4/10
A few funny sight-gags mixed in with Lewis endlessly calling for his rabbit
15 June 2017
Combination slapstick comedy and sentimental tale of East-West friendship has unemployed magician Jerry Lewis signed for a USO tour of the Orient, opening for a glamorous starlet. He manages to get on everybody's bad side by the time their plane lands--except for somewhat-smitten female Army sergeant Suzanne Pleshette (in her debut)--and winds up performing for the troops in Korea (on the battlefield!) and for Japanese children, one of whom wants Jerry for his daddy. Writer-director Frank Tashlin doesn't know when to kill a gag, and Lewis (also the producer) never wants to be off-camera, resulting in funny sequences which soon become belabored and monotonous. Lewis' mischievous pet rabbit (named "Harry!") is used for a constant series of jokes (topped off by the finale), but the occasional hints of possible romance are never expanded upon (Jerry is too busy laying on the paternal syrup with the fatherless boy). Though glossy and colorful, the film's high comedy palls at the 30-minute mark...with an hour left on the clock. ** from ****
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