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Jerry Lewis Almost Under control

THE NUTTY PROFESSOR is about an eccentric chemistry professor who discovers a liquid concoction which can transform him into a suave character in the style and manner of Dean Martin. For a Jerry Lewis film the antics are somewhat tame. Lewis plays the professor and Stella Stevens is his adoring student. The supporting cast includes Del Moore, Kathleen Freeman and Howard Morris.

The movie is saved by the acting and outstanding good looks of Miss Stevens. The Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde theme makes a decent story and the film also benfits from Jerry Lewis behaving almost as if he is under control.

needed the nutty

My son & I had to have this movie! The vendor was quick in sending and it was in excellent condition. I would definately order from them again.

Crazy, man

Paradox completists eventually must turn to la mystere de Jerry -- why is it that French film masters such as Godard and Truffaut so loved Jerry Lewis? The Franco-Lewis thing has become a well-worn joke -- something to swig down with Freedom Fries -- but it's a safe bet the directors weren't thinking of the braying, pratfalling side of the American comedian.

Instead, the new wavers cited Lewis' work from the early 1960s -- including what arguably are his best films as an actor and director: "The Nutty Professor" and "The Bellboy."


Paramount, Lewis' longtime studio, has released both titles in splendid widescreen versions, along with seven of his other films. Some titles come with full or partial commentaries from Lewis and his pal Steve Lawrence; other modest bonus features are spread about the collection.


"The Nutty Professor," from 1963, looks amazing in widescreen, awash in hot circus colors. Seeing Lewis' film in its original aspect ratio reveals the director's dedication to offbeat and rewarding visuals. The film earns its Special Edition tag with a vivid transfer, feature-length commentary, making-of featurette and a half-hour career survey called "Jerry Lewis at Work." Screen tests, outtakes and promos complete the package. Paramount isn't known for breaking a sweat with catalog-title extras, but this is a solid collection.

The plot -- a buck-toothed college teacher brews up a formula that transforms him into an obnoxious ladies' man -- allowed Lewis to revisit the yin-yang comic dynamic he first developed with smoothy Dean Martin. Lewis played both roles.

Speculation that the professor's swinging chemical creation, Buddy Love, was based on the real-life Martin elicits an emphatic denial. "This could never be Dean," Lewis says. "I loved Dean." Love was "a conglomeration of every unkind, nasty SOB I had seen all of my life."

Lewis gives love interest Stella Stevens a lot of credit for the film's success, saying she made scenes sparkle by listening so intently to his dialogue. "She was about the best actress I had ever worked with." Edith Head's sensual outfits and cinematographer Wally Kelley's close-ups intensified Stevens' already potent sex appeal.

That ol' black magic has me in his spell...

O.K I'm only 17 but i've seen enough films to know that this is my favourite of all time. I love Jerry Lewis, he's a comic genius and I never get bored of wathching this film in particular. The original Nutty Professor totally overshadows Eddie Murphy's version in my opinion. While the modern adaptation was stuffed with crass, in your face jokes, Lewis' creation has a gentle and innocent humour and you care about what happens to Kelp's character.
The music scenes in particular are brilliant and the scene where the truth comes out is surprisingly touching.
I always had a thing for men in glasses anyway.....

Lewis's best and with tons of footage

I own this classic now. I watched the extra features on the DVD and all of the coverage on the other work of Jerry's . After about a half an hour, I realized there is also a movie on this disk. I could not believe how much material is on this ONE disk. I strongly reccomend this and when you get it, watch it with the commentary track turned on for Jerry's comments as the show plays. The widescreen DVD format is fabulous. The color and clarity are fantastic, and the big band sound and sound effects are richer than ever.

"Every move, a picture...."

Although this is a movie I like a lot, I didn't actually buy it until I saw it at Target marked way down to about the price it could cost just to rent the DVD.


The price, though, made me vaguely suspicious about the quality of the disk, but I decided at the very least I'd be able to watch my favorite scenes when I wanted to.

It turns out this is an excellent edition. Most notably, the print is perfectly sharp, almost pristine, and it preserves W.W. Kelly's tricky cinematography -- the movie's wild and diverse colors sometimes look blurry and oversaturated when this is shown on TV.

And rather than being bare bones, this disk is loaded with extras: A commentary by Lewis and Steve Lawrence (which is, admittedly, a little on the quiet side); a fine documentary about Lewis' peak solo films; a chatty documentary about the making of the movie itself; a large gallery of press materials and deleted scenes; trailers and other odds and ends.


Added to which is the movie itself, which has already been discussed -- it's a strange, frequently funny, sometimes disturbing, way-ahead-of-its-time retelling of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." Good deal.

Jerry Lewis delivers a hilarious performance, but heartwrenching and sometimes even dull scenes take away from what is nonetheless a classic comedy.

The Nutty Professor may star a man who is often difficult to endure and who sometimes makes a little too much of an effort to be funny (efforts which often induce embarrassed and uncertain laughter), but the character that Jerry Lewis created in The Nutty Professor is something to be admired. His transformation from the geeky Professor Julius Kelp to the overly confident Buddy Love is perfectly acted. A particularly memorable scene (especially as far as directing and editing) was the scene when Buddy Love transforms back into Professor Kelp toward the end of the film. Very well done and very entertaining.However, the comedic intensity of the film is diluted by the almost painfully heartwrenching speech given by Professor Kelp at the end of the film, as well as a crudely delivered message. I've never been too fond of films that slap their message (or significant parts of the plot, as with the latest Bond film, The World Is Not Enough) awkwardly in the dialogue. It gives the feeling that the makers of the film didn't have enough confidence in the clarity of the story, or they simply wanted to take the easy way out. My point is that I don't think that the speech at the end was necessary in its present form, if even at all. The audience should be left to at least derive some part of the film's message on their own. As a whole, The Nutty Professor is a very good film. It is entertaining, and at some points, hilarious. There have been countless imitations of this film, including a couple of respectable remakes with Eddie Murphy, and even a character on The Simpsons (Professor John Frink) that is based on Lewis' character in this film. There are a few slow parts that seem to drag on and become boring that take away from the sheer hilarity of the movie, but it is still a timeless comedy that could be enjoyed by virtually everyone.

Masterpiece!

We have a college professor who feels he does not fit in.He considers himself a social outcast,so he sets out to change it with a potion that he himself concocts.He transforms,through this potion,from social outcast to a man with undeniable,irresistible finger snap charm,a virtual Frank Sinatra clone,the very definition of cool.This is Jerry Lewis' masterpiece.He has never been funnier than he was here.It is a hilarious reworking of the Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde formula executed to perfection,and there aren't just laughs to be had.You will be touched,at least slightly,by Professor Kelp's monologue toward film's end when,after his potion wears off at a particularly bad time,he comes clean about who he really is,and also comes to the realization that he is trying too hard to fit in.The key to being liked is liking yourself first.The film not only will make you roll with laughter,it relays one life's most valuable lessons.Flaws are few,such as the actors that are depicting college age students are obviously well past that in reality,but you will too busy laughing and admiring the undeniable beauty of Stella Stevens to care.Well done,Mr.Lewis!

dvd

It came quickly. And it plays well. It wasn't scratched or anything. It wasn't late or anything. I guess that's it.

Leave Dean Martin out of it!

I have seen this movie a number of times in my life,and i have never seen the connection between Buddy Love and Dean Martin!Professor Kelp is Jerry Lewis the actor and Buddy Love is Jerry Lewis the man.It's more like an autobiography than anything else.I don't think Jerry ever meant for it to be compared to his relationship with Dean.I think he meant for us to realize he's human like everybody else,he has many great qualities but he's not perfect.I love and admire him for both,faults and qualities.I also have to say that I do not regard this as his masterpiece.I love it,but it's not my favorite.

Jerry's best - Excellent transfer

You have all seen the movie so I will not comment on that. But I think the video of the DVD version is excellent. Detail is excellent for the year this movie was made on my widescreen TV. Unless you have seen this in the theater, you probably have never seen this in widescreen. I can recommend highly.

Nutty Movie

This movie is funny is funny but, ha ha, kind of, well...different. I would not go as far to say it is his best movie. His 1951 movie At War With The Army was better, and even though Jerry Lewis plays a great part in the Nutty Professor, the movie itself is not as good. Jerry Lewis' all time best movie was The Disorderly Orderly and I would recommend that highly over the Nutty P.

One of his best...Actually...

Hollywood legend, Jerry Lewis had great success teaming with Dean Martin in the early years of his career. While partnered with Martin, Lewis's wacky slapstick antics did reach extremes, but he was usually pulled back, before going too far, for too long. After the partnership dissolved, and Lewis began producing and directing his own films, he continued to expand on the same gag based, physical comic style that characterized his earlier work. Like him or not, Jerry is Jerry. The difference now, was that Lewis was primarily responsible for keeping himself from going over the top, and sometimes he did not know when he had gone too far.

The Nutty Professor, one of Jerry's most popular movies, is done in typical Lewis style. Stringing together various comedic episodes, and physical gags, the movie is a comedic variation of the Jekyll and Hyde dual identity story, with Jerry assuming the roles of nerdy, bespectacled college professor "Julius Kelp", and his alter ego, the ultra hip, and cool, mystery man, "Buddy Love".

After being humiliated in class, in an incident with a football player, the mild mannered chemistry professor decides he needs to improve his physical condition. His resolve to do this, is reinforced when his lovely, blue-eyed student Stella Purdy (Stella Stevens), assures him that his slight physical stature really doesn't matter. After trying "normal" means to improve his physical condition by working out at a gym, Kelp turns to chemistry, trying to develop a formula to improve man's physical development. Reaching the crucial testing stage, for the sake of science, and in the quest for knowledge, Kelp tests the formula on himself. Drinking it down, he then undergoes a dramatic and startling transformation into a super slick playboy type, Buddy Love.

Buddy is of course everything that Kelp isn't. Smooth, suave and sophisticated, Love makes his first public splash in an appearance at the "Purple Pit", the local teen hangout, attired in a striking blue suit. There he orders his favorite drink, an "Alaskan polar bear heater", and impresses the teens with his singing ability. Stella, the target of Buddy's attention, is not totally enamored by the narcissistic swinger's charm, but still finds herself strangely drawn to him.

With Lewis more or less under control, the comedic episodes, particularly those with Buddy, are entertaining, and flow together more smoothly and than in most of his other films. Some highlights include a bit where Love gets the head of the college to climb up on top of a table to perform Shakespeare in his underwear, and Kelp's goofy dancing to the song "Leapfrog" (A real "toe-tapper"). Kelp is perplexed by the transformation process, but his scientific objectivity is clouded by the fact when he appears as Buddy Love, he is able to approach his secret heartthrob, not as her teacher, but as a man. Things eventually come to a head, when both Kelp and Love are to appear at the same function, at the same time. Kelp's speech on stage is rather moving,...actually.

Lewis is a filmmaker, much like Clint Eastwood, who enjoys working with those he favors, and has the power to make it happen. This film features Kathleen Freeman, Del Moore, Buddy Lester and Milton Frome. Not the most well known names, but all have worked with Lewis numerous times. Moore is terrific, as Doctor Warfield. Jerry's films sometimes feature some obscure choices as his leading lady, but that is not the case here, as sexy Stella Stevens is perhaps one of the most well known actresses ever to be in one of his solo projects. She more than holds her own, going one on one in verbal jousts with Buddy Love. Stella also makes quite a transformation from pigtailed student, to young lady out on the town.

The Nutty Professor works on most levels. There are excesses to be sure, but the Jekyll and Hyde story at its core, has always had an appeal. Buddy Love, does have a hypnotic attraction, and Professor Kelp is the middle-aged version of the kind of bumbler that Lewis has always played. Released on DVD in 2000, this surprisingly still remains one of the few Jerry Lewis films available on DVD, and the transfer is excellent. Full of vibrant colors, we get a great look at the Edith Head's costumes, and the sets. Orchestra leader, Les Brown and his Band of Renown, make an appearance too. Not much in the way of extras, but if you want to enjoy what many consider one of his finest efforts, The Nutty Professor is classic Jerry Lewis. The high cost is a negative. When will Jerry's other films come to DVD?

If Not the Movie, Jerry's Kelp is a Classic

I've seen most of Jerry Lewis's movies (with and without Dean Martin) and this one is the best one for me.The picture is funny (some sort of comic Jekill and Hyde plot) with many hilarious moments (the gymnasium sequence, his first meeting with the school's Director and the second one as Buddy Love too, Jerry as a baby). But what I think is a real creation is Julius Kelp character, both psychically and mentally. The point is that the man is a complete jerk but at the same time he's a genius in his field.As Professr Kelp Jerry Lewis is funny just to look at him and as Buddy Love some dialogues are excellent (the guy is madly in love with himself). The supporting cast is most adequate specially Del Moore as Buddy Love's main victim. A most entertaining and funny movie - with a "message" included-clearly superior to Eddie Murphy's recent remake (even with its technology handicap). Once more the original is better than the copy.

The Good & Bad Of 'The Nutty Professor'

Many critics consider this to be Jerry Lewis' best film. Not being a big Lewis fan, I can't comment on that, but it offers - at least in this day-and-age - a number of good and bad features.THE GOOD- This has a much nicer tone to it than the re-make, of course, (restrictions back then when this was released). The speech at the end of the movie by the professor (Lewis) was outstanding: touching with some profound statements. Some earlier comic bits were funny, beginning with Lewis in the Dean's office. Perhaps the best humor was simply provided by Lewis making faces when he played the nerdy science prof. His other character is not appealing, but it's not supposed to be. However, I got tired a seeing a cigarette dangling out of his mouth. (This was supposed to be a takeoff on Dean Martin). Stella Stevens was a pretty woman, except for the excessive eye makeup that was the style of the '60s. Some of the dated expressions in here were funny to hear.THE BAD - A number of Lewis' bits were not that humorous and his singing was atrocious. Why almost all entertainers - comedians, actors, etc - back then thought they were also good singers, is beyond me. You can just fast-forward through Jerry's songs.SUMMARY - If you are younger and-or watched the Eddie Murphy re-make first, you'll be disappointed in this.

Confession

I needed to watch the extras and listen to Jerry's commentary to be convinced to give this film five stars instead of four. It is truly "a work of love". Independent cinema in the heart of Hollywood, what a time!

"If I was a jerk maybe girls would like me"

Je m'excuse, but this is a visionary and fascinating movie. Professor Julius Kelp is Lewis's usual nebbish multiplied to the third power, a compellingly grotesque nerd. He chemically transforms himself into a womanizing swinger, Buddy Love, who is also compellingly grotesque. Calling this a Dean Martin rip is a little too easy - instead, I think this is Lewis's fantasy about what the world would be like if he, not Dino, joined the Rat Pack. That Vegas showbiz greaseball clearly comes from deep inside the man even as he showers him with contempt. His comic judgment is never completely reliable, of course, but he's throwing a lot of sh*t against the wall here and much is brilliant, especially the sound gags. And while he's on counterpoint to himself, he hasn't forgotten to hire a reliable foil: Stella Stevens, as a college swinger who uses the word 'nor' in everyday conversation. There are times when Stell looks as though her patience is being severely tested, but that's OK - in this film she is almost a centerfold Margaret Dumont. And while her final gag may render Lewis's big message completely incoherent, who needs big messages from Lewis anyway? Del Moore is great too.

The Nutty Professor Misses its Mark **

Silly over-rated Jerry Lewis farce related to Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. This time, a chemistry professor, a nerd to the greatest degree, becomes a swinging night club entertainer.Yes, Lewis is funny but it is typical Lewis shtik. Stella Stevens, as his kind student, is miscast. The role should have gone to Debbie Reynolds.There are some funny sequences but over all the picture is nonsensical. In addition, veteran comedienne, Kathleen Freeman, who starred with Lewis in several of his films, is wasted here. She is not given any comical lines whatsoever and her performance falls flat.

The Best Hangover scene ever!

What else can I say? A very odd movie if you're a kid. An even odder movie as an adult. His flashbacks, dreams and hallucinations make it as odd as it gets, but the hangover scene it perfect. Can't stand people who chew gum as a result!Buddy Love is a typical guy with too much confidence and booze. Never a great mix.Worth seeing once, but probably not twice.

a nutty genius

i saw this movie when i was a kid and i still think one of the funniest scenes in movie history is the barbell scene. what a gut wrencher. a true comedy classic by one of the greatest comedians of the 20th century.