The Family Jewels | |
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Directed by | Jerry Lewis |
Written by | Jerry Lewis Bill Richmond |
Produced by | Jerry Lewis |
Starring | Jerry Lewis Sebastian Cabot |
Cinematography | W. Wallace Kelley |
Edited by | John Woodcock |
Music by | Pete King |
Production company | Jerry Lewis Productions |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 99 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $2,600,000 (US/ Canada rentals) [1] 824,903 admissions (France) [2] |
The Family Jewels is a 1965 American comedy film. It was filmed from January 18 to April 2, 1965, and was released by Paramount Pictures on July 1, 1965. The film was co-written, directed, and produced by Jerry Lewis who also played seven roles in the film. Lewis' co-star, Donna Butterworth, made only one other film, Paradise, Hawaiian Style , with Elvis Presley. Gary Lewis & The Playboys have a cameo in which they sing "Little Miss Go-Go"; their hit song "This Diamond Ring" is also featured.
Donna Peyton is a ten-year-old girl who inherits a $30,000,000 fortune from her millionaire industrialist father. Per terms of his will, Donna must choose one of her six uncles to become her new "father". Willard Woodward, the family chauffeur, takes Donna to all of her uncles to stay with them for two weeks. Donna's uncles are:
* James Peyton, a ferryboat captain, her father's oldest brother who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
* Everett Peyton, a famous circus clown who hates kids and has moved to Switzerland to avoid U. S. taxes.
* Julius Peyton, a professional photographer who photographs female models.
* Captain Edward "Eddie" Peyton, a pilot based in Los Angeles, California who owns his own airline ("Eddie's Airways, the Airline for the Birds") consisting of one plane, a Ford Trimotor.
* Skylock Peyton, a Holmesian detective who loves tea and lived in England until he lost his passport and moved back to the United States. He is accompanied by his faithful companion, Dr. Matson, but Skylock pays more attention to a pool game in Robert Strauss's pool parlour than to Donna.
* Bugsy Peyton, a gangster whom everyone believes was killed by the mob. Only interested in Donna's inheritance, he kidnaps her. Willard rescues her by tricking the gangsters into believing they are surrounded by armed soldiers.
The more time she spends with her uncles, the more Donna realizes that Willard should be her father: he was always a father to her even when her real father was still alive, because her father was too busy to spend time with her. Unfortunately the family lawyers will not allow her to choose Willard, insisting that she must choose one of her uncles. At the last minute, Uncle Everett shows up unexpectedly, asking Donna to choose him. To everyone's surprise, Donna agrees, and the two leave together. As they walk down the hallway, Donna reveals that she knows the truth: "Uncle Everett" is actually Willard in disguise. She recognized him because, as always, his shoes were on the wrong feet.
Everett Peyton's clown make-up was devised by Jerry Lewis for 3 Ring Circus .[ citation needed ] It was reused by Lewis a second time in Hardly Working .[ citation needed ]
The character of Julius Peyton is similar to the character of Julius Kelp in Jerry Lewis' earlier film The Nutty Professor (1963).[ citation needed ]
The film was released three times on DVD. Paramount released it on October 12, 2004 and January 5, 2021 and Warner Archive released the film on made-to-order DVD on June 20, 2013. [3]
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 80% rating based on 5 reviews, with an average rating of 6.62/10. [4]
Several of the film's characters were caricatured in Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down , an animated series.
Jerry Lewis was an American comedian, actor, singer, director, producer, writer, and humanitarian. Nicknamed "The King of Comedy", his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in pop culture.
Bugsy is a 1991 American biographical crime drama film chronicling the life of American mobster Bugsy Siegel and his relationship with Virginia Hill. It is directed by Barry Levinson, written by James Toback, and stars Warren Beatty as Siegel and Annette Bening as Hill. The supporting cast includes Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley, Elliott Gould, Bebe Neuwirth, and Joe Mantegna.
Bugsy Malone is a 1976 gangster musical comedy film written and directed by Alan Parker. A co-production of United States and United Kingdom, it features an ensemble cast, featuring only child actors playing adult roles, with Jodie Foster, Scott Baio and John Cassisi in major roles. The film tells the story of the rise of "Bugsy Malone" and the battle for power between "Fat Sam" and "Dandy Dan".
The Nutty Professor is a 1963 American science fiction comedy film directed, co-written by, and starring Jerry Lewis. The film also co-stars Stella Stevens, Del Moore, Kathleen Freeman, Howard Morris, and Elvia Allman. The score was composed by Walter Scharf. A parody of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, it follows bullied scientist Julius Kelp as he creates a serum that transforms him into a handsome man, which he subsequently uses under his alter ego Buddy Love.
Peyton Place is an American prime-time soap opera which aired on ABC in half-hour episodes from September 15, 1964, to June 2, 1969.
Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down is a 1970 animated showcase for various caricatured Jerry Lewis characters, all based on characters from the 1965 film The Family Jewels, and styled in a fashion similar to Archie's TV Funnies and the Groovie Goolies. The title is a variant of the deciding question on the game show To Tell the Truth: "Will the real __________ please stand up?" Like most 1970s-era Saturday morning cartoon series, Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down contained an adult laugh track.
Kid Millions (1934) is an American musical film directed by Roy Del Ruth, produced by Samuel Goldwyn Productions, and starring Eddie Cantor. Its elaborate "Ice Cream Fantasy Finale" production number was filmed in three-strip Technicolor, one of the earliest uses of that process in a feature-length film.
The Bellboy is a 1960 American comedy film written, produced, directed by and starring Jerry Lewis. It was released on July 20, 1960 by Paramount Pictures and marked Lewis's directorial debut.
Hardly Working is a 1980 American comedy film directed by and starring Jerry Lewis and Susan Oliver, filmed in 1979, released in Europe in 1980 and then in the United States on April 3, 1981 through 20th Century Fox. This film marks the final theatrical release for Oliver, as the rest of her career only featured on several television movies and series, before her death in 1990.
The Caddy is a 1953 American semi-musical-comedy-sports film starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis. It is noteworthy for Dean Martin introducing the hit song "That's Amore".
3 Ring Circus is a 1954 American comedy film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The picture was shot from February 17 to March 31, 1954, and released on December 25 by Paramount Pictures. The supporting cast includes Joanne Dru, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Wallace Ford, Sig Ruman, Nick Cravat, and Elsa Lanchester.
The Patsy is a 1964 American comedy film directed by and starring Jerry Lewis. It was released on August 12, 1964, by Paramount Pictures.
The Big Mouth is a 1967 American comedy film produced, directed, co-written, and starring Jerry Lewis. It was filmed in San Diego and features Frank De Vol as an onscreen narrator.
Gary Lewis is an American musician who was the leader of Gary Lewis & the Playboys.
For Those Who Think Young is a 1964 beach party film shot in Techniscope, directed by Leslie H. Martinson and featuring James Darren, Pamela Tiffin, Paul Lynde, Tina Louise, Bob Denver, Nancy Sinatra, Robert Middleton, Ellen Burstyn, Claudia Martin and Woody Woodbury.
Donna Lee Butterworth was an American actress and singer, best known for starring opposite Elvis Presley in the 1966 musical comedy Paradise, Hawaiian Style, when she was 10 years old.
Up and at 'Em is a 1922 American comedy romance silent film directed by William A. Seiter, written by Eve Unsell with a story by Lewis Milestone and William A. Seiter, and starring Doris May, Hallam Cooley, and J. Herbert Frank.
Maria Katharina Helene Sebaldt is a German actress.
Chicago Deadline is a 1949 American film noir crime film directed by Lewis Allen and starring Alan Ladd and Donna Reed.
You're the One is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Ralph Murphy and written by Gene Markey. The film stars Bonnie Baker, Orrin Tucker, Albert Dekker, Edward Everett Horton, Lillian Cornell, Renie Riano and Jerry Colonna. The film was released on February 19, 1941, by Paramount Pictures.