All Topics  
The Bellboy

 

   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link






 

The Bellboy



 
 
The Bellboy is a 1960
1960 in film

The year 1960 in film involved some significant events....
 comedy film
Comedy film

Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on Humour. Also, films in this style typically have a happy ending . One of the oldest genres in film, some of the very first silent movies were comedies....
 starring, written by and directed
Film director

A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a film. A film director visualizes the Screenplay, controlling a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of his or her vision....
 by Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, producer, writer, director and singer. He is best-known for his slapstick humor on stage, screen and television, his singing ability in a string of music album recordings and his charity fund-raising telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association ....
. The film was released on July 20, 1960 by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production company and distribution company, located on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California....
.

A clip of this film was used in Apple's iPhone
IPhone

The iPhone is an internet-connected multimedia smartphone designed and marketed by Apple Inc. with a flush multi-touch screen and a minimal hardware interface....
 commercial, where Jerry and other notable actors pick up the phone and saying "Hello?"

movie opens with a movie studio executive introducing the movie. He explains that the film itself has no plot, but simply shows Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, producer, writer, director and singer. He is best-known for his slapstick humor on stage, screen and television, his singing ability in a string of music album recordings and his charity fund-raising telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association ....
 as Stanley, the bellboy, getting in many ridiculous situations, bumbling his way from one scene to the next.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'The Bellboy'
Start a new discussion about 'The Bellboy'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


The Bellboy is a 1960
1960 in film

The year 1960 in film involved some significant events....
 comedy film
Comedy film

Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on Humour. Also, films in this style typically have a happy ending . One of the oldest genres in film, some of the very first silent movies were comedies....
 starring, written by and directed
Film director

A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a film. A film director visualizes the Screenplay, controlling a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of his or her vision....
 by Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, producer, writer, director and singer. He is best-known for his slapstick humor on stage, screen and television, his singing ability in a string of music album recordings and his charity fund-raising telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association ....
. The film was released on July 20, 1960 by Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production company and distribution company, located on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California....
.

A clip of this film was used in Apple's iPhone
IPhone

The iPhone is an internet-connected multimedia smartphone designed and marketed by Apple Inc. with a flush multi-touch screen and a minimal hardware interface....
 commercial, where Jerry and other notable actors pick up the phone and saying "Hello?"

Plot

The movie opens with a movie studio executive introducing the movie. He explains that the film itself has no plot, but simply shows Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, producer, writer, director and singer. He is best-known for his slapstick humor on stage, screen and television, his singing ability in a string of music album recordings and his charity fund-raising telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association ....
 as Stanley, the bellboy, getting in many ridiculous situations, bumbling his way from one scene to the next. Stanley does not speak, except for the very end of the movie.

Production

It was filmed from February 8 to March 5, 1960 and marked Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis

Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, producer, writer, director and singer. He is best-known for his slapstick humor on stage, screen and television, his singing ability in a string of music album recordings and his charity fund-raising telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association ....
' debut as a director. Filming took place at the Fontainebleau Hotel
Fontainebleau Hotel

The Fontainebleau Miami Beach or the Fontainebleau Hotel is one of the most historically and architecturally significant hotels on Miami Beach....
 in Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach, Florida

Miami Beach is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, Florida, United States. The city was incorporated on 26 March, 1915.Miami Beach has been one of America's pre-eminent beach resorts for almost a century....
. Lewis would film during the day and perform in the nightclub at night.

Before filming began, Lewis consulted his friend, film legend Stan Laurel
Stan Laurel

Stan Laurel was an English comic actor, writer and director, famous as the first half of the comedy double-act Laurel and Hardy, whose career stretched from the silent films of the early 20th century until post-World War II....
, about the script. Since Laurel had worked in silent films and was familiar with pantomime, he offered suggestions to Lewis for the film. It is unknown if Lewis actually used any of Laurel's ideas in the production.

This film was the first one in which the video assist
Video assist

A video assist is a piece of equipment mounted onto a movie camera that allows the film director to see approximately the same view as the camera operator, and thus ensure that the film is being shot and framed the way he/she wants....
 was used. Lewis needed a way to see the action as a director, even though he was in the scene. Therefore, he came up with the idea of using a video monitor to play back the scene immediately after it was shot to review it. Because of this invention, Lewis was awarded the Golden Light Technical Achievement Award, and holds the patent for its invention.

Paramount
Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production company and distribution company, located on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California....
 wanted to have a Jerry Lewis movie for summer release (in North America). The movie that they wanted to release was Cinderfella
Cinderfella

Cinderfella is a comedy version of the classic Cinderella story, with several of the roles reversed. It was released December 16, 1960 by Paramount Pictures and stars Jerry Lewis as Fella....
, which had finished shooting in December 1959. Lewis wanted to hold back the release of that movie for the Christmas holiday and Paramount only agreed if Jerry could deliver them another movie for summer release. Therefore, while playing an engagement in Miami Beach, Lewis came up with this movie.

Cameos

Milton Berle
Milton Berle

Milton Berle, born Milton Berlinger was an Emmy-winning United States comedian and actor. As the manic host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater , he was the first major star of television and as such became known as Uncle Miltie and Mr....
 was in town performing at another hotel while Lewis was shooting the picture and he agreed to make an appearance as himself and in a dual role as another bellboy. Comedian Bill Richmond
Bill Richmond (writer)

Bill Richmond is an American film, television comedy writer producer, musician, actor and composer. He wrote the screenplays to numerous popular films that starred Jerry Lewis....
 does several "cameos" as Stan Laurel
Stan Laurel

Stan Laurel was an English comic actor, writer and director, famous as the first half of the comedy double-act Laurel and Hardy, whose career stretched from the silent films of the early 20th century until post-World War II....
 of Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy

Laurel and Hardy were a popular comedy team of thin, British-born Stan Laurel and heavy, American-born Oliver Hardy . They became famous during the early half of the 20th century for their work in motion pictures and also appeared on stage throughout America and Europe....
 fame. Professional golfer Cary Middlecoff
Cary Middlecoff

Emmett Cary Middlecoff was a dentist who gave up his practice to become a professional golfer on what is now the PGA Tour in the 1940s. At the time, a career as a dentist would quite likely have been more lucrative....
, the "Golf Doctor," appeared in the film as himself.

Business


The film grossed about $10 million in the USA alone.

DVD release


External links