Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

UnowPriceless hyped garbage

Loui Blair It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

JohnHowardReid The stage play (expanded by Vidal from his TV script) opened on Broadway at the Booth on 7 February 1957 and ran a most successful 388 performances with Cyril Ritchard (who also directed) in the lead. COMMENT: When it relies more on the original play and less on the "talents" of Jerry Lewis, Visit to a Small Planet is moderately entertaining. Lewis fortunately is assisted by far more able comedians in Fred Clark and Gale Gordon who make the most of the risible situations and cynical dialogue. Miss Blackman is an agreeable heroine, whilst Earl Holliman has one of his meatiest parts as her jealous but not over-bright suitor. The extraneous incidents tacked on to the play, particularly a tediously long "beatnik" interlude in which Lewis gets to dance with - well not so much "with" as "around" - Barbara Lawson, were better left on the cutting-room floor. Some of the special effects are quite attractively contrived, though others are constrained by the film's obviously limited budget. Many of these effects sequences feature John Williams who seems to be acting at half steam. Taurog's direction is, as usual, competent but unexciting. OTHER VIEWS: By the humble standards of Jerry Lewis, this is a fairly engaging comedy for half its length. But after a boring and tedious and overlong visit to a beatnik dive, the film loses just about all its steam and resorts to a replay of the romantic situations plus a mild attempt at a slapstick climax which doesn't come off. The special effects are fairly effective and the support playing is adequate though Miss Blackman is not a particularly attractive heroine either in looks or personality and players like Clark, Gordon and Cowan act in a broad caricature manner which doesn't jell so well with the less animated playing of Blackman and Holliman. Mr Lewis is a bit more restrained than usual, though director Taurog still allows him a full quota of close-ups in which he mugs away to his heart's content. Aside from a bit of by-play with a glass screen in front of the camera, the direction is ruthlessly routine. Production values are very moderate with most of the action taking place in one set. -- JHR writing as George Addison. .

JasparLamarCrabb A mildly entertaining film based on a Gore Vidal play. Jerry Lewis is an alien visiting Earth to observe the inhabitants. He causes some mayhem for pompous TV host Fred Clark and gets involved in a romantic triangle with Joan Blackman & Earl Holliman. There's not much more to it...Lewis performs some tricks, mostly involving levitating things. There's a talking dog (and cat!), Gale Gordon as a nosy neighbor and a very funny sequence in a beatnik night-club ("shave my beard and call me normal!") Lewis goons it up in a role that seems to have been tailor made for him, though it wasn't. Directed with a tiny bit of panache by old-timer Norman Taurog (he won the 1931 Oscar for directing SKIPPY), who spent the last fifteen years of his career helming Martin & Lewis films as well as a fair amount of Elvis films.

Dejael A bumbling, clowning alien visitor named Kreton observes the ways of humans here on Earth. Arriving in Richmond, Virginia in Civil War costume in 1960, he believes he is just in time to witness the beginnings of the Civil War, but is off by 100 years. He then decides to observe the customs of 20th Century American life, including such things as lovemaking rituals and what people do for entertainment: he watches two people romantically involved with each other (Holliman & Blackman), billing and cooing at one another, and ends up getting between them; he goes to a Beatnik nightclub, and realizes that the Beatniks are more like the aliens he knows than humans. Lots of hilarious Jerry Lewis mugging, sight-gags and comedy routines, terrific special effects work by the master John P. Fulton; great flying saucers! Terrific counterpoint with Lewis' Kreton and his professor back home, Mr. Delton, played by the distinguished English actor John Williams; a few Lewis gems: "Keep your nose out of other people's planets", even if you think "the grass is greener on the other side of the galaxy"! A really fun picture. I saw this when it first came out in the summer of 1960. Too bad it wasn't filmed in Technicolor; that's really the only flaw I find in it - it was made in b&w. It would have been so much better in Technicolor. This is probably why it wasn't more popular. Great fun for the whole family, with a terrific cast. This was Lewis' last studio picture under his old Paramount contract before he formed his own independent production company; he made "The Bellboy" in six weeks completely on his own, right after completing work on this movie, and sold it to Paramount. This would be his arrangement with the film studio on all his subsequent films of the 1960s at the studio until he went on to other studios. Delightful for Jerry Lewis fans, and a delightful music score by Leigh Harline. So why isn't this out on video?

SanDiego Film version of Gore Vidal's stage hit was later re-made as TV's Mork and Mindy. UFO movies in the 50's and early 60's usually dealt with unfriendly, intellectually superior aliens out to kill helpless and somewhat naive humans. Then comes Jerry Lewis as a friendly, intellectually lacking alien who is out to study the "human condition." Most of the gags have been used and reused again on countless sitcoms but they are done well. Great character actors give hilarious supporting performances. Supposedly Gore Vidal was not happy with this version of his play. I've seen Vidal on TV many times over the years and never once ever seen him laugh or smile so maybe he has a different definition of comedy than the rest of the planet.