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Jerry Lewis on DVD - NEW UPDATE 7/11 (1 Viewer)

John KB

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I am a HUGE Jerry Lewis fan, I absolutely love him. Has anyone heard of any plans to get more of his movies out on DVD. I thought Paramount was going to release The Ladies Man and The Geisha Boy?
And what about the Martin & Lewis pics?!

I heard that The Nutty Professor didn't sell that well for Paramount, not sure if this is true or not. Maybe that's the problem, but I'm sure there are still legions of fans that would like to see more of his movies on DVD.
 

Ronald Epstein

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Martin at Paramount is a very hard person to
get information out of.

Last I heard from him is that the studio was
actively pursuing Mr. Lewis over getting his
films out on DVD. I got the impression that
there was a strong possibility of seeing some
additional Jerry Lewis product in the near future.

BTW, I am a HUGE fan.
 

Jay E

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I'm a big fan of Lewis's early 60's work, some really great films that really need to be on DVD. The Disorderly Orderly, Who's Minding the Store & It's Only Money are on the top of my list but I would buy any of his Paramount films if they were released on DVD.

The Patsy, The Errand Boy & The Bellboy were released on Laser but not by Paramount. I wonder if Paramount has the rights to these 3 films and if not, who does?
 

Randy A Salas

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Martin had done an informal survey a little more than a year ago in which he asked for opinions on various Paramount films bound for DVD. On the list was "The Geisha Boy, The Ladies Man, etc." The survey was to see which would get bonus features because, he said, most of them were already on the schedule for 2003. (Interestingly enough, none of the 10 other films on the list have come out, so those plans might have changed.)

I'll repost here my comments to that survey, from May 2002:
How dismaying to see no one else talking about Jerry Lewis' work. His films (alone but especially with Dean Martin) are long overdue for DVD. As far as special features, *now* is the time to get them. He's not going to be around for too many more years. It would be fascinating to hear him discuss his films, especially since he was such a force behind the camera (even if he wasn't directing).

For those who didn't catch it, Peter Bogdanovich paid great tribute to Lewis in a recent New York Times article. He was making the case for the Academy to award an honorary Oscar to Lewis for his creation and innovative use of the now-ubiquitous video monitor (via a video camera attached to the movie camera) that allows easy framing and ready playback during filming. As a friend, fan and film scholar, Bogdanovich would make an ideal companion for a Lewis commentary track. And it gets even better: They first met on the set of The Ladies Man, one of the first films to use the new technology, when Bogdanovich visited the set to write an article about Lewis for Esquire. This was five years before Bogdanovich became a director--with Lewis among his influences. The Esquire article would be a dandy extra, as well as notes about the technology and maybe demos and behind-the-scenes footage, plus interviews with both of them.
Jerry Lewis is doing much better these days, but his health is still declining and he's only getting older. I hope something can be done before we lose this immensely talented, overlooked filmmaker and comedian.

I suspect that there are factors here that might be beyond Paramount's control, such as rights being partly controlled by Lewis and/or Dean Martin's estate. I note this because Martin & Lewis' biggest films, Living It Up and You're Never Too Young, aren't currently available in any home-video format. Paramount does have VHS tapes of Lewis' biggest films by himself.
 

James E

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Doubt we well ever see it, but i would like to see a box set of all of Jerry Lewis' films(thank of the Kubrick box)

james

P.S.

Mr. Lewis (if by some fluke you read this) thank of how much money this release could raise. Regardless thank you for the laughs.:D
 

William Miller

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Columbia did throw Jerry fans a bone this week with the DVD release of "Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River". Of course, this is one of the dreadful late 60's movies that Jerry made after he left Paramount. Columbia has given it a nice transfer but it is very painful to watch because it's not the "Jerry" that fans fell in love with.

It's a real shame that the vast Paramount catalog remains in limbo. There are some solo Jerry's that he personally does own. And I am pretty sure that he is co-owner with Paramount on many other titles because his various production companies are almost always listed during the screen credits.

As a very long time Jerry fan, I hate to post anything negative especially when he is experiencing his health problems. But the fact is that Jerry seems to have some kind of strange disdain for his fans. Bizarre personal encounters with him by fans have been well documented over the years. Autograph signing and personal contact with his fans is something that never has seemed to enter into Jerry's world. I just wonder if the lack of DVD releases is another way of "torturing" his admirers. Maybe not. It's probably a financial thing. Maybe he wants a certain percentage that Paramount won't give him. I'm just guessing here.

I have almost all of his movies on VHS, so I'm not going through any drastic Jerry withdrawals but it sure would be nice to see some DVD's.
 

Peter Kline

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The Martin and Lewis films made for Paramount would make terrific double features. (We've discussed this in the past). The solo Lewis films he made for Paramount may be owned by him now. I know that when he went solo he did re-negotiate his contract. There are a bunch of odds and ends films he made in England and France which have had no distribution here. And of course, "The Day The Clown Cried". But that's a looooooooooooooooong story!

Here's possible double bills of M&L films:
B&W:
My Friend Irma (1949)/ My Friend Irma Goes West (1950)
At War With the Army (1950)/Sailor Beware (1951)
That's My Boy (1951)/Jumping Jacks (1952)
The Stooge (1953)/Scared Stiff (1953)
The Caddy (1953)/Money From Home - (Color and 3D!) (1954)

Color:
Living It Up (1954)/Three Ring Circus (1954)
You're Never Too Young (1955)/Artists and Models (1955)
Pardners (1956)/Hollywood Or Bust- (the "Bust" probably refers to costar Anita Ekberg!) (1956)
 

Bob Furmanek

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I produced the laser release of The Bellboy, The Patsy and The Errand Boy for Image Entertainment in the early 90's. Those titles, plus Cinderfella, are owned outright by Jerry Lewis. At the time, I tried to convince Mr. Lewis to provide a running audio commentary for the laser, but he declined. However, he did give me permission to use trailers and some behind the scenes material. The only thing he wouldn't allow were the outtake/blooper reels.

Jerry Lewis has tons of material in his vault on these films (especially The Ladies' Man) and it would be a shame if they weren't utilized for a Special Edition DVD. The outtakes are hysterical! The last I heard, they were negotiating with him, but I don't have any updates.

By the way, as a bit of trivia, Jerry Lewis has a unique distinction among film comedians. More than any other comic, he appeared in the most technically diverse group of films ever. They include

1. Black and White 1.37 nitrate
2. Black and White 1.37 safety
3. 3 track interlock full-coat magnetic stereo
4. 3 strip dye-transfer Technicolor
5. Dual-strip Polaroid 3-D
6. Technicolor widescreen 1.85
7. Vistavision
8. Perspecta optical stereophonic sound
9. 70mm Ultra-panavision "Cinerama"
10. CinemaScope

Plus, I'm sure that some of his more recent films (Funny Bones, Arizona Dream, Mr. Saturday Night) had some type of Dolby stereo sound.

Bob
 

soop.spoon

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I believe some of his films (like WAy Way Out) have never even been released on video.

Jerry Lewis is possibly the most under-represented talent in the world of DVD. Shame.
 

Peter Kline

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Some of the later post Paramount films by Jerry weren't released. They escaped! (rim shot). :D

here's a list of films and name of character he played:

Encounter in the Thrid Dimension (1999) (uncredited) (archive footage) .... 3-D film historical footage
... aka Encounter in the Third Dimension (1999) (USA: orthographically correct title)

Funny Bones (1995) .... George Fawkes

Arizona Dream (1993) .... Leo Sweetie
... aka Arizona Dream (1993) (France)
... aka Arrowtooth Waltz, The (1993)

Mr. Saturday Night (1992) .... Guest

Cookie (1989) .... Arnold Ross

"Wiseguy" (1987) TV Series .... Eli Sternberg (1988-1989)

Fight for Life (1987) (TV) .... Dr. Bernard Abrams

Par où t'es rentré? On t'a pas vu sortir (1984) .... Clovis Blaireau
... aka How Did You Get In? We Didn't See You Leave (1984) (USA)

Terror in the Aisles (1984) (archive footage) .... Myron Merto (segment "Scared Stiff")
... aka Time for Terror (1984) (Europe: video title English title)

Retenez-moi... ou je fais un malheur! (1984) .... Jerry Logan
... aka Hold Me Back or I'll Have an Accident (1984) (USA)
... aka To Catch a Cop (1984) (International: English title)

Cracking Up (1983) .... Warren Nefron/Dr. Perks
... aka Smorgasbord (1983)

King of Comedy, The (1983) .... Jerry Langford

Slapstick (Of Another Kind) (1982) .... Wilbur Swain/Caleb Swain
... aka Slapstick (1982)

Rascal Dazzle (1980) .... Narrator

Hardly Working (1980) .... Bo Hooper

Circus of the Stars #3 (1979) (TV) .... Ringmaster

Day the Clown Cried, The (1972) .... Helmut Doork

Which Way to the Front? (1970) .... Brendan Byers III

Hook, Line & Sinker (1969) .... Peter Ingersoll/Fred Dobbs

Silent Treatment (1968)

Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River (1967) .... George Lester

Big Mouth, The (1967) .... Gerald Clamson/Syd Valentine

Way... Way Out (1966) .... Pete Mattemore

Three on a Couch (1966) .... Christopher Pride/Warren/Ringo/Rutherford/Heather

Boeing Boeing (1965) .... Robert Reed

Red Line 7000 (1965) (uncredited) .... Driver

Family Jewels, The (1965) .... Willard Woodward/James Peyton/Everett Peyton/Julius Peyton/Capt. Eddie Peyton/Skylock Peyton/'Bugs' Peyton

Disorderly Orderly, The (1964) .... Jerome Littlefield

Patsy, The (1964) .... Stanley Belt/Singers of the Trio

Who's Minding the Store? (1963) .... Norman Phiffier

It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) (uncredited) .... Man who runs over hat
... aka It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) (USA: promotional title)

Nutty Professor, The (1963) .... Professor Julius Kelp/Buddy Love/Baby Kelp
... aka Dr. Jerkyll and Mr. Hyde (1963)

It's Only Money (1962) .... Lester March

Errand Boy, The (1961) .... Morty S. Tashman

Ladies' Man, The (1961) .... Herbert H. Heebert/Mama Heebert

Cinderfella (1960) .... Cinderfella

Bellboy, The (1960) .... Stanley/Himself

Visit to a Small Planet (1960) .... Kreton

Li'l Abner (1959) (uncredited) .... Itchy McRabbit

Don't Give Up the Ship (1959) .... John Paul Steckler

Geisha Boy, The (1958) .... Gilbert Wooley

Rock-a-Bye Baby (1958) .... Clayton Poole

Sad Sack, The (1957) .... Bixby

Delicate Delinquent, The (1957) .... Sidney Pythias

Hollywood or Bust (1956) .... Malcolm Smith

Pardners (1956) .... Wade Kingsley Jr./Wade Kingsley Sr.

Artists and Models (1955) .... Eugene Fullstack

You're Never Too Young (1955) .... Wilbur Hoolick

3 Ring Circus (1954) .... Jerry Hotchkiss
... aka Jerrico, the Wonder Clown (1954)

Living It Up (1954) .... Homer Flagg

Money from Home (1954) .... Virgil Yokum

Caddy, The (1953) .... Harvey Miller, Jr

Scared Stiff (1953) .... Myron Mertz

Stooge, The (1953) .... Ted Rogers

Road to Bali (1952) .... Man in Lala's dream

Jumping Jacks (1952) .... Hap Smith

Sailor Beware (1951) .... Melvin Jones

That's My Boy (1951) .... 'Junior' Jackson

At War with the Army (1950) .... Pfc. Alvin Korwin

Milkman, The (1950) (uncredited) .... Milkman

My Friend Irma Goes West (1950) .... Seymour(This time they're the stars)

How to Smuggle a Hernia Across the Border (1949) - This one's new to me!

My Friend Irma (1949) .... Seymour (Dean and Jerry had supporting roles)
 

Glenn Overholt

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Yes, I'd like to see them come out too. With Dean Martin, they could put two to each disk and put them in a box set! That would be really nice.

(I can't believe I'm saying this) but, are any out in
France?

Glenn
 

Claude North

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I have seen RED LINE 7000 countless times, and I have absolutely no recollection of Jerry Lewis making even the briefest of cameo appearances, as a driver or anything else for that matter.

Can anyone confirm that he did appear in this movie? I have heard that a longer cut of the film played in Europe. Perhaps he was seen in that version.
 

Bob Furmanek

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No, and he's not in The Milkman either. It's also odd that they include the Circus of the Stars from 1979, but ignore the hundreds of other TV shows and guest shots, including the Ben Casey episode that he starred in and directed, circa 1962.

Also, How to Smuggle a Hernia... is not one of his home movies. He never made one with that name. He DID have such home movies as Come Back Little Shiksa, Fairfax Avenue, Confidential (for Dean's birthday - it's hysterical!) etc.

Bob
 

Peter Kline

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You can thank me for letting IMDB know that Jerry had an unbilled cameo in IAMMMMW! A couple of years ago I looked at their credit list and noticed he wasn't on it. I explained the exact scene where he appeared. A few days later they sent me an email saying they added his name. I thank you.

Bob, say hello to Ron. He may remember me.
 

Peter Kline

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The Hernia film would have been too early for those home movies. I have an aircheck of Jerry telling Dean about a new singer he discovered. The song he sings is "Yetta, I Can't Forget Her". The singer, Frank Sinatra. I"m not sure if it was from a tv show or their radio show.
 

Ronald Epstein

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Okay....

(clearing throat).....

Just got off the phone with Paramount.

Next year will be a big year for Jerry Lewis fans.

The studio also wishes you to know that it would
have been THIS year, but everything must be arranged
with Mr. Lewis' schedule.

Hope that puts a smile on your faces!
 

Gary->dee

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I grew up on Jerry Lewis movies so I'm happy to know that Don't Raise The Bridge, Lower The River is out on DVD because I like his late 60's movies. I'm hoping that Hardly Working will soon come out because I enjoyed that one too. I guess it's wishful thinking that we'll ever see The Day The Clown Cried on DVD since no one has ever really seen the movie after it was made(have they?). That's a controversial title.

Btw which was the movie in which he dressed up like a Japanese dancer or something in white makeup and a white wig and was being chased around Sea World(or was it Marineland)?
 

Ronald Epstein

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Gary,

Aaah, the movie you speak of is THE BIG MOUTH.
That's where Lewis reels in a frogman at the beach .

That title is owned by Columbia. I would think
chances are good for its release since Columbia
put it out on VHS in the late 80s/early 90s.

It ranks as my absolute favorite Jerry Lewis
movie behind "The Nutty Professor" and "Cinderfella."

GREAT FILM!
 

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