I don't think I've honestly ever seen in an American film more hilarious scene than this. It also stays in the moment - lot of time is spent on the hat-scene - it's atypical in US-movies. This is absolutely fantastic humor.
This is one of my all-time favorite comedy scenes. In a way I think Jerry Lewis was playing a joke on the audience. He was really the first one to drag a scene on much longer than it should until the audience was first laughing, then uncomfortable, and then the absurdity of the situation going on and on became hysterical again. The cartoon "Family Guy" does has learned this lesson well.
I met Jerry Lewis in 1981 I was working a Foot post by a Hotel near Central Park .. The doorman said Jerry Lewis is coming down would you like to meet him I said sure .. I was a 21 year old cop looking spiffy I my new uniform he smiled shook my hand and said a few nice words
I think this is the funniest scene of all of Jerry Lewis' movies. I haven't seen it for years and I wondered if I would laugh at it like I did as a kid, and I did. It is just unbelievably funny. I am not sure if it is funny because of Jerry Lewis or the other guy. The other guy was just hilarious.
More genuine humour and laughter in this 3 minute scene than in many complete so-called comedy pictures. Apparently this scene was completely improvised.
I watch this about once a month, and it cracks me up every time, especially when buddy says, “ that’s my eyebrow”. I’d love to see the alternate camera angle that shows Jerry laughing.
I'd also acknowledge the staid versatility of Buddy Lester who plays the unflappable straight-man and Kathleen Freeman who always made the absurd seem normal.
How either of them could keep from laughing. So much of it looked improvised--"That's my eyebrow." One of my top 10 funniest clips of all time. Thankyou for posting this.
Beautiful, subtle and surreal, a tense gradual breakdown of a macho jerk, with the repositioning of the hat, and hair combing, reducing him to tears, because he is the real weak one, not Jerry. I wonder if he was hinting at Dean here, as he had a passing resemblance to him? Ooh that Jerry is a clever dude.
Mr. Lester always played the tough mobster and when I first saw this at the walk-in I thought he was going to KILL Jerry at the end of the scene. I've always wondered how much he got paid to let Jerry screw him up like that??? He must have gotten a bonus. Thanks for the sacrfice Buddy!
@amazmace I was just telling my friend this last night. We were sitting on the couch laughing so hard, and the fact that makes it so funny is that neither of them laugh.
RE: "mercurymonterey (10 months ago) Its Jerry's scene but Buddy Lester "steals the show" this time.." My reply- I agree. And Buddy steals the show by barely doing a thing. A sign of an unselfish comedian. That's hard to find these days.
🤣🤣🤣 loved the last second! Takes me back to my childhood....I used to watch Jerry Lewis films all the time. I actually had a crush on him too! Just his wonderful sense of humour I think 😅😅
