Artists and Models (1955)

Let's be realistic.

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

I saw this movie for the first time just this week on Turner Classic Movies. Hard to believe that at age 65 there was a Martin & Lewis movie I hadn't seen. In widescreen and glorious Technicolor, this movie comes from a time when clean entertainment and spectacle mattered to Hollywood and the American public.Martin and Lewis are in top form with a wonderful supporting cast. Eighteen year old Shirley MacLaine is a funny, sexy standout. Dino gets time away from Jerry to sing and dance on a classic American 1950s city street......kind of like Gene Kelly.Why can't we get stand alone DVD and Blu-Ray of this film?

This movie has three things going for it, cinematography, Lewis and MacLaine, Daniel L. Fapp was a great cinematographer who did "West Side Story" and "the Great Escape" among other films. The gorgeous and vibrant colors jump off the screen and embrace you here. Thankfully the Technicolor is preserved in all its glory. The second great thing about this movie is Jerry Lewis's slapstick. If you enjoy this genre of comedy, there are numerous scenes where Lewis shows off his superb skills. He and Danny Kaye were the two masters of it in fifties. My favorite scene where Lewis entwines a number of bodies during a back-rub sequence. The third plus is Shirley MacLaine. She only has five or six scenes but she is terrific and you see the origin of the Chaplinesque or more properly Normandesque (after Mabel Normand) character that she would play so magnificently in "The Apartment," "Irma La Douce," and "Sweet Charity." Shirley had only played in "The Trouble With Harry," a rare Hitchcock comedy misfire before this film. It is this film that really shows her best qualities and talents. The script is generally quite funny and witty, but takes an odd turn in the third act when it adds an out of blue spy plot. The film is also quite sexy. Its sexy talk and many sequences of beautifully dressed and nearly undressed women really pushed the boundaries of sexuality in movies in 1955. One does feel a bit sorry for Dean Martin, as he plays a straight man who really has only average scenes that do not show his talents very well. He does have a couple of good song numbers.The film's satire on the comic book scandals of the 1950's will also be appreciated by comic book fans. Lewis' character is in love with a comic book heroine called "The Bat Lady." reflecting the popularity of the Batman character even in this time period.Fans of cinematography, slapstick, Jerry Lewis and Shirley MacLaine should definitely catch this one. Others might have a hard time with it.

Malcolm Smith loves the movies and especially Anita Ekberg. Getting one of his lucky feelings, Malcolm buys a ream of raffle tickets to win a car. Sure enough he wins, but so does gigolo gambler Steve Wiley, who, not unsurprisingly has won by less than honourable means. Refusing to give out two cars, the promotion merely tells the men that they will have to share the car. Much to Steve's annoyance as he has debts to pay. So deviously he agrees to drive with Malcolm to Hollywood, planning to ditch him at the first chance he gets. Only he hadn't figured on Mr. Bascom, Malcolm's Great Dane who's along for the ride, and an encounter with the pretty Terry Roberts. Yep, it's safe to say this is not going to be an ordinary road trip.With their relationship deeply fractured at this time (this was their last film together), it's something of a surprise to find that Hollywood Or Bust is one of the finest films that Dean Martin (Steve) and Jerry Lewis (Malcolm) made. Everything that made the duo so massively popular is in here, even into the bargain daring to cast a satirical slant to the whiles and trials of Hollywood itself. A lot of the credit has to go to director Frank Tashlin. Tashlin, who was also at the helm for arguably the boys career high point Artists & Models, keeps the whole thing zippy, steering the duo in a direction to which they simply could not fail.Sure enough the humour is almost juvenile at times, and yes Dean of course croons and tries to bed the girl (a spiky Pat Crowley as Terry), but it's got such a sense of joy to it, the kind of joy that much like Artists & Models, can really lift the blues. Stand out songs from the Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster score are "A Day in the Country" and "It Looks Like Love", whilst it will be tough not to giggle at some of the antics of Mr. Bascom and the irrepressible Lewis, particularly with one particular movie parody. Anita Ekberg comes and joins in the fun later in the piece, just in time for the riotous carnage that you know is around the corner.If the sight of a Great Dane driving a car is not funny to you? Well chances are you should avoid this film completely. But that would be a shame for it's a delightful film, brisk and cheeky, it's most definitely one that's in desperate need of reappraisal from the grumpy brigade because it's a real blues lifter. 8/10

I first saw this movie in the 90's with my mother, a huge Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis fan. To this day it is my favorite movie from their pairing. The two play roommates who sing, dance, and at one point consider getting a divorce while trying to pay the rent on their NYC flat. They have a run-in of sorts with their upstairs neighbors and of course, all hilarity ensues. One of my favorite parts of the movie, however, is Shirley MacLaine, in her second movie role. She steals scenes from Lewis every chance she gets and is simply hilarious! The scene between her and Lewis on the stairs is one of my favorite movie moments of all time! I only wish MacLaine had gotten to make more movies with Lewis; they make for a pretty funny pair on screen! Watch for the scene between Martin and the little girl on the street; its a great song with some pretty impressive dancing on both parts. A great movie to watch if you're a fan of Lewis, Martin, or MacLaine.