JohnHowardReid Disappointing! Given the promise of the movie's central idea, plus the wide latitude available to take the mickey out of Hollywood (as at least a dozen films have done so amusingly in the past), Jerry Lewis seems determined – aside from two sequences – to play his Hollywood studio errand boy in a distinctly minor key. True, we do encounter some heavy slapstick and far-too-broad satire, and there is some wistful yet rather too obvious, cutesy stuff with puppets. But the way the movie is constructed as a series of sketches strung together on the thinnest of threads, will ensure that nearly all viewers are in the running to find something to complain about. Some of the sketches – crowded into an elevator, climbing a ladder to get jelly beans for kids – don't have any connections with a movie studio at all. In short, I feel that an opportunity for some really amusing satire was lost. I regard The Patsy as more consistently amusing. That movie also had a superior support cast. Sig Ruman is glimpsed but briefly here. However, Stanley Adams as the mail room chief is amusingly choleric. On the other hand, Howard McNear way overdoes the sycophant, while Brian Donleby delivers one of his duller, stiffer performances. Iris Adrian, however, is always welcome. Disappointingly, production values are only average "A". It's a pity there were no more surprise guest stars than Lorne Greene and company. As a director, Lewis uses lots of close-ups, but is generally efficient despite the jerky continuity. The lighting photography, however, is unusually dark and somber for a comedy.

didi-5 Those who dismiss 'The Errand Boy' as juvenile comedy in the vein of the awful Tom Green are way out of line - this film in particular is entertaining, genuinely funny, and acted and directed with charm by Jerry Lewis. Perhaps he was funnier in 'Who's Minding The Store' or 'The Nutty Professor', but this one remains my favourite.It is the story of Morty, an underling at a Hollywood studio where he can cause as many problems as he can - in the canteen, on the sets, in the lift, as an unexpected extra during filming, and by overdubbing his own squeaky vocals over a finished soundtrack. The combined effect of all this is irresistable. My favourite scene though is the one in the prop room, where Morty seeks advice from a couple of finger puppets about how to improve his life. Cliched, maybe, but unexpected amongst the silliness and really quite effective.

curtaincall9000 i first saw pieces of this movie on AMC and just had to rent it. the story is so sweet and that's what it's such a great film. it's hard to decide what would be considered the best scenes, but these are my favorites: when jerry gets the jelly-beans for the 3 kids and when he talks to that puppet goose. these show the childlike innocence of jerry and how morty s tashman felt about the studio, [these are near the middle of the film]. i think that not only jerry-fans will like this movie but anyone looking for a good movie to sit back and enjoy! next to the nutty professor, this is jerry's best work! definetly a wonderful story to behold!

Walt-11 I rented this movie lately after determining from a long search that it had the bit I had remembered ever since I saw it in '61. That scene is the boardroom pantomime Jerry does to a big-band song. That piece did turn out to be as clever (though not as elaborate) as I had remembered. Check it out. It is about 75 minutes into the movie. I had forgotten the rest of the movie, and after seeing it last night, now I know why. I think only Jerry-fans will be able to sit through it all. The "story" is so choppy I kept thinking I must have fallen asleep and missed something. Jerry was pretty full of himself (and preachy) when he did this collection of skits.