scared stiff ( 1953 film )
a haunted castle, a beautiful ghost and a menacing zombie gave lewis plenty of comedy ammo in 1953' s
scared stiff .
scared stiff is a 1953 american musical comedy film directed by george marshall and starring dean martin and jerry lewis. one of the 17 films made by the martin and lewis team, it was released on april 27, 1953 by paramount pictures .
scared stiff (1953). stars: dean martin, jerry lewis. haunted house comedy. director - george marshall. moria - the science - fiction, horror and fantasy film review .
looking for movie tickets? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing scared stiff near you .
there are no featured audience reviews yet. click the link below to see what others say about scared stiff !
in 1948, she co - starred opposite wallace beery and jane powell in a date with judy, and nancy goes to rio in 1950 for mgm. she made her final film appearance in the 1953 film scared stiff with martin and lewis for paramount .
scared stiff was carmen miranda' s final film. the portuguese - brazilian musical star died of a heart attack, two years later, in august 1955 .
in 1948, she co - starred opposite wallace beery and jane powell in a date with judy, and nancy goes to rio in 1950 for mgm. she made her final film appearance in the 1953 film scared stiff with martin and lewis for paramount. [ 19 ]
original trailer from paramount, home studio for jerry lewis and dean martin, for the 1953 horror - spoof scared stiff, co - starring lizabeth scott, and featuring carmen miranda in her last movie appearance .
paramount released scared stiff on home video in november 1992. the film was included on an eight - film dvd set, the dean martin and jerry lewis collection: volume one, released on october 31, 2006 .
scared stiff was carmen miranda' s final film. the portuguese - brazilian musical star died of a heart attack in 1953. in the film, jerry lewis impersonates miranda and lip - syncs one of her signature numbers ,
mama yo quiero .
lewis also imitates humphrey bogart in one scene .
with the headline: the screen in review; martin and lewis,' scared stiff' in new comedy, arrive at the mayfair theatre .
scared stiff is a 1953 american musical comedy feature film directed by george marshall from a screenplay by herbert baker and walter deleon (the cat and the canary), loosely based on the 1909 play the ghost breaker by paul dickey and charles w. goddard. it stars dean martin and jerry lewis .
repaying martin and lewis for their cameo in road to bali, bob hope and bing crosby returned the favor with a cameo in this film. leith stevens provided an unreleased score for the 1953 film
she also appeared opposite dean martin and jerry lewis in the 1953 comedy
scared stiff
and portrayed the shrewd publicist who turns small - town boy elvis presley into a star in one of the rocker' s earliest films, 1957' s
loving you .
scared stiff turned out to be the last film for carmen miranda who died two years later, shortly after completing an episode of the jimmy durante show on tv. in the film, jerry lewis impersonates miranda and lip syncs one of her signature numbers ,
mamãe eu quero
.
( 1953) is the collection' s other standout. a remake of bob hope' s 1940
they say that dean martin and jerry lewis put up a considerable squawk at appearing in their new picture ,
scared stiff ,
which arrived at the mayfair last night. view full article in timesmachine »
following the release of scared stiff in april 1953, she embarked on a four - month european tour. after collapsing from exhaustion during a club performance in ohio in october 1953, dates for her future tour were canceled. on the suggestion of her doctor, miranda returned to brazil to rest. miranda was still hurt over the criticism she received there in 1940, but was happy when she received a warm reception upon her return. she remained in brazil until april 1955 .
crew: (b & w) available on vhs. extract of a review from 1953. running time: 106 min .
following the release of scared stiff in april 1953, she embarked on a four - month european tour. after collapsing from exhaustion during a club performance in ohio in october 1953, dates for her future tour were canceled. on the suggestion of her doctor, miranda returned to brazil to rest. miranda was still hurt over the criticism she received there in 1940, but was happy when she received a warm reception upon her return. she remained in brazil until april 1955. [ 10 ]
when they hit hollywood in 1948, their first film, a b - production called my friend irma, became a sudden box - office smash. producer hal wallis didn' t know whether the crowd' s enthusiasm for the dynamic duo would cool as fast as it ignited, so he thrust them into one picture after another. the year 1953 alone saw them in three features - money from home, scared stiff, and the caddy .
actual footage of dean martin' s and jerry lewis' 1951 appearance at new york' s paramount theater was integrated into the film' s opening, when the pair appear as entertainers (the bulk of the film is told in flashback). norman taurog directed the 1953 film, with joseph j. lilley acting as music director and providing some uncredited score .
yes, indeed... . marshall was a very capable director and hollywood could use a few men with half of his talent today. scared stiff and you' re never too young are two of my favorite m & l films .
george marshall directed the 1949 film, which has an unreleased score by roy webb .
went in to watch his film and then met outside again to play it after .
file - in this jan. 7, 1953 file photo, adolph zukor, gets birthday hugs from dorothy lamour, left, and lizabeth scott at film industry dinner on jan. 7, 1953 in the hollywood section of los angeles. scott, whose long tawny hair, alluring face and low seductive voice made her an ideal film noir star in the 1940s and ‘50s died jan. 31, in los angeles. she was 92. (ap photo / la )
file - in this jan. 7, 1953 file photo, adolph zukor, gets birthday hugs from dorothy lamour, left, and lizabeth scott at film industry dinner on jan. 7, 1953 in the hollywood section of los angeles. scott, whose long tawny hair, alluring face and low seductive voice made her an ideal film noir star in the 1940s and ‘50s died jan. 31, in los angeles. she was 92. (ap photo / la) (the associated press )
when you just gotta have dean and jerry ,
scared stiff
shows them in their enthusiastic prime. a good, solid property and george marshall always knew what he was doing. it is interesting how the team could fit into older properties yet bring their own, unique personalities .
scared stiff was filmed from june 2 through july 17, 1952. it was the first film of the team' s available in 3 - track, stereophonic sound. some reviews at the time commented on the soundtrack' s use of stereo enhancing gag sequences. the stereo tracks for this film are now considered lost. as with most films of team' s work, it garnered a re - release in 1958 on a double bill with another martin and lewis picture, jumping jacks .
the theatrical trailer for scared stiff (1953) starring dean martin and jerry lewis. read all about the 50 - year history of chicago tv horror - movie hosts and monster - movie showcases in the book chicago tv horror movie shows: from shock theatre to svengoolie available from lake claremont press at urltoken and read about jerry' s remarkable movie career in the book the jerry lewis films - - filled with quotes from jerry himself - - available from mcfarland publishers at urltoken
great post! i knew carmen miranda was in scared stiff, so i kept waiting for her to be mentioned! nice to know that the ghost breakers was the genesis of comdy thrillers from the 1940s. don' t forget to read my contribution to the blogathon! :) kisses! le urltoken
as a sequel to jerry lewis and dean martin' s hit film at war with the army .
oh boy. i haven' t seen any of these, which is something i' d better change... ! i' m not sure how much of a martin & lewis fan i am, but scared stiff definitely sounds worth a go, especially if it has the fab carmen miranda. thanks !
bob hope did it his way in 1940 with
the ghost breakers
going down to cuba and visiting a haunted house and in 1953 martin and lewis take the ...
the ghost breakers is one of my favorite bob hope comedies and it holds up amazingly well today (whereas cat and the canary doesn' t). scared stiff is a pretty good remake. i agree that it' s nowhere as good as the original, but it is one martin and lewis' s best films .
samba singer, dancer, broadway actress, and film star who was popular in the 1940s and 1950s .
the team’s ninth picture, scared stiff is essentially a remake of paramount’s previous effort, the ghost breakers (1940), also directed by george marshall. the studio had also filmed two versions in the silent era the ghost breaker (1914) directed by cecil b. demille and the ghost breaker (1922) starring wallace reid .
dean martin & jerry lewis provide a free - wheeling round of slapstick hilarity - the kind they do so well - in scared stiff, new version of the old paul dickey - charles w. goddard play [ the ghost breakers ]. script has its chief setting on a lonely, zombie - haunted island off the coast of cuba .
dean martin & jerry lewis provide a free - wheeling round of slapstick hilarity – the kind they do so well – in scared stiff, new version of the old paul dickey - charles w. goddard play [ the ghost breakers ]. script has its chief setting on a lonely, zombie - haunted island off the coast of cuba .
every film on the program at the new beverly cinema since quentin tarantino took over as programmer. feel free to…
norman lear was credited with
additional dialogue .
it was his first writing credit on a hollywood film .
reviewer remarked on the
new mad comedian, jerry lewis... [ who is ] the funniest thing in this film .
martin and lewis received ten percent of the film' s budget as their salary .
scared stiff goes on far too long – it takes over 90 minutes before we get to the island, with the plot being dragged out by an interminable series of musical numbers and much runnings around hotels and ships at sea. it is also lazily developed – it reaches the end without ever explaining whether the hauntings are real or not. ” richard scheib, moria
( 1987), the english language titling for a hong kong film about a man who can enter into dreams .
the failure of the original copyright holder to renew the film' s copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a vhs / dvd copy of the film. therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and / or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second - or third - generation (or more) copies of the film .
hal walker directed the 1950 film, with joseph j. lilley acting as music director and providing some uncredited score .
dean martin & jerry lewis provide a free - wheeling round of slapstick hilarity – the kind they do so well – in scared stiff, new version of the old paul dickey - charles w. goddard play [ the ghost breakers ]. script has its chief setting on a lonely, zombie - haunted island off the coast of cuba. preliminaries are concerned with [ … ]
, which in itself was a remake of a silent film remake (1922) of the original film starring h. b warner. if you are going to write about a remake you might as well go all out and pick a granddaddy !
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans. it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
at least the comedy' s good, makes me want to seek out a less plot - heavy martin & lewis film .
this was the first film in which dean martin and jerry lewis received featured star billing. when martin and lewis signed with paramount pictures, it was with the proviso that they could make one film outside the studio every year for their own company, york productions. this film was the first fruit of that negotiation, with the stars exchanging their usual salary for a 90% cut of the profits. however, on the film' s release (under an agreement with paramount to distribute the film), the two found themselves in the midst of a protracted legal battle over their contract and the profits. eventually, an agreement was reached, but the team dropped their stipulation that they make films outside of paramount. all the legal battles over the film are probably one of the main reasons why its copyright was not renewed in 1978, with the film ending up in the public domain .
the ghost breakers was a hit because of its mixture of comedy with real thrills. scared stiff lacked the thrills but more than made up for it with an extra dose of zaniness and dino' s devil - may - care attitude towards ghost - hunting. even though it was a slapdash production, martin and lewis fans found it a scream and today it remains one of their most popular films .
, the duo’s only color
road
film. martin and lewis turn up in dorothy lamour’s dream, with lewis appearing in drag, as a woman. hal walker directed the 1952 film, with joseph j. lilley acting as music director and providing some uncredited score .
“true enough, mr. lewis does shiver and jump in the most extravagant ways when stranded alone in the recesses of the haunted castle to which he and mr. martin are led by lizabeth scott [ … ] however, these vigorous pretensions of terror and agony appear decidedly labored and mechanical in this scratchily put - together film. ” bosley crowther, the new york times, july 3, 1953
the team' s ninth picture, scared stiff is a remake of paramount' s previous effort, the ghost breakers, a 1940
scare comedy
starring bob hope and paulette goddard, also directed by george marshall. the property has proven successful for paramount in decades past and they' ve also filmed two versions in the silent era the ghost breaker (1914) directed by cecil b. demille and the ghost breaker (1922) starring wallace reid .
growing discord between martin and lewis resulted in the end of their partnership. their final film
hollywood or bust
was released five months later .
scared stiff marked the duo' s ninth picture together and since the studio was churning out martin / lewis films faster than they could write scripts for them, they naturally tapped into their vast archive to pull out an oldie - but - goodie to copy - the ghost breakers. hope' s hits were always good box - office. and not taking any chances, wallis put director george marshall in charge once again utilizing a script that had little alterations from the 1940 version .
phyllis of phyllis loves classic movies is currently hosting they remade what? !, a blogathon exploring film remakes and the original pictures that inspired these films .
described by film historian leonard maltin as a smoldering blonde who
slithered onto movie screens ,
scott made nearly two dozen films between 1945 and 1957 .
lenfilm studios, one of russia' s most famous film production companies, made a number of great children' s films in the 1940s and 1 ...
the bellboy
marked lewis' directing debut. the plotless film revolves around a hapless bellhop, who doesn' t speak a word until the very end .
miranda made a total of fourteen hollywood films between 1940 and 1953. though hailed as a talented performer, her popularity waned by the end of world war ii. she later grew to resent the stereotypical
brazilian bombshell
image she cultivated and attempted to break free of it with limited success .
) appeared just eight months after the first film but oddly ignores the plot of the entire last half hour of the previous film. this time martin & lewis have larger roles and it doesn' t hurt that corinne calvet was tossed in as a sexpot film star but the result is all too obviously rushed. all the outdoor southwestern scenes are done in front of projection screens and again chunks come from martin & lewis' act, including a great bit where lewis tries to conduct martin' s backing orchestra. boyfriend lund is toned down and lewis does a dubious indian impersonation but at least the film shows martin & lewis weren' t just a one - time hit .
according to lewis, both he and martin were against making the picture, as they found the original to be satisfactory. however, because the film was a paramount property that producer hal b. wallis felt was one that could be successful in the comedy team' s hands, he held the two to their contract for the film .
martin and lewis had a cameo in hope and bing crosby' s road to bali the previous year as part of a
comedy trade
between the two teams. in turn, hope and crosby appear for a cameo in scared stiff. both shared a common producer, cy howard, who produced martin and lewis' first two my friend irma pictures and that' s my boy. a few years later, martin and frank sinatra appeared in the final scene of the final hope and crosby road picture, road to hong kong .
the stooge is said to be jerry lewis' s favorite of all the martin and lewis films, because he felt it came closest to capturing what they had as a team onstage. though released in the u. k. in november 1951, its wide american release was held until february 1953 because paramount was unsure of its box office appeal due to its extensive dramatic moments. norman taurog directed the film, with joseph j. lilley acting as music director and providing some uncredited score .
the only shock to be found in scared straight is the appearance of noir queen lizabeth scott who shows off her milder side, if not necessarily her comic timing. she plays it entirely straight while dino and the whirling dervish of lewis revolve around her like two celestial clowns. …
jerry lewis was one of a kind - - a comedian, a thespian, a humanitarian. here' s a look back at some of his most memorable moments on film .
carmen miranda (9 february 1909 – 5 august 1955) was a portuguese - born brazilian samba singer, dancer, broadway actress, and film star who was popular from the 1930s to the 1950s .
the zany lewis found an ideal straight man in crooner dean martin in 1945. they took their stage act to radio, then television, and then to film, where they appeared together 17 times .
the metzinger sisters... . diana & connie we be. classic film addicts 24 hours a day, seven days a week. in our spare time we work... or at least try to .
in 1940, 20th century fox signed her to a contract for a one - time appearance in down argentine way. she received good reviews for her performance prompting fox to sign her to a long - term film contract .
is unrelated to about a dozen other films with the same name. several of these are early shorts in the similar old dark house vein, two are adult films. the other two genre entries are the bizarrely awful haunting film
los angeles (ap) — lizabeth scott, whose long tawny hair, alluring face and low seductive voice made her an ideal film noir star in the 1940s and' 50s, has died in los angeles. she was 92 .
film noir, with its hard - bitten cold war cynicism, captured the imaginations of large numbers of movie fans in the united states, as well as in france where the name originated, in the years immediately following world war ii .
in 1940, 20th century fox signed her to a contract for a one - time appearance in down argentine way. she received good reviews for her performance prompting fox to sign her to a long - term film contract. [ 10 ]
scott all but left the business after
loving you ,
save for a handful of tv appearances and one more movie, 1972' s
pulp ,
an offbeat british film in which she starred opposite mickey rooney and michael caine .
the nutty professor
- - a spoof of the robert louis stevenson classic
dr. jekyll and mr. hyde
- - was selected by the library of congress as a
culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant
film .
as with other popular singers of the era, miranda made her screen debut in the brazilian documentary a voz do carnaval (1933). two years later, she appeared in her first feature film entitled alô, alô brasil. but it was the 1935 film estudantes that seemed to solidify her in the minds of the movie - going public. in the 1936 movie alô alô carnaval, she performed the famous song
cantoras do rádio
with her sister aurora, for the first time .
as with other popular singers of the era, miranda made her screen debut in the brazilian documentary a voz do carnaval (1933). two years later, she appeared in her first feature film entitled alô, alô brasil. but it was the 1935 film estudantes that seemed to solidify her in the minds of the movie - going public. in the 1936 movie alô alô carnaval, she performed the famous song
cantoras do rádio
with her sister aurora, for the first time. [ 6 ]
miranda began her singing career in brazil in 1929 where she was a major star before moving to the united states. in 1939, she performed on broadway on which led to a hollywood film career in 1940, with her first film down argentine way. nicknamed
the brazilian bombshell
, miranda is noted for her signature fruit hat outfit she wore in her american films, particularly in 1943' s the gang' s all here. by 1945, she was the highest paid woman in the united states .
( 1939) clearly hoping to milk a similar vein. here the bob hope role is split between the duo of dean martin and jerry lewis who become a nightclub singer and a bumbling waiter rather than hopes radio broadcaster. otherwise, the film is much the same .
( 1953) also boasts strong songs, this time from the great harry warren and lyricist jack brooks. martin' s signature
that' s amore
was introduced in this film but
what wouldcha do without me ?
and
the gay continental
( the latter performed by lewis alone) are just as memorable. there' s the usual comedy setup; this time lewis as a superb golfer with such stage fright that he can' t play in tournaments so he pairs with the untutored talent of martin so they can win enough money to save the fishing business of martin' s family. oh, don' t worry whether that makes much sense because again the story isn' t quite the point. there are echoes of
em morrendo de medo jerry lewis tenta superar seus medos e resolver situações. comentário selecionado nesta pagina foi de samuel machado filho há 1 ano comédia da dupla jerry lewis - dean martin, lançada nos eua em 27 de abril de 1953, e, em certa época, exibida com frequência na televisão brasileira, sobretudo na
sessão da tarde
da globo. o filme tem também valor histórico por registrar a última aparição no cinema de cármen miranda, que faleceria dois anos mais tarde .
. the film finds nightclub comic “hap smith” (lewis) assuming the identity of another soldier so he can tour army bases in a revue with his ex - partner “chuck allen” (martin). norman taurog directed, with joseph j. lilley acting as music director and providing some uncredited score .
miranda made a total of fourteen hollywood films between 1940 and 1953. though hailed as a talented performer, her popularity waned by the end of world war ii. she later grew to resent the stereotypical
brazilian bombshell
image she cultivated and attempted to break free of it with limited success. undaunted, miranda focused increasingly on her nightclub appearances, also becoming a fixture on television variety shows—indeed, for all the stereotyping she faced throughout her career, her performances made huge strides in popularizing brazilian music, while at the same time paving the way for the increasing awareness of all latin culture .
even with its moments of humor, hal wallis sensed that the film lacked a certain spark the original possessed and so he threw in the brazilian bombshell carmen miranda to enliven the festivities and this bit of casting enabled lewis to do one of his most famous bits of shtick - donning pineapple - topped attire and lip - singing
bingo bongo
.
marked the feature film debut of nightclub comedy team dean martin and jerry lewis. the film is set in new york city, where “jane stacey' s” (diana lynn’s) perky but dimwitted best friend and roommate, “irma peterson” (marie wilson), constantly creates havoc because of her stupidity. irma' s longtime fiancé “al” (john lund) has been living on unemployment benefits for four years. when irma, a secretary, praises the impromptu singing of “steve laird” (dean martin), who is working at an orange juice bar with his goofy partner, “seymour” (jerry lewis), al appoints himself to be steve and seymour' s manager and moves the men into jane and irma' s apartment .
though tv may have preserved martin & lewis' act in its purest form, their film career was in many ways the most spectacular. with 16 films in seven years their schedule would have overcome many other performers, especially with the constant stream of other appearances. even more impressive is that they were able to stay reliably solid, something you can witness on the
still working my way through some of the late jerry lewis, this is one of the more amusing vehicles he did earlier in his career with dean martin. i find the film especially endearing because lewis, as the anxious and clinging friend of night club singer martin, spends much of the 108 minutes calling out ,
larry, larry !
and i can' t recall another film in which my name is shouted out so much, and so lovingly. it' s a remake, by the same director, george marshall, whom marlene dietrich labelled
wonderful ,
of his earlier bob hope haunted castle comedy, ghost breakers. i' d like to see that one again though that one was problematic in that many of the jokes relied on the stereotyped…
she was also modeling, and a cover on harper' s bazaar prompted warner bros. to test her for movies. she was rejected, but warner producer hal b. wallis remembered her when he became an independent at paramount. he signed her to a contract and cast her as the lead opposite robert cummings in her film debut, 1945' s romantic
you came along .
miranda was promoted as the
brazilian bombshell
by 20th century fox and she began appearing in its films as a featured performer. some were set in south america, and sometimes representatives from the film division of the office of the coordinator of inter - american affairs, a government agency that worked to promote u. s. foreign policy initiatives, offered suggestions on the script or other aspects .
i hadn' t seen this film since my childhood, so i had no recollection at all of the story here. lewis' manic ineptitude was entertaining as always, and martin was mildly fun, and though i' m no fan of musicals, ol' dean was one of the few singing voices of that era that i still enjoy. so... a pretty good little trip down memory lane .
for his friend “joe anthony” (dean martin). the film was the first release of york pictures, dean martin and jerry lewis' production company, since their early 1951 hit at war with the army. prior to making the caddy, lewis and martin paid $ 850, 000 to extract themselves from their contract with screen associates, the company that had underwritten york' s participation in at war with the army .
which is a bit soft though since the original film wasn' t very nice looking it might not much matter. there are no extras except for an occasional trailer and while nobody expects full audio commentaries and behind - the - scenes documentaries a set like this definitely deserves at least a written overview of the team' s history. let' s hope that volume 2 follows soon since it should include martin & lewis' masterpiece
. after world war ii ended in 1945, the american public' s tastes began to change and musicals began to fall out of favor. hollywood studio heads and producers also felt that the novelty of miranda' s
brazilian bombshell
image had worn thin. as a result, miranda' s career declined. she made one last film for fox, doll face (1945), before her contract was terminated in january 1946 .
if jerry lewis' character had been cut entirely from the film, nobody would have missed him. his character serves no purpose in the narrative and could have been removed without more than a lazy afternoon of rewrites. i' ll be hearing lewis scream
laaaarrry !
for weeks. i giggled at some of the wordplay, but mostly i just wondered if anyone knew when or how to cut lewis' prolonged and tiresome slapstick interludes .
bosley crowther of the new york times wrote ,
the nonsense herein contrived is not an inspired presentation of the comic qualities of the two boys .
variety wrote that martin and lewis
provide a free - wheeling round of slapstick hilarity
. writing in the zombie movie encyclopedia, academic peter dendle called the film an annoying remake that
mostly sticks to the original except for the addition of several bad song and dance numbers and even worse comedy routines
.
after world war ii ended in 1945, the american public' s tastes began to change and musicals began to fall out of favor. hollywood studio heads and producers also felt that the novelty of miranda' s
brazilian bombshell
image had worn thin. [ 15 ] as a result, miranda' s career declined. she made one last film for fox, doll face (1945), before her contract was terminated in january 1946. [ 16 ]
in the way that martin' s character heads for the high life to romance donna reed and pushes lewis away as merely his caddy but it never overpowers the film. after all there' s an extended sequence of pure slapstick at the opening where lewis accidentally demolishes much of a department store and he' s given other comic routines to avoid growling watchdogs, deal with the low ceiling of his bedroom or simply follow his fiance home. martin & lewis may have been coasting through
the film marked the screen debut of james dean, who played an unnamed sailor who is lewis’s opponent' s second in a boxing scene. lewis gave dean the role, which included one line of dialogue. the boxing scene was written by lewis, who demanded an extra $ 50, 000 for it, which he then donated to the muscular dystrophy association. sailor beware was the first martin and lewis picture to be dubbed into french. lewis subsequently became a comic favorite among french critics .
after establishing a successful singing and acting career in brazil, lee shubert signed miranda and her band to a contract in 1939. she made her american stage debut in july 1939, and later moved to hollywood to pursue a film career. [ 3 ] nicknamed
the brazilian bombshell
, [ 4 ] miranda is noted for her signature fruit hat outfit she wore in the 1943 movie the gang' s all here. by 1945, she was the highest paid woman in the united states .
though her film career was faltering, miranda music career remained solid and she was still a popular attraction at nightclubs. from 1948 to 1950, miranda teamed with the andrews sisters to produce and record three decca singles. their first collaboration was on radio in 1945 when miranda guested on abc' s the andrews sisters show. the first single ,
cuanto la gusta
, was the most popular (a best - selling record and a number - twelve billboard hit) .
the wedding samba
( # 23) followed in 1950 .
the team' s last black - and - white film introduced dino' s no. 2 - charting that' s amore — eventually such a perennial that it played during the opening credits of 1987' s moonstruck. one early scene, which explains how a golfer and caddy become a top comedy team, is based in fact: the pair really did regale hoards of street - jamming fans from their hotel room window. a natural double bill with 1980' s caddyshack, this features golfing greats sam snead, julius boros and ben hogan .
during this time, dean martin and jerry lewis were clowning around at a nightclub in new york city keeping audience in stitches with laughter. within a month after their debut, they were show business supernovas. coast to coast, audiences packed into nightclubs eager to catch the latest show of the crooning gentleman and his monkey - like companion. with an act that combined singing, slapstick, and spontaneous hi - jinks, the duo sold tickets faster than speeding duo and then went on, in quick succession, to conquer radio, television and film .
lewis and martin initially failed to report for work on the picture, claiming they were dissatisfied with the script. modern sources, however, state that martin and lewis, who had become enormous box - office stars by the time of the film' s production, refused to appear because they wanted out of their contract with paramount producer hal wallis. in late may 1952, martin and lewis signed a new contract with wallis, which guaranteed them $ 1, 000, 000 a year and required that they make only one paramount production per year .
upon returning to the united states, miranda kept up her film career in hollywood while also appearing on broadway and performing in clubs and restaurants. in 1941, she shared the screen with alice faye and don ameche in that night in rio. later that same year, she teamed up with alice faye again in week - end in havana. miranda was now earning $ 5, 000 a week. on 24 march 1941, she became one of the first latinas to leave her hand and footprints in the sidewalk of the grauman' s chinese theater .
during her later career, miranda would become primarily identified with her colorful fruit - hat costume and image, she only adopted that costume in 1939. in that year she appeared in the film banana - da - terra, where she wore a glamorized version of the traditional costume of a poor black girl of bahia: flowing dress and fruit - hat turban. singing the song
o que é que a baiana tem ?
(
what does a baiana have ?
), the intent was to empower a social class which was usually looked down upon .
she later signed a contract with universal but at the time, universal was undergoing a merger with another studio. due to a change in management, no films for miranda were planned. eager to break away from her well established image, miranda attempted to branch out with different roles. in 1946, she portrayed an irish american character in if i' m lucky. the following year, she played dual roles opposite groucho marx in copacabana for united artists. while the films were modest hits, film critics and the american public did not accept miranda' s new image .
upon returning to the united states, miranda kept up her film career in hollywood while also appearing on broadway and performing in clubs and restaurants. in 1941, she shared the screen with alice faye and don ameche in that night in rio. later that same year, she teamed up with alice faye again in week - end in havana. miranda was now earning $ 5, 000 a week. on march 23, 1941, she became one of the first latinas to leave her hand and footprints in the sidewalk of the grauman' s chinese theater. [ 10 ]
though her film career was faltering, miranda music career remained solid and she was still a popular attraction at nightclubs. [ 17 ] from 1948 to 1950, miranda teamed with the andrews sisters to produce and record three decca singles. their first collaboration was on radio in 1945 when miranda guested on abc' s the andrews sisters show. the first single ,
cuanto la gusta
, was the most popular (a best - selling record and a number - twelve billboard hit) .
the wedding samba
( # 23) followed in 1950. [ 18 ]
she later signed a contract with universal but at the time, universal was undergoing a merger with another studio. due to a change in management, no films for miranda were planned. eager to break away from her well established image, miranda attempted to branch out with different roles. in 1946, she portrayed an irish american character in if i' m lucky. the following year, she played dual roles opposite groucho marx in copacabana for united artists. while the films were modest hits, film critics and the american public did not accept miranda' s new image. [ 16 ]
was totally unaware that i had seen this before until it got to jerry' s carmen miranda impression and dean' s
enchilada
song, which it turns out i knew both by heart? ?? has a thrilling film noir beginning and a spooky, haunted ending, but with about 40 minutes in the middle of just dean & jerry yucking it up in nightclubs on a boat and on land. no one seems to care by the end that dean is still wanted for murder and that the mob is after him, nor does this keep him from performing nightly. but i guess g - g - g - ghosts (and cameos) kind of trump everything else .
, produced by the duo' s own york productions; possibly the rights weren' t available but you can find the film from several companies that specialize in budget public - domain films. in any case the collection is a great opportunity to follow the first half of martin & lewis' career and see some nice films as well. it' s interesting that their path roughly paralleled abbott and costello' s: initial tryouts in supporting roles then a trio of service comedies before moving along to genre parodies. but it' s only a superficial resemblence since abbott and costello made films that are interesting only in bits while martin and lewis' films work more consistently and with greater range - - perhaps driven by jerry' s infamous perfectionism or maybe it was just a studio willing to spend a bit more money .
preliminaries are concerned with martin, a cabaret singer, and his awkward chum (lewis) back in new york, where they get mixed up with a gangster’s girl (dorothy malone) and, in fleeing a gangland ride, meet up with lizabeth scott, hieress to the island. m & l decide to go along with her as protection against mysterious men who are attempting to keep her from claiming her inheritance .
oddly enough, a comedy highlight in the picture is handled by uncredited frank fontaine, playing a drunk who thinks martin is a ventriloquist when he is caught talking to lewis, hidden in a trunk at dock - side. the comedy team is in its element in the story’s slap - stick harum - scarum. scott handles herself niftily and carmen miranda shows up well. malone’s chores in the early footage are carried out delightfully as a gal who likes to kiss, even if it does displease her gangster boyfriend .
production: paramount. director george marshall; producer hal b. wallis; screenplay herbert baker, walter de leon, ed simmons, norman lear; camera ernest laszlo; editor warren low; music leith stevens; art director hal pereira, franz bachelin
© copyright 2018 variety media, llc, a subsidiary of penske business media, llc. variety and the flying v logos are trademarks of variety media, llc. powered by urltoken vip
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd html 4. 01 transitional / / en
urltoken
paramount' s the dean martin and jerry lewis collection, vol. 1 (out today, unrated, $ 50) collects eight of the first nine comedies from a team that was, in its day, as popular as elvis and the beatles .
vol. 2 will be the one to get because the 1954 - 56 technicolor films were better. but here are this set' s high points :
martin and lewis comically desecrated multiple military services early in their screen careers. bookending this navy romp were 1950' s at war with the army (not included here) and later in 1952, jumping jacks, in which dino sings the parachute jump. a monster box - office hit, beware opens and closes with a betty hutton cameo but is known for its brief glimpse of pre - stardom james dean during jerry' s climactic boxing match .
paramount refashioned bob hope' s 1940 ghost breakers into this set' s funniest movie, though this wasn' t its rep at the time. nightclub warbler dean, partnered with leggy dorothy malone, flees to pre - castro cuba with busboy jerry. on their ship is lizabeth scott and carmen miranda. beyond one lip - synch with lewis in miranda drag, the team joins the real miranda for two numbers, including song of the enchilada man .
ship ahoy! dean martin and jerry lewis in the navy in sailor beware .
some parts of this page won' t work property. please reload or try later .
fleeing a murder charge, a busboy and a nightclub singer wind up on a spooky caribbean island inherited by an heiress .
lakeith stanfield and his sorry to bother you director boots riley discuss the stress of filming sex scenes .
want to share imdb' s rating on your own site? use the html below .
although gifted golfer harvey miller is too nervous to golf in public tournaments, he acts as coach and caddy for friend joe anthony .
egotistical vaudevillian bill miller basks in the limelight with his successful musical - comedy act, but his success is due to his unheralded second banana .
nightclub comic hap smith assumes the identity of another soldier so he can tour army bases in a revue with his ex - partner chuck allen .
the greatest player in ridgefield college history uses his influence and reputation to get his only son, a sickly, uncoordinated nerd, on the college football team with comic results .
a scatterbrained brooklynite and her wheeler - dealer fiancé interfere in her level - headed roommate' s love life .
although allergic to kissing girls, seaman melvin jones, through a fluke tv appearance, gets the undeserved reputation of a great kisser dubbed
mr. temptation
and is pursued by amorous young females .
when an aspiring barber becomes inadvertently involved in the theft of a valuable diamond, necessity forces him to masquerade as a 12 year - old child - with humorous consequences .
an unsophisticated stationmaster from provincial new mexico fraudulently claims that he is dying in order to get an expense - paid dream tour of new york .
herman owes a lot of gambling debts. to pay them off, he promises the mob he' ll fix a horse, so that it does not run. he intends to trick his animal - loving cousin, virgil, an apprentice... see full summary »
a rich momma' s boy returns west with the son of his murdered father' s partner to foil a gang trying to gain control of his family ranch .
en route to hollywood, singer steve, his partner seymour and fiancée jane, jane' s airheaded roommate irma, and irma' s con artist fiancé al have a series of misadventures and end up involved with a murderous gang .
a singer who can' t pay his bookie joins a nerdy, star - struck movie fan and his great dane in a cross - country convertible ride to hollywood .
nightclub singer larry todd breaks off his romance with a beautiful showgirl when he realizes she' s the girlfriend of a murderously jealous gangster. while on the run, larry mistakenly believes he kills one of the mobsters and is helped to escape police by heiress mary carol, who smuggles larry and partner myron to cuba. mary has inherited a haunted castle on an isolated island and, ignoring ominous warnings and threats, decides to take possession. while there, the trio hunt for a hidden treasure and encounter a ghost, a zombie, and a mysterious killer .
( western electric recording) (5. 0) (l - r )
scranton connection dean looks at an old mining lantern and reads
made in scranton
. lizbeth scott, his co - star, was from scranton .
the castle is located in cuba, a spanish speaking country. yet the clues to the treasure are written in english .
: i don' t know, i guess i' ve always been a sucker for girls named mary carol .
first of all, if you' re considering watching a dean martin - jerry lewis picture, you must be aware of the fact that it is mainly slapstick comedy. if you can' t laugh at a drunk guy slapping jerry lewis in the face, then this movie isn' t for you. with that being said, this movie has an interesting story line. lewis and martin are friends and when martin gets in trouble with shorty, a mob - type guy, lewis goes to defend him. this leads to an accidental shooting that martin gets blamed for and when he goes to hide, he meets mary, who inherited a haunted island from her father. martin and lewis end up going with mary and figure out the mystery of lost island. although the plot jumps around a lot, watching martin and lewis is always enjoyable and there are many funny situations in this movie. if you' re a fan of slapstick, this movie is for you.
scared stiff is a 1953 american musical comedy film directed by george marshall and starring dean martin and jerry lewis . one of the 17 films made by the martin and lewis team , it was released on april 27 , 1953 by paramount pictures . scared stiff was carmen miranda 's final film . the portuguese-brazilian musical star died of a heart attack , two years later , in august 1955 . 
scared stiff is a 1953 american musical comedy film directed by george marshall and starring dean martin and jerry lewis. one of the 17 films made by the martin and lewis team, it was released on april 27, 1953 by paramount pictures. scared stiff was carmen miranda's final film. the portuguese-brazilian musical star died of a heart attack, two years later, in august 1955.
scared stiff is a 1953 american musical comedy film directed by george marshall and starring dean martin and jerry lewis. one of the 17 films made by the martin and lewis team, it was released on april 27, 1953 by paramount pictures. scared stiff was carmen miranda's final film. the portuguese-brazilian musical star died of a heart attack, two years later, in august 1955.