Geisha Boy [Blu-ray]

In my mind Tashlin's least successful lewis film,and he made quite a few. Japan has always been a source of filmmaking in comparing the state of u.s. america relations,and we must keep in mind that Japan was once a big empire commanding much of asia and threatening the world economically/politically militarily. This should be the focus as the film starts on the u.s.o. tour with Lewis the magician coming to Japan,and having to deal with the post war world and a fatherless boy while romancing the Pleshette character. While i wss watching the film i felt the scenes between lewis and the japanese boy and mother never came off...i found a lack of chemistry...which i found there in the more accomodating film the family jewells(1965). Here we have Japan and amidst the baseball and the new ally and some intrigueing slapstick the film never holds our interest. The slapstick scene with the carpet and coming off the plane is wonderfully set up and hilarious...and the writing seems seriously dated. I doubt the japanese women,or asian being subservient to men any longer holds,as the family structure and personal relationships there and concomitant dysfunctions mirror western social problems. So the structure and background of the film showing a comic dealing with a westernized comic encountering an asian society where males predominate is history and the film suffers much as a result...even the pleshette characters moans throughout about dealing with this legacy of american women's emancipation being effected by this servile attitude among asian women. I found an interesting comment by Tashlin..what is it in the male that was attracted to such females,what kink in their armour?
There are many jokes and sight gags but the film really doesnt come together...but lewis and tashlin are always worth looking at even in a lesser film. I'm a big fan of suzanne pleshette and find her evocative of female sexuality and maturity,and her laments aimed toward men showcase that in this film,and i credit Tashlin for at least implying this criticism throughout the film,but if he encompassed her more throughout the film it would have been a better film...the idea of this film was good its execution is the problem. We should recall that johnny carson also started out as a magician.

Although Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis made a great team, this movie, The Geisha Boy, shows Jerry's true talent solo.

Jerry plays a magician named Mr. Wooley, who plans to entertain troops overseas to make a few bucks. Part of his tricks include a rabbit named Harry. This rabbit plays a big part in the movie (perhaps taking Dean's place?). Struggling, Mr. Wooley thinks that playing for the USO will make him a few bucks and give him, perhaps, the big break he's been waiting for. In this time he meets a beautiful Japanese woman, who has a nephew that laughs at practically the sight of Mr. Wooley, and is forever changed by Mr. Wooley. In this comical love story, also featuring Suzanne Pleshette in her first movie role, Jerry really shows true talent for clean comedy and laughs without a sidekick (if you don't count the rabbit). There are also a few surprise things in the movie that you really have to pay attention to catch, making it even more fun!

I highly recommend anyone who enjoys Jerry to watch this film. It will have you rolling with laughter and magically feeling good!

Owing to Eddie Murphy remake, "The Nutty Professor" comes to our mind first as Jerry Lewis's most representative work, but it also tends to overshadow his other neglected gems, one of which is here, "The Geisha Boy." Despite its now corny title, the film has still a lot to offer for our laugh.

Jerry is this time a second-rate magician, who goes to Japan and war-time Korea, to entertain the soldiers; instead, he falls in love with a Japanese woman Kimi (Nobu McCarthy). He also forms an unlikely relationship with an orphaned boy, who considers Jerry as a new father. As the time of returning to America comes near, he has to decide: stay or leave?

Besides the touching story, in which Jerry shows his tender side, he exhibits lots of his crazy gags as usual, and they are very funny even now. Among many others, my favorite is "the biggest splash in the world" that happens in the Japanese public bath. And Harry the Hare always steals the show -- look how he runs in a hotel -- and Sessue Hayakawa appears as a cameo, to parody his role in a David Lean film (you know what).

As far as I can judge from the film, Jerry's segments are all shot inside America, just like they did in Bogart's "Tokyo Joe" (though we see a big statue of Buddha in Kamakura, Japan, Jerry does not share the screen with it.) The town of Japan is obviously made in a soundstage, but these facts are not important. As a Japanese, I am not a little surprised (pleasantly) to find that the film is friendly to Japan, (remember both nations were at war 13 years before) and inaccurate descriptions of Japan, which are still often found in Hollywood movies, are reduced to the minimal level. It is quite possible that someone behind the production team gave information on Japan, not to offend Japanese audience. The biggest suprise is that some of the gag are clearly made for Japanese; check out the scene where a Japanese boy watches a TV program. An American is speaking (dubbed) Japanese, but his speech is in a dialect of Kansai, western district of Japan. This causes a big laugh in Japan, because it is like hearing a Japanese speaking with a strong accent of, say, New Orleans or Scotland. Who thought of this idea?

My only complaint is the film is longer than it should be, and the opening and ending reels move a little slowly. And Pleshette's character (her debut, and appears in military uniform) should be given more screen time. But these are minor things. A good film that makes you laugh a lot.