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Artists and Models (1955)
Despite an overly complex screenplay, Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin deliver solid entertainment with a splashy romp from 1955 called Artists and Models that finds the comic duo at the height of their popularity doing what they do best.
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Lewis plays Eugene Fullstack, a nerdy wanna-be writer who is obsessed with Bat Lady comic books to the point of him having very elaborate nightmares. Martin is Rick Todd, his best friend, a wanna be artist who is going through a a creative dry spell. Rick and Eugene are thrown for a loop when Abigail Parker (Dorothy Malone), the illustrator of the Bat Lady comics and her roommate Bessie (Shirley MacLaine) who is the model for Bat Lady, move into their apartment building.
The plot thickens as Rick begins using Eugene's nightmares as inspiration for his art while pursuing a romance with Abigail. Bessie finds herself crushing on Eugene who only seems to notice her when she has her Bat Lady costume on.
Herbert Baker's screenplay, based on a play by Michael Davidson, has clearly been tailored to the talent of the stars, even though it gets overly complicated as the film progresses. What starts out as a simple story about the romance between a quartet of aspiring artists balloons into a somewhat over the top tale that touches upon the way comic books are rotting children's brains and how Eugene's dreams end up being linked to government secrets and formulas that threaten national safety and bring the FBI into the story.
Despite a story that begins to stretch credibility during the second half, director Frank Tashlin never forgets who he's working with and provides plenty of opportunities for this iconic screen team to do what they do best. Lewis again proves to be a master of physical comedy with several funny scenes, with his running up and down the stairs to communicate messages between Rick and a publisher and a very funny scene in a massage parlor that reminded me of the classic crowded stateroom scene in A Night at the Opera, as standouts.
Jack Brooks and Harry warren provide some great songs tailored to the stars including a duet for the boys called "When You Pretend", a love song for Dino called "You Look So Familiar" and a production number called "The Lucky Song" which features a tap dancing Dean and some adorable kids. There's also a song called "Innamorata" that starts out as a love song for Martin and turns into a comic tour-de-force for MacLaine.
As always Dean and Jerry are a well-oiled machine, Malone is lovely leading lady with a gift for light comedy, and MacLaine steals every scene she is in showing the beginning of the comic movie icon she would later become. Eddie Mayehoff has some funny moments as the publisher as does Kathleen Freeman as the boys' landlady. The film also offers glimpses of future stars like Eva Gabor and Anita Ekberg. This is fun and frantic entertainment that will not disappoint fans of the stars.
Despite an overly complex screenplay, Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin deliver solid entertainment with a splashy romp from 1955 called Artists and Models that finds the comic duo at the height of their popularity doing what they do best.
Lewis plays Eugene Fullstack, a nerdy wanna-be writer who is obsessed with Bat Lady comic books to the point of him having very elaborate nightmares. Martin is Rick Todd, his best friend, a wanna be artist who is going through a a creative dry spell. Rick and Eugene are thrown for a loop when Abigail Parker (Dorothy Malone), the illustrator of the Bat Lady comics and her roommate Bessie (Shirley MacLaine) who is the model for Bat Lady, move into their apartment building.
The plot thickens as Rick begins using Eugene's nightmares as inspiration for his art while pursuing a romance with Abigail. Bessie finds herself crushing on Eugene who only seems to notice her when she has her Bat Lady costume on.
Herbert Baker's screenplay, based on a play by Michael Davidson, has clearly been tailored to the talent of the stars, even though it gets overly complicated as the film progresses. What starts out as a simple story about the romance between a quartet of aspiring artists balloons into a somewhat over the top tale that touches upon the way comic books are rotting children's brains and how Eugene's dreams end up being linked to government secrets and formulas that threaten national safety and bring the FBI into the story.
Despite a story that begins to stretch credibility during the second half, director Frank Tashlin never forgets who he's working with and provides plenty of opportunities for this iconic screen team to do what they do best. Lewis again proves to be a master of physical comedy with several funny scenes, with his running up and down the stairs to communicate messages between Rick and a publisher and a very funny scene in a massage parlor that reminded me of the classic crowded stateroom scene in A Night at the Opera, as standouts.
Jack Brooks and Harry warren provide some great songs tailored to the stars including a duet for the boys called "When You Pretend", a love song for Dino called "You Look So Familiar" and a production number called "The Lucky Song" which features a tap dancing Dean and some adorable kids. There's also a song called "Innamorata" that starts out as a love song for Martin and turns into a comic tour-de-force for MacLaine.
As always Dean and Jerry are a well-oiled machine, Malone is lovely leading lady with a gift for light comedy, and MacLaine steals every scene she is in showing the beginning of the comic movie icon she would later become. Eddie Mayehoff has some funny moments as the publisher as does Kathleen Freeman as the boys' landlady. The film also offers glimpses of future stars like Eva Gabor and Anita Ekberg. This is fun and frantic entertainment that will not disappoint fans of the stars.