Hollywood or Bust

source: Hollywood or Bust

Hollywood or Bust (1956) *** (out of 4) Steve Wiley (Dean Martin) is a gambler who is in over his head with some bookies. He works up a scheme to basically steal a car from a theater that is giving it away through on raffle. The only problem is that die hard movie fan Malcolm Smith (Jerry Lewis) ends up with the car and the two are forced to share it, which sends them on a road trip to Hollywood. Hollywood OR BUST would turn out to be the last Martin & Lewis movie and it's really too bad because it seems the duo were making some of their best movies at the end. This one here is an incredibly entertaining and at times very funny picture that manages to offer up a pretty good story and three great lead performances. It has been said that Martin and Lewis' relationship was pretty much dead during the making of this picture and that they refused to speak to each other but you certainly can't tell that by watching the film. I really thought that out of all the Martin & Lewis films I've seen this one here gave both actors their most equal parts. I think the highlight of the film is a moment early on when the two are inside the theater and trying to win the car for their own reasons. There were some very funny moments inside the theater and things got even funnier when the large Great Dane dog enters the picture. Martin, Lewis and the dog have some very funny scenes together and things get even funnier when Pat Crowley joins things as well as Maxie Rosenbloom in her quick role. Anita Ekberg plays herself, the star who Lewis loves the most. There are a couple decent music numbers throughout the picture but here is one time where Dean's songs take a back seat to the comedy. Hollywood OR BUST is your typical road picture but I really thought it was an extremely funny picture and one with a good spirit and a nice pace. It's really too bad Martin & Lewis came to an end here but at least they went out with one of their better pictures.

As with most Martin and Lewis films, this is as stupid as the others. Plot inconstancies..Where did they get all the clothes since at one point there is no luggage in the back seat or the trunk. I know one must not take these films seriously, but there should be some semblance of reality. The best thing about the film is the Great Dane. He steals every scene he's in and puts the movie in his pocket. Great training and love the name Mr. Bascom. See this for the dog as the movie itself is a real DOG.

I caught this on YouTube soon after the great Jerry Lewis passed away. I always love to read the "backstories" about films, so I read about it in Wikipedia and IMDb before I watched it. This was the comedy team's final film, and the two barely spoke to each other off camera during the shoot. You can't tell that from the finished film, because the chemistry between the two is there. Because the version I saw on YouTube turned off the audio whenever there was a song (for music copyright reasons), I can't comment on the music, but I am sure that it was good. Enjoyable, frothy comedy.

This is the last of the 16 movies which Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis made together, and by this point they weren't even speaking to each other off-camera, but this time the screen is filled with even more inventiveness than usual. That's because the director is master satirist Frank Tashlin, who, having already taken on rock and roll (The Girl Can't Help It) and comic books (Artists and Models, also with Dean and Jerry), now turns his attention to movie fandom. Dean plays Steve, a down-on-his-luck gambler who wants to pay off his debts by cheating in a raffle to win an expensive car, but the legal winner (Malcolm, played by Jerry) also turns up, and the contest holder rules that they have to share the car. Malcolm (a movie fan who's obsessed with Anita Ekberg) wants to drive the car to Hollywood to meet her, and Steve goes along for the ride, planning to ditch him somewhere along the way. Unfortunately, Malcolm is also bringing his gigantic dog "Mr. Bascom," who manages to thwart a few of Steve's plans. Besides the numerous references to movies real and fictional (i.e., "Chloroform and Old Calico"), we also get romance, great musical numbers, beautiful Technicolor, Jerry doing a bullfighting routine a la Rudolph Valentino, a hilarious gambling sequence in a Vegas casino, and much more. Dean and Jerry part ways after this, but at least they leave on a high note.

Dean and Jerry seem as though they are just going through the motions in this movie. I don't think I laughed at all and was kind of bored. I am also disturbed by the scene where Dean's character, Steve, grabs Terry and forcefully kisses her. When she wriggles free, clearly not consenting, he keeps following and grabbing her. I watch a lot of old movies (love Jerry Lewis) and understand that mindsets were different, but this is really unacceptable. I thought the whole movie was just overly sexual and objectified women constantly.

Malcolm Smith (Jerry Lewis) wins a car in a lottery but degenerate gambler Steve Wiley (Dean Martin) scams the contest with a counterfeit ticket. Malcolm is a dedicated fan of famed actress Anita Ekberg driving across the country to Hollywood. Steve pretends to be her neighbor and joins him on the drive. Steve fails to steal the car and they lose it to an armed old lady. They get the car back and pick up aspiring dancer Terry Roberts on her way to Vegas. This is the final movie for this legendary pairing. Things got so bad that the guys barely conversed off screen. They are still very professional in their performances. I'm sure their split affected the critical reception at the time. This has the broad comedy and song singing that one expects from this duo. It is not that offensive except for the native stopover and various old fashion stuff. Much of it is a picturesque travelogue. It is not the deepest of movies but one wouldn't expect one here.

I grew up a huge Jerry Lewis fan. I even "taped" these movies on cassettes so I could listen to them at night in my bed. This one was a favorite The music is decent and the comic shtick is what you expect. If that's what you like, this movie delivers.

I am usually not fond at all of comedies, but those played by Jerry Lewis are full of charm and remind me my childhood, when they were shown on French TV channels. Gags galore, score, fast paced editing, everything is available to entertain all kinds of audiences. Many Hollywood film tributes are here too, for instance FROM HERE TO ETERNITY, when Dean Martin wants to kiss Pat Crawley near the river.... Yes, this movie is dedicated to Hollywood industry, and that was the least that he could offer.

It was time. Time to end the partnership. As this film shows, writers couldn't come up with anything very different for the boys to do. Unfortunately, this wasn't a very good film to go out with. So what's wrong with it? 1. Why is Jerry singing so much????? 2. Why is a big, dumb dog such an important character in the film? 3. Were all those slinky models all over really beautiful...even in 1956? 4. Pat Crowley was a pleasant actress. Did someone actually think she could sing? 5. Couldn't they find stunt men that weren't so obviously NOT Dean and Jerry? Dean does what Dean's supposed to do here, but -- at least in the first half of the script -- appears to be a "letch". Although, that's less disturbing than the glimpse we finally get of Jerry Lewis in puberty. It's not a pretty picture for either. Dean has one really good song in the film, which he shares with Crowley -- "It Looks Like Love". The other tunes are okay, but not as good as one might expect from Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster. Ad mentioned, Pat Crowley was a pleasant actress...of course, maybe that's not saying a lot. And Anita Ekberg has a sort of extended cameo as Jerry's lust interest. Much of the film is a sort of road picture, but in my view they were traveling down the wrong road here. There is some good scenery pics (e.g., Santa Fe and the Grand Canyon), but of course, Dean and Jerry weren't there. No, it was time for it all to end.