The Bellboy

"It's a Series of Silly Sequences and One of Jerry's All-Time Great Comedy Performances!"

1960 1h 12m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 129

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Stanley is a bellboy at the Fountainbleau Hotel in Miami Beach, where he performs his duties quietly and without a word to anyone. All he displays are facial expressions and a comedic slapstick style. And anything that can go wrong, does go wrong when Stanley is involved. One day, Jerry Lewis arrives at the hotel and some of the staff notice the striking resemblance.

“It's a Series of Silly Sequences and One of Jerry's All-Time Great Comedy Performances!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Jerry Lewis
Stanley / Jerry Lewis
Alex Gerry
Mr. Novak
Bob Clayton
Bob
Sonnie Sands
Sonnie
Eddie Shaeffer
Eddie
Herkie Styles
Herkie
David Landfield
David
Bill Richmond
Stan Laurel

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jerry Lewis
Writers: Jerry Lewis
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 72-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $10M — a 11.1× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

66 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jerry Lewis, shot by Haskell B. Boggs. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Walter Scharf. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Stanley E. Johnson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jerry Lewis and Alex Gerry and Bob Clayton carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jerry Lewis directs. Haskell B. Boggs behind the camera. Walter Scharf scores. Stanley E. Johnson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 72-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Shot for just $0.9M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Grossed $10M — a 11.1× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
466 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
5Directed by Jerry Lewis, shot by Haskell B. Boggs. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Walter Scharf. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Stanley E. Johnson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Jerry Lewis and Alex Gerry and Bob Clayton carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "It's a Series of Silly Sequences and One of Jerry's All-Time Great Comedy Performances!".
10IMDB entry: tt0053644 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Haskell B. Boggs
Original score: Walter Scharf
Editing: Stanley E. Johnson
Makeup / hair: Jack Stone
Runtime: 72 min · 1h 12m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $900,000
Box office: $10,000,000
Return: 1111% of budget
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Bellboy (1960)

Also by

Jerry Lewis

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Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

talisencrw2016-02-14
★ 8/10
Though it has no story or plot, I greatly enjoyed The Bellboy, basically a series of scenes in which he doesn't speak but gets progressively in deeper trouble in his bellboy position. I wish more comedies, especially by cast members of SNL or SCTV, would take this approach--I think they'd be more successful. When it comes to Jerry Lewis, my thoughts are almost like the French in considering him a genius. I love his experimental nature behind the camera. I think at times he can be just as intelligent as Godard but with the audacity or balls to be his own muse rather than try and find an alter ego.

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