors, The Errand Boy, like its predecessor The Bellboy, is essentially a series of "spot gags," some hilarious, others only moderately amusing. The gossamer-thin plot finds Morty Tashman (Lewis) being hired by the CEO of "Paramutuel Pictures" (Brian Donlevy) to spy on studio employees and report any incidents of wastefulness and sloth. This gives Morty a chance to wander all over the Paramutuel Pictures lot, inadvertently interfering with work in progress, encountering strange characters and inexplicable events, and overall making as much of a nuisance of himself as possible. Some of the better gags include Morty's chaotic behavior at the "wrap party" for a vainglorious movie queen (Iris Adrian); his attempts to eat lunch while a noisy battle scene from a war picture rages all around him; his misguided effort to dub in the singing voice of a tone-deaf actress; the "Mr. Baebrosenthal" bit; and Morty's tete-a-tete in the studio swimming pool with a scuba diver. The weakest scenes involve Morty's sugary encounters with the Ritts Puppets, and a smug curtain speech about the importance of laughmakers in this troubled world. The huge supporting cast includes such reliable chucklemeisters as Howard McNear, Sig Ruman, Milton Frome, Benny Rubin, Fritz Feld, Doodles Weaver, Joey Forman, Dick Wesson and Joe Besser; also making fleeting appearances are actress/writer/director Renee Taylor, veteran movie tough guy Mike Mazurki (in drag!), silent film comic Snub Pollard, and the four stars from TV's Bonanza. Even non-Jerry Lewis fans will come down with a case of loose chuckles while watching The Errand Boy.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/30/2021
UPC:	0032429355416
Original Release:	1961
Rating:	NR
Source:	PARAMOUNT
Language:	English
Time:	1:32:00
Sales rank:	50,515

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jerry Lewis	Morty S. Tashman
Brian Donlevy	Tom 'T.P.' Paramutual
Dick Wesson	The A.D.
Howard McNear	Dexter Sneak
Felicia Atkins	Serina
Kathleen Freeman	Mrs. TP
Mary Ritts	Herself,Himself
Isobel Elsom	Irma Paramutual
Fritz Feld	Foreign Director
Iris Adrian	Great Actress
Renee Taylor	Miss Giles,Actor
Stanley Adams	Grumpy
Sig Rumann	Baron Elston Carteblanche
Doodles Weaver	Man on Scaffold
Kenneth MacDonald	Mr. Fumble
Joey Forman	Jedson
David Landfield	Lance
Del Moore	MC
Rita Hayes	Singer
Pat Dahl	Miss Carson
Mike Mazurki	Blonde `Movie Siren'
Dan Blocker	Guest Star
Lorne Greene	Guest Star
Michael Landon	Guest Star
Pernell Roberts	Guest Star
Murray Alper	Actor
Harry V. Cheshire	Actor
Phil Arnold	Babe Rosenwald
Richard Bakalyan	Jason, Anastasia's Director
Don 'Red' Barry	Actor
Bellfontevro	Puppeteer
John Benson	Actor
Joe Besser	Man Watching Rushes
Jan Bradley	Actor
Sue Casey	Actor
Connie Cezon	Actor
Harry Pollard	Actor,'Snub'
Harry Cheshire	Actor
Booth Colman	Actor
Theodora Davitt	Actor
Jean Engstrom	Actor
Judy Erwin	Actor
Milton Frome	Mr. Greenbag
Barry Gray	Actor
Daryn Hinton	Actor
Bob Hopkins	Actor
Judy Howard	Actor
Robert Ivers	Young NY Director Who Argues with T.P.
Dick Wessel	The A.D.
Hank Ladd	Minor Role
Frances Lax	Actor
Barry Livingston	Actor
Sally Mansfield	Minor Role
Mickey Manners	Minor Role
Quinn O'Hara	Model
Sherwood Price	Actor
Hal Rand	Actor
Roscoe Ates	Actor
Tony Regan	Actor
Caroline Richter	Minor Role
Sheila Rogers	Actor
Michael Ross	Big Man in Elevator
Benny Rubin	Mr. Wabenlotnee
Frank Scannell	Actor
Mary Treen	Commissary Cashier
Herb Vigran	Cigar Smoker in Elevator
William Wellman Jr.	Actor / Lover in Film
Dick Winslow	Actor

Technical Credits

Jerry Lewis	Director
Ernest D. Glucksman	Producer
Charles Grenzbach	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

It hasn't been fashionable to praise Jerry Lewis in a long time. Yes, many of his films are inane pieces of fluff, but every now and then a forgotten gem resurfaces to remind many of what made him popular to begin with. The Errand Boy, the second feature to be directed by Lewis himself, is a collection of elaborate gags held together by the fact that the same character appears in all of them. It's a poke in the ribs to Hollywood as the title character Morty Tashman, played by the auteur himself, meanders all over the "Paramutuel Pictures" lot and causes a general ruckus. What redeems this film are some of the better jokes -- Morty eats lunch in the middle of a battle scene from a war movie, dubs the singing voice of an actress, and performs a very funny boardroom pantomime to big band music. There's nothing subtle about any of the humor and there's plenty of misses along with the hits, but there are enough to provide an overall sense of good clean fun. There's also the fun of identifying all the members of the enormous supporting cast which features classic screen comedians like Doodles Weaver, Sig Rumann, and ex-Stooge Joe Besser. In addition, Morty literally runs into the cast of TV's Bonanza on several occasions. What makes the film lose some luster is his tendency for schmaltz, epitomized by the long preachy monologue at the end of the film that serves no real purpose. Still, there are some good laugh-out-loud moments and Jerry Lewis has definitely done worse.