The Errand Boy

It hasn't been fashionable to praise Jerry Lewis in a long time. Yes, many of his films are inane pieces of fluff, but every now and then a forgotten gem resurfaces to remind many of what made him popular to begin with. The Errand Boy, the second feature to be directed by Lewis himself, is a collection of elaborate gags held together by the fact that the same character appears in all of them. It's a poke in the ribs to Hollywood as the title character Morty Tashman, played by the auteur himself, meanders all over the "Paramutuel Pictures" lot and causes a general ruckus. What redeems this film are some of the better jokes -- Morty eats lunch in the middle of a battle scene from a war movie, dubs the singing voice of an actress, and performs a very funny boardroom pantomime to big band music. There's nothing subtle about any of the humor and there's plenty of misses along with the hits, but there are enough to provide an overall sense of good clean fun. There's also the fun of identifying all the members of the enormous supporting cast which features classic screen comedians like Doodles Weaver, Sig Rumann, and ex-Stooge Joe Besser. In addition, Morty literally runs into the cast of TV's Bonanza on several occasions. What makes the film lose some luster is his tendency for schmaltz, epitomized by the long preachy monologue at the end of the film that serves no real purpose. Still, there are some good laugh-out-loud moments and Jerry Lewis has definitely done worse. ~ Dan Friedman, All Movie Guide