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The Errand Boy

Play trailer Poster for The Errand Boy 1961 1h 32m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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50% Tomatometer 10 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
The miserly head (Brian Donlevy) of a Hollywood studio hires a goofy paperhanger (Jerry Lewis) to spy on his employees.
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The Errand Boy

Critics Reviews

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Richard Brody The New Yorker 10/08/2018
Lewis's antics bring out his radically democratic politics: when the yearnings for power, self-expression, and love are thwarted, the ordinary man becomes the great anarch. Go to Full Review
Eric Henderson Slant Magazine 10/13/2004
3.5/4
The self-reflectivity of The Errand Boy is so pervasive it truly becomes the content of the film. Go to Full Review
Grace Montgomery Common Sense Media 12/16/2014
2/5
Jerry Lewis screwball comedy is tedious, lacks kid appeal. Go to Full Review
Fernando F. Croce CinePassion 02/05/2010
The skeleton of Hollywood, half fakery and half magic Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 07/22/2007
C+
The film is a series of sight gags, with not too many hitting the mark. Go to Full Review
Philip Martin Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 11/07/2005
2/5
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Audience Reviews

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09/04/2022 Jerry Lewis' second film that he directed is called The Errand Boy. This film can be considered a satire of Hollywood as it tells the audience what really goes on behind the camera with many of its stars and how plenty of films are truly made. While the film did have some funny moments, the film is just like Mr. Lewis' previous film The Bellboy as it relies more on skits than the plot. Wasn't very fond of W. Wallace Kelley's cinematography and that's possibly because it looked like something from an typical B-movie than a mainstream Hollywood film. But what does deserve some praise is the music in the film. Overall, Jerry Lewis' The Errand Boy is better than The Bellboy but that still isn't saying much. See more 07/02/2019 A hilarious, sweet classic! If you like it, your significant other better too (a good litmus test for relationships)! See more 03/10/2016 Good Classic comedy that is watching to give you some laughs See more 10/28/2015 Genius scene with jazz music, made the move See more 10/09/2014 "The Nutty Professor" is Jerry's masterpiece, but this small comedy of his is one I like nearly as much. I think it's the Hollywood studio backlot setting that appeals to me, but there are also some really funny and clever bits that work awfully well. The bit in the elevator (the toothpick especially), Jerry at the board room table by himself, Jerry photo bombing a movie scene, peeking over extras shoulders, but especially one sequence involving Jerry and puppets, which to my mind really sums up Jerry's Kid character and whether the character will click with audience members or not. If the audience can be captivated by Jerry's innocent, childlike captivations with puppets he believes are alive, then you will "get" Jerry's sentimental comedic sensibility. If you find it unbelievably annoying, that is completely understandable, but it works for me and this is one of my favorite Lewis films. Brian Donlevy, Howard McNear and Kathleen Freeman co-star. See more 08/07/2014 I just loved this Jerry Lewis film, in which he's hired, simply because he's considered an idiot that nobody knows, to find out why a film studio is losing money. Mayhem, as only Jerry Lewis can make it, rapidly ensues. I love this comedian/director, and wish he had made a lot more films. See more Read all reviews
The Errand Boy

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Movie Info

Synopsis The miserly head (Brian Donlevy) of a Hollywood studio hires a goofy paperhanger (Jerry Lewis) to spy on his employees.
Director
Jerry Lewis
Producer
Ernest D. Glucksman
Production Co
Paramount Pictures, Jerry Lewis Productions
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 23, 1961, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2017
Runtime
1h 32m
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