Themes: Cons and Scams, Foibles of Marriage, Nothing Goes Right
Main Cast: Jerry Lewis, Terry-Thomas, Jacqueline Pearce, Bernard Cribbins, Patricia Routledge, Nicholas Parsons
Release Year: 1968
Country: US/UK
Run Time: 99 minutes
MPAA Rating: G
Plot
Humorist Max Wilk scripted this listless film version of his book of the same name. Jerry Lewis plays George Lester, an American entrepreneur living in London. After a money-raising scheme fails, his wife Pamela (Jacqueline Pearce) threatens him with divorce. Trying to demonstrate his willingness to get serious with Pamela, George, with crackbrained finesse, turns her country home into a discotheque. Pamela, shocked, demands that George restore her home the way it was. While defending himself, George notes than Pamela now has a snobbish suitor in tow -- Dudley Heath (Nicholas Parsons). To show up Pamela, George contacts an old friend, conman H. William Homer (Terry-Thomas). Together, they concoct a scheme to abscond with Dudley's blueprints for an electronic oil drill and sell it to the Arabs. But complications occur when George catches the mumps and has to rely upon airline steward Fred Davies (Bernard Cribbins) to transport the microfilmed blueprints to Lisbon in his teeth. Once in Lisbon, a local dentist, Dr. Pinto (John Bluthal), is tabbed to remove the blueprints from Davies's mouth, but Dr. Pinto double-crosses them. George flies off to Lisbon with Pamela in pursuit, and the chase is on. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
Michael Bates - Dr. Spink; Colin Gordon - Mr. Hartford; John Bluthal - Dr. Pinto; Sandra Caron - Pinto's Nurse; Margaret Nolan - Spink's Nurse; Pippa Benedict - Fern Averback; Harold Goodwin - Six-Eyes Wiener; Nike Arrighi - Portuguese Waitress; Alexandra Dane - Masseuse; Al Mancini - Portuguese Chauffeur; Richard Montez - Arab; Molly Peters - Heath's Secretary; Francisca Tu - Chinese Telephonist; Robbie Lee - Bruce; Jerry Paris - Baseball Umpire; John Barrard - Zebra Man; John Moore - Digby; Colin Douglas - Barman; Henry Soskin - Bearded Arab
Credit
John Howell - Art Director, Leo Kharibian - Choreography, Maxine Leighton - Costume Designer, Jerry Paris - Director, Bill Lenny - Editor, Hal Shaper - Composer (Music Score), David Whitaker - Composer (Music Score), Hal Shaper - Songwriter, Otto Heller - Cinematographer, Walter Shenson - Producer, Pamela Cornell - Set Designer, Nolan Roberts - Sound/Sound Designer, Ken Ritchie - Sound/Sound Designer, Max Wilk - Screenwriter, Max Wilk - Book Author
George Lester (Jerry Lewis) is an American living in England. His passion is get-rich-quick schemes, and they have caused financial and personal grief for him as his wife, Pamela (Jacqueline Pearce) is considering divorce if he continues with them.
Willy Homer (Terry-Thomas) is a conman who plans to help George raise some quick cash by selling plans for a drill to a group of Arabians. The plans, which were stolen, are smuggled to Lisbon. As they are about to trade the plans they realize that a double-cross is in the works. A series of chases follow next, and eventually the plans are revealed to be defective, making them worthless to everyone.
Distraught, George finds comfort in his wife and promises to never embark on any more get-rich-quick schemes. That is, until Willy shows up at his door with another one!
Production
It was filmed between May 15 and June 30, 1967 and the director, Jerry Paris, has a cameo as the umpire at a baseball game.
This is Lewis' final film before the MPAA's film-rating system went in effect.
