Hook, Line and Sinker

source: Hook, Line and Sinker

I saw this when I was about 12 or so and it kept me entertained throughout. Of course when you're a kid its probably a little easier to be entertained. But I was such a Jerry Lewis fan that basically he could do no wrong in my eyes. He's a comic genius, hands down, no question, so let it be written, so let it be done. There were some funny moments, it just wasn't his BEST work. Not EVERY movie an actor or actress makes can be their best film. But its reasonably funny and it SHOULD be able to be purchased by people who want it!! I would really like to know why it isn't on DVD or VHS! If it were one of his classic gem movies I could maybe understand it but its just an average Lewis film so why can't it be on VHS or DVD so we can get a copy. Some of us like ALL Jerry's stuff! If anyone can answer me regarding this, please do. kctkeller@hotmail.com

The premise here is pretty familiar: family man and insurance company employee Peter Ingersoll (Jerry Lewis) is told that he's dying by his doctor and supposed "friend" Scott Carter (Peter Lawford). Thinking that he has mere months to live, Peter follows his wife's suggestion to go on an expensive vacation on his company's dime. Peter racks up about six figures in debt, and then is tracked down by Scott, who tells him, guess what? I made a mistake, and you're not dying. Now Peter is embroiled in a variety of fraudulent schemes to avoid any sort of consequences. "Hook, Line and Sucker" was, in this viewers' humble opinion, one of Jerry's lesser vehicles from this era. The fact that the scenario is routine stuff is just one problem, but the screenwriter, Rod Amateau, and director, George Marshall, don't develop things in any truly interesting or funny ways, and the whole story is mostly uninspired. There are some solid laughs at the outset, as well as a pretty amusing punchline at the end, but overall this is far from Jerry's best. Jerry gives it a reasonably good performance, falling back on some classic Jerry zaniness. His "heart attack" is hilariously stupid, and when he's required to play the role of an "Australian" character, it's real eye-rolling stuff. He gets decent support from Lawford, and the gorgeous Anne Francis, as Peters' homemaker wife. Jennifer Edwards (daughter of filmmaker Blake Edwards) and Jimmy Miller play Peters' kids, and there is a brief role for Jerry's longtime repertory player Kathleen Freeman as an inattentive babysitter. This delivers some laughs, and has a fairly bright wrap-up, but there are no genuine comedy fireworks to speak of. Five out of 10.

Both the last movie that Jerry Lewis would make for Columbia Pictures and the last movie directed by George Marshall, who directed his first film in 1916, Hook, Line & Sinker comes at a strange time in Hollywood, when studios were trying to find something, anything to save their bottom line. Shot on the Columbia Ranch using the exterior of TV's Gidget's house and the interior soundstages of Bewitched, part of this film feels like a TV movie. And another part is some kind of quasi-giallo where Lewis' goofball character steals money and fakes his own death. You read that right. And much like an Italian psychosexual detective story, the movie begins at the end, where Peter Ingersoll (Lewis) is on an operating table, surrounded by doctors, stunned by what they are seeing. Yet to explain how he got here, he has to tell how his supposed best friend Dr. Scott Carter (Peter Lawford) told him he had a month to live and how his wife Nancy (Anne Francis, Forbidden Planet) told him to use his company credit cards to fish out his last days and he told none of them that this was a bad idea. Carter compounds the problem by explaining that now Peter isn't going to die, but he will go to jail because he used company funds to pay his bills and if he fakes his death, his wife will get $150,000. All he has to do is hide seven years until the statute of limitations is up, but there are immediate problems, like Dr. Carter and Anne getting married. Which is how Peter got to Chile, as he went on vacation after he ruined their plans and ended up with a swordfish stuck in his chest. Writer David Davis would go on to create The Bob Newhart Show and Taxi, as well as develop Rhoda. He worked on this with Rod Amateau, who would go on to direct The Statue, episodes of Supertrain and Enos and perhaps most importantly, produce, direct and write The Garbage Pail Kids Movie.

If anybody is ever wondering why Jerry Lewis' film career stalled in the early 1970's one need only look at this fiasco. While the central plotline isn't particularly fresh the potential for comedy is there but the makers of this film never find it. The lowpoint in a film of many lows must be the wooden performance of Anne Francis, who perhaps thought she was still a mannequin from "The Twilight Zone".

So Jerry Lewis plays a suburban husband/father with annoying kids and a wooden wife who can balance the hell out of the checkbook. His friend the doctor tells him he's dying of a heart defect and has only weeks to live. What does Jerry do? He agrees with his weeping wife that he'll live his last days to their fullest, going on a solo fishing trip and living the good life until the inevitable end. He finances this last vacation with his wallet full of credit cards, and why not? He won't be around when the bills arrive! This might be the film's one sly comment on the age of plastic debt and consumerist wet dreams. Maybe I'm being generous... Anyway Jerry eventually discovers his doctor pal was lying about the heart condition so he could get Jerry out of the picture and go after Jerry's wife. Did I mention said wife is conveniently, secretly, and implausibly in love and in league with said doctor? She is, and if you're not laughing by now we've at least got one thing in common. I find Jerry Lewis' career ironic... or maybe infuriating. He endeared himself to the audience with a moronic persona and then revealed himself to be the most pretentious, arrogant, self-important "artiste" ever to grace the stage. Temporary rage aside, I am a Jerry Lewis fan who could not find one great Jerry Lewis moment in this movie. "Hook, Line & Sinker" stands as a bitter indictment of marriage and suburbia without any tension-relieving laughs... it's a black comedy without the comedy. Jerry could do better, and so can you. Pass and seek out his earlier, funnier films: The Bellboy, The Errand Boy, etc! GRADE: C

A dying man goes on a spending spree and accumulates $100,000 in debt--only to find out he's perfectly healthy. Old-fashioned premise from screenwriter Rod Amateau, adapting his and David Davis' original story, is turned into yet another sorry, sloppy Jerry Lewis star-vehicle. Why did Columbia Pictures continually allow Lewis' production company to waste the studio's money on these failed comedic vehicles? Out-of-touch and outdated nonsense, with a funny sight-gag in the final scene failing to compensate for Jerry's listless overall performance. The most repugnant line in the script (among many) comes when an African-American board member shouts at a meeting, "I wanna know what happened to that Negro!" It's a stinker. * from ****

Underrated Lewis comedy is quite good in parts. The film begins as if it were a TV sitcom with Jerry "happily" married to Anne Francis (of TV's Honey West) with two children and living in none other than the set from TV's Bewitched. We see him trying to outwit a gopher in the garden (who in turn outwits Jerry), trying to unplug the kitchen sink, cope with too many family members in the bathroom, and deal with an unattentive baby-sitter. This is middle-aged Jerry, still zany but a responsible parent earning a good wage. Think Tim Allen on Home Improvement. His wife is both beautiful and smart bringing the art of the housewife's budget duties to almost Wall Street levels. A visit to his doctor reveals he is dying from heart problems. Jerry tells his wife and she suggests that he pretend to abandon the family and use his credit cards to travel around the world. She assures him that his $150,000 life insurance payoff to her would be protected because she can't be held for her husband's debt if he abandon's his family. In addition, she has put in ad in the paper stating she would no longer be liable for his debts and the doctor would testify that a dying man would be too distressed to make rational decisions. Though the audience is signaled that the wife and doctor are scamming poor Jerry, there is no ground work to suggest there was anything wrong with the marriage to warrant such evil action from his wife. I was a little lost for words until I got used to the situation change. I suppose modern audiences weaned on Pulp Fiction and Fargo would find this an asset. After I accepted the new premise I enjoyed the rest of the film, especially a fairly clever last twenty minutes. Jerry Lewis' performance is quite good balancing between drama and comedy. The plot twists are just right to keep the audience interested. Non-Lewis fans might be surprised.

Like an episode of three's company. The usual miscommunications and misunderstandings, although on that show, they never actually tried to commit fraud. Jerry lewis is peter, about to undergo surgery. A starring film role, years after his beakup with dean martin, all told in flashback. This one co-stars peter lawford. And they re-used the same gopher scenes in caddyshack! It's a crazy caper. When peter is told that he doesn't have much longer, he decides to live it up and ring up the bills! It's light on story, so lewis stretches out the various scenes. Lots of filler and scenery. Directed by george marshall, his final full length film. Story by rod amateau and david davis. Sylvia lewis, who plays karlotta, does not seem to be related to jerry lewis, although she appeared in several of his films. It's all just okay. Much silliness.

"Hook, Line and Sinker" is a highly episodic Jerry Lewis film...where the plot seems secondary to a wide variety of funny bits...many of which aren't very funny. While I would not place it among the comedian's worst, he was capable of so much better. Peter (Lewis) tells his recent life story to a room full of Hispanic doctors...why he's talking with these folks about his troubles, you have no idea until the end of the film. You learn that Peter leads a pretty dull life in suburbia and you see him in a variety of funny and very unfunny bits (the groundhog bit is awful). However, when his doctor (Peter Lawford) tells him he only has a month to live, his wife suggests he live life up...maxing out the credit cards during a wild month fishing abroad. However, he eventually learns that his death is a ruse....and he's in deep trouble and his finances are shot. The problems with this movie are familiar ones for Lewis films--too many unfunny bits that go on and on as well as some mugging. While being episodic isn't necessarily bad (one of his better films, "The Bellboy" is VERY episodic), here it doesn't work because most of the bits just aren't funny.