The Bellboy

Jerry Lewis showcases his gifts for "physical comedy" in The Bellboy.In the same vein as Charlie Chaplin, the Three Stooges, Laurel and Hardy, Lewis performs his rip-roaring, hilarious comedy not by saying anything funny, but by his gestures, manners, especially facial expressions, to elicit laughter.This story takes place at the posh, swanky, flamboyant Fountainbleu Hotel in Miami Beach, Florida. Lewis works as a bellboy along with more than a half-dozen others. He caters to the whims and demands of those rich enough to stay there. Yet this movie is not about a plot, it's about showcasing Lewis and his gifts for comedy. It's about making the audience laugh out loud.As a homage to the silent motion picture era, Lewis speaks little in this movie. He stays quiet for more than 30 minutes at the beginning relying more on his physical comedy than on words. He finally speaks up in a different role than a bellboy but as a guess of the hotel where he converses with 50s comedy legend Milton Berle.For 75 minutes, Lewis slapstick, absurdity, clownish antics carries the film. There's no real plot. The movie is about Lewis's comedy antics. That alone makes The Bellboy worth seeing. Lewis is a masterful comedian doing his routines. End result: hysterically funny.Unlike the comedy where quick one-liners, comebacks, and barbs are exchanged, verbal comedy, this is about juggling five telephones at the same time: physical comedy.Lewis' brand of humor was at its height during the silent motion picture era. Silence picture stars as Buster Keaton and Stan Laurel each made their claim to fame through "physical comedy." The same brand of comedy Lewis brought to the big screen in 1960, forty years after that style of comedy was the "toast of the town" during the roaring twenties. He pays tribute, homage, and respect to the old masters in his movie.And to say the least, Lewis is a master himself of "physical comedy." He walks like a comedian, he gestures like a comedian, his manners are of a comedian, and for sure, he's a bona-fide comedian.

I am moved with joy to the point of tears each time I watch this film. This movie mark's Jerry Lewis' directing debut. He was staying as a guest at the Fountainbleu (the setting of the movie) when, inspired by the bell boys there, he spontaneously decided to create this film. This movie is so rich in comedy, inspiration, and meaning. "The Bell Boy" is a keeper...it gains even more magic with each viewing. It will upstage people looking for a traditional, formulaic, Hollywood-style comedy because it is an experimental, non-narrative based film. He not only gives tribute to his hero Stan Laurel (of Laurel and Hardy), who makes an appearance in this film, but in an inspired and subtle way, to many great early comedies and shorts, like Eliot Porter's "Fun in a Bakery Shop." Here we also glimpse Lewis' great humanitarian and political side. He plays a big-hearted, bumbling bell boy who gets treated like dirt but, with crazy devotion, tries to shine in every menial task he's asked to perform. In a light-handed and funny way, he shows the unfair treatment and tedium that working-class people endure. He mocks Hollywood's celebrity worship. By playing a mute, he not only brings out the best and most outlandish of his physical comedy, but he also shows the unbowing spirit of the voiceless. He weaves all these issues in so subtly and with so much joy that you hardly notice that he is making a statement. Lewis' comedy and acting is brilliant, and you'll be dazzled by all the inventive, wacky ways he brings out magic and laughs inside the hotel lobby. "The Bell Boy" has the force and sweep of Disney's "Fantasia 2000." A total gem of a movie!

Good, Bad or indifferent - whatever your opinion of Jerry lewis - this is one of the best of his films made at the peak of his solo popularity and creativity. There is no plot - it says so right at the start - but rather a series of well-timed comedy vignettes that bend reality and celebrity in just the right way set at the real-life Fontainebleau Hotel in Miami.Among the tremendous sight gags, which is perfectly executed, is his is arrival at the hotel (with full entourage) as the "real" Jerry Lewis - in a Limo-themed variation of clowns exiting the car, A similar gag done in the dining room/lunch counter - wherein the joke reveal was forced by an edit is one of the few disappointing moments.Also, for those not attuned to Mr. Lewis' particular vocal register - he speaks very little in the film - which is the source of much of the comedy.Have fun, go back in time to a simpler era and enjoy "The Bellboy!"

I'm so happy they are finally releasing this on DVD. It is one of Jerry Lewis' best films.Now keep in mind, this is a Jerry Lewis film, and I realize that some people just don't "Get" Jerry Lewis. If you are one of those people, this film is NOT for you. Oddly enough his early films with Dean Martin don't fall into this category, but that's another story.You could almost compare this film to an episode of Sienfeld. It's a movie about nothing. There is no big plot, and there is no central event. It's essentially a look at life in a fancy hotel through the eyes of a simple minded bellboy.A true test of an actor's skills is the way they can get a message across without speaking. In this film, the bellboy doesn't speak. It's not a silent movie, everyone else around him speaks and in many cases, shouts, at the bellboy. They bark out orders, order him around but they don't speak WITH him, or seem to care what he has to say.One of the more interesting things about this film is seeing Jerry Lewis play himself, as a movie star guest of the hotel. You get to see an entirely different character.There are very few Jerry Lewis DVDs out. I hope this is the first of many.