The Delicate Delinquent
Imagine if you had to call the cops to restore law and order - and Jerry Lewis shows up? In his first film without former longtime partner Dean Martin, Lewis plays Sidney Pythias, a bumbling janitor caught up in the middle of a gang rumble. Mistaken for a member of the switchblade set, Sidney is encouraged to undergo a 180-degress transformation - from street hoodlum to full-fledged policeman! Darren McGavin (A Christmas Story) is the reluctant law enforcement officer who must mold Lewis into a respectable man-in-blue at the Police Academy. But with all the chaos, disorder and trouble Sidney manages to unleash during his training and development, just who will the police call for help?!
Member Reviews
Self-deprecating humor is commercially successful in entertainment - Porkchop
The Delicate Delinquent (1957) will particularly interest the
youth segment, and a general audience enjoying comedy of a unique
style. It's not unlike car drivers slowing down on a road seeing
an accident.
Here, Jerry Lewis (who was 31 at the time) plays Sidney - a
handyman and superintendent of a large 12 floor apartment
building. Lewis's character struggles in handling customer
satisfaction and repairs for the tenants.
The comical aspect, obviously, is not lost, in the juxtaposition
of the ultra-responsible, hard-working, model and upstanding
citizens in all walks of life with Lewis's character - who is a
paradox of a human being.
Darren McGavin, as "Mike" plays a mixture of regular citizen,
(yet company man in the police corps), and model citizen eager to
lend a hand to a fellow human.
Next, Martha Hyer, using her own name, has a remarkable presence
as a clean-cut woman with a strong character and keen
intelligence, intent in being successful in her social worker
role and mission.
At the same time, the reason for Hyer's character is to perhaps
pull a few jabs and get some laughs from the too-good-to-be-true
image presented, as well as overdone spotless vanity, and
superficiality of some women, too often, in the 20th century, as
well as the "social work" or "charity volunteerism" used as a
litmus test in some classes, in evaluating one's worthiness, that
has to be demonstrably proven.
Jerry Lewis's acting clearly shows a natural affinity to film and
comedy, proving that self-deprecating humor is commercially
successful in entertainment.
Member Reviews
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Self-deprecating humor is commercially successful in entertainment - Porkchop
The Delicate Delinquent (1957) will particularly interest the
youth segment, and a general audience enjoying comedy of a unique
style. It's not unlike car drivers slowing down on a road seeing
an accident.
Here, Jerry Lewis (who was 31 at ...