THE DISORDERLY ORDERLY
US, 1964, 90 minutes, Colour.
Jerry Lewis, Glenda Farrell, Everett Sloane, Karen Sharpe, Kathleen Freeman.
Directed by Frank Tashlin.
One of several films of Jerry Lewis written and directed by Frank Tashlin. They are very broad in their humour but revel in cinema techniques and editing. This time Jerry Lewis is the little man in the hospital and performs his usual routines – and has appeal for sympathetic sentiment. Kathleen Freeman is on hand again for comic turns with Lewis and she receives good support from old-timers, Glenda Farrell and Everett Sloane. An entertaining Lewis film - with his usual techniques for his usual audience.
The film comes from Jerry Lewis' middle period of his solo career as a comedian. Frequently writing and directing his own material, he sometimes appeared in films by Frank Tashlin. This is one of those, along with Rockabye Baby, Cinderfella, It's Only Money. Tashlin was a comedy writer as well as a director of quite a number of films in the 50s and 60s, of mixed quality. This film is very strong on sight gags and has a rather subdued Jerry Lewis. The tone is sentimental, playing on Jerry Lewis's vulnerability. The accumulated effect of the gags and the dialogue is quite appealing.
1. The overall appeal of the film as a comedy? A Jerry Lewis vehicle? His reputation as a comedian, the vulnerable little man, the American hero-victim? Jerry’s mannerisms and characteristics and their presentation in this film?
2. The hospital comedy and its conventions? the personnel, the episodes at the hospital, farcical situations? The satire on hospital films and series? How well did this compare with the originals that it was satirising?
3. Colour, photography? Music? the special effects, especially for such sight gags as the snail outpacing Lewis in his straitjacket, the mineral water, the snow and the television set, the chase sequence and the supermarket cans and the final crash?
4. The type of vulnerable innocent represented by Lewis? Jerome as an innocent? The pathos of the Lewis character, sentiment and sentimentality? the plausibility of the plot? the background of his father and Dr Howard, her compassion for having Jerome in the hospital, his mistakes and antagonism of Nurse Higgins? The love of Julie Blair? His infatuation and love for Susan? Dr Davenport and the psychology? The patients? Mr Tuffington and the finale?
5. The character of Jerome Littlefield as portrayed by Jerry Lewis? Qualities, strengths? Participation in the various verbal and visual gaps? His romance and his going around and doing good? his empathy with patients and his not being able to go on to be a doctor? The devotion to Susan and her cure?
6. The supporting characters: Julie Blair as the conventional devoted nurse in love with him? Susan as the spoilt would-be suicide who hears the story and is converted to Jerome and devoted to him? Dr Howard and her memories and support of Jerome? Nurse Higgins and the continued exasperation throughout the film? Dr Davenport as the psychiatrist and his telling Susan the true story? Mr Tuffington and his initial encounter, impressing himself on Jerome, and being taken to the hospital after his hard line at the board meeting, the final chase?
7. Comment on the quality of the comic sections of the film. Did they blend with overall development of the plot? The finale?
9. The presentation of traditional American values and sentiment? Appropriate for this kind of comedy vehicle?
