The Sad Sack

Last updated
The Sad Sack
Sadsack.jpg
Original film poster
Directed by George Marshall
Written by George Baker
Edmund Beloin
Nate Monaster
Produced by Hal B. Wallis
Starring Jerry Lewis
David Wayne
Phyllis Kirk
Peter Lorre
Cinematography Loyal Griggs
Edited by Archie Marshek
Music by Walter Scharf
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
  • November 27, 1957 (1957-11-27)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.1 million [1]
Box office$3.5 million (US rentals) [2] [3]
1,878,519 admissions (France) [4]

The Sad Sack is a 1957 American comedy film based on the Harvey Comics character of the same title, created by George Baker. The film stars Jerry Lewis and Peter Lorre and was released by Paramount Pictures.

Contents

Plot

Private Meredith Bixby simply cannot fall in line with army procedure, even though he has had 17 months of training. A psychologist is assigned to turn him into a good soldier, so she enlists two fellow servicemen to help Bixby with his training. About the only thing that he can do right is remember things with his photographic memory.

Eventually they are assigned to a base in Morocco. One night they all head off to a bar where Bixby gets drunk on "Moroccan Delights", which he thinks are malteds. He gets involved with a femme fatale and is kidnapped by some Arabian renegades.

Abdul guards Bixby and makes him assemble a stolen cannon, knowing that Bixby had already memorized the assembly instructions back at the base. Bixby is eventually rescued by his fellow soldiers and they are all presented with medals of honor. However, when Bixby mishandles a rifle that suddenly goes off, he damages the drinking glasses of the General and two visiting French officers. The trio (who are drinking a toast) are not hurt, but misfit Bixby gets punished with KP duty, peeling potatoes.

Cast

Production

The film is based upon George Baker's comic book character. Hal B. Wallis purchased the film rights with the intention of the project starring the comedy team Martin and Lewis, but they split up before filming began. The Sad Sack was shot between March 18 and May 31, 1957 and released on November 27. It was re-released in 1962 as a double feature with another Jerry Lewis vehicle, The Delicate Delinquent , the first two films Lewis made without Dean Martin.

Reception

A Variety reviewer said that "the title, a hint of what the picture is about, and Jerry Lewis as star, communicate the message about this new Hal B. Wallis production. It's the old army game, done over. But it's fun. Not any imaginative explorations. Relying on the type of zanyism with which Lewis is readily identified. Fun for those who go for it". [5] Harold Whitehead of The Montreal Gazette said that "fans of his particular brand of comedy will undoubtedly have a fine time watching this film". [6]

On the other hand, Bosley Crowther of The New York Times had this to say:

Those who remember Sad Sack , the cartooned G. I. of World War II whose troubles, as sketched by George Baker in Yank, were solace for many a soldier boy, will look in vain for that sweet character in the film that goes by his name and that came yesterday to Loew's State. Old Sad Sack is nowhere to be seen.

Rather, the fellow here encountered is a blithe, bumbling, modern-day draftee who looks for all the world like Jerry Lewis in At War With the Army —and virtually is. That is to say, he's Mr. Lewis in a standard rumpled Army uniform, blinking his eyes, creasing his mouth, scratching his noggin and generally behaving like a fool. The major difference is that Dean Martin is not in this picture as a foil, and the story ends up in Morocco. No improvement whatsoever is noticeable.

The only bit that reminded us remotely of Sad Sack is a fairly funny scene in which Mr. Lewis is put on "the couch" in the office of a Women's Army Corps psychiatrist. His mistaken suppositions of what's intended is somewhat like the famed anxieties of the old boy.

For the rest, this loose-jointed service slapstick is a bundle of well-worn gags played around the forever fumbling G. I. who becomes the big hero in the clutch. There are forays in a WAC dormitory, encounters with the sergeant and a snarl with villainous gun-runners in Morocco. Mr. Lewis' partners are David Wayne and Joe Mantell. Female factors are Liliane Montevecchi as a big-eyed Moroccan dancing girl and Phyllis Kirk as the WAC "head-shrinker".

All in all, it's a pretty feeble farce. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gregory Peck</span> American actor (1916–2003)

Eldred Gregory Peck was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood Cinema.

<i>The Bachelor Party</i> 1957 American film

"The Bachelor Party" is a 1953 television play by Paddy Chayefsky which was adapted by Chayefsky for a 1957 film. The play premiered to critical acclaim.

<i>Scared Stiff</i> (1953 film) 1953 film by George Marshall

Scared Stiff is a 1953 American supernatural fiction-themed comedy horror semi-musical film, directed by George Marshall and starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. One of the 17 films made by the Martin and Lewis team, it was released on April 27, 1953 by Paramount Pictures. It is the fourth screen adaptation of the 1909 play The Ghost Breaker by Paul Dickey and Charles W. Goddard, previously filmed under that title in 1914 and 1922 and as The Ghost Breakers in 1940, also directed by George Marshall and starring Bob Hope.

<i>3:10 to Yuma</i> (1957 film) American western film by Delmer Daves

3:10 to Yuma is a 1957 American Western film directed by Delmer Daves and starring Glenn Ford and Van Heflin. Based on a 1953 short story of the same name by Elmore Leonard (1925-2013), the plot concerns an impoverished rancher who takes on the risky job of escorting a notorious outlaw to justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Baker (cartoonist)</span> American cartoonist

George Baker was a cartoonist who became prominent during World War II as the creator of the popular comic strip The Sad Sack.

<i>The Young Lions</i> (film) 1958 film

The Young Lions is a 1958 American epic World War II drama film directed by Edward Dmytryk and starring Marlon Brando, Montgomery Clift, and Dean Martin. It was made in black-and-white and CinemaScope and was theatrically released by 20th Century-Fox. The film is based on the 1948 novel of the same name by Irwin Shaw.

<i>Sad Sack</i> United States comic strip character

Sad Sack is an American comic strip and comic book character created by Sgt. George Baker during World War II. Set in the United States Army, Sad Sack depicted an otherwise unnamed, lowly private experiencing some of the absurdities and humiliations of military life. The so-called "unnamed private" was actually Ben Schnall, a true-life private in the US Army during World War II, member of Yank magazine and good curmudgeonly friend of Sgt. George Baker. The title was a euphemistic shortening of the military slang "sad sack of shit", common during World War II. The phrase has come to mean "an inept person" or "inept soldier".

The Delicate Delinquent is an American VistaVision comedy film starring Jerry Lewis, released on June 6, 1957, by Paramount Pictures. It was the first film to star Lewis without his longtime partner Dean Martin and marked Lewis' debut as a producer and screenwriter.

<i>Jumping Jacks</i> 1952 film by Norman Taurog

Jumping Jacks is a 1952 American semi-musical comedy film starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis. The film was directed by Norman Taurog, and released by Paramount Pictures. It was one of the military comedies that marked the duo's early career. Brigadier General Frank Dorn, Deputy Chief of the US Army's Information Office praised Jumping Jacks as something that would "contribute to troop morale within the Army."

<i>The Tarnished Angels</i> 1958 film by Douglas Sirk

The Tarnished Angels is a 1957 black-and-white American CinemaScope drama film directed by Douglas Sirk and starring Rock Hudson, Robert Stack, Dorothy Malone, Jack Carson, and Robert Middleton. The screenplay by George Zuckerman is based on the 1935 novel Pylon by William Faulkner.

<i>None but the Brave</i> 1965 film by Frank Sinatra

None but the Brave is a 1965 epic anti-war film directed by and starring Frank Sinatra, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced by Tokyo Eiga, Toho, and Sinatra Enterprises, it was the first major feature film co-produced between Japan and the United States and Sinatra's sole directorial effort.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liliane Montevecchi</span> French actress and entertainer

Liliane Dina Montevecchi was a French actress, dancer, and singer. She won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her role in the original Broadway production of Nine, and was nominated for Best Actress in a Musical for Grand Hotel.

<i>Meet Me in Las Vegas</i> 1956 US musical comedy film by Roy Rowland

Meet Me in Las Vegas is a 1956 American musical comedy film directed by Roy Rowland, filmed in Eastman Color and CinemaScope, and starring Dan Dailey and Cyd Charisse. The film was tailored for the talents of Charisse, showcasing her skills with modern and classical ballet.

<i>Aerial Gunner</i> 1943 American World War II film

Aerial Gunner is a 1943 American black-and-white World War II propaganda film produced by William C. Thomas and William H. Pine, who also directed. The film stars Chester Morris, Richard Arlen, and Jimmy Lydon. This was the first feature film directed by Pine, who produced other films through his company, Pine-Thomas Productions. Aerial Gunner was distributed by Paramount Pictures.

John F. Brascia was an American actor and dancer, best known for his dancing partnerships on film with Vera-Ellen in White Christmas (1954) and with Cyd Charisse and Liliane Montevecchi in Meet Me in Las Vegas (1956).

<i>All Through the Night</i> (film) 1942 film

All Through the Night is a 1942 American comedy-crime-spy thriller film directed by Vincent Sherman and starring Humphrey Bogart, Conrad Veidt and Kaaren Verne, and featuring many of the Warner Bros. company of character actors. It was released by Warner Brothers. The supporting cast features Peter Lorre, Frank McHugh, Jackie Gleason, Phil Silvers, Barton MacLane, and William Demarest.

I Accuse! is a British 1958 CinemaScope biographical drama film directed by and starring José Ferrer. The film is based on the true story of the Dreyfus affair, in which a Jewish captain in the French Army was falsely accused of treason.

<i>The Hook</i> (1963 film) 1963 film by George Seaton

The Hook is a 1963 Korean War war film directed by George Seaton based on the 1957 novel L'Hameçon by Vahé Katcha. The film's title comes from the translation of the title of the original novel rather than the Battle of the Hook. The film was shot off Santa Catalina Island, California.

<i>April Love</i> (film) 1957 film by Henry Levin

April Love is an American musical film directed by Henry Levin and produced by David Weisbart, based on the novel Phantom Filly by George Agnew Chamberlain. Photographed in CinemaScope and DeLuxe Color by Wilfred M. Cline, it was the fourth most popular movie of 1957 and stars Pat Boone, Shirley Jones, Arthur O'Connell, Dolores Michaels, Matt Crowley, Jeanette Nolan and Bradford Jackson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carroll Baker credits</span>

Carroll Baker is an American actress of film, stage, and television. Spanning a career of fifty years, Baker appeared in 66 feature and television films, as well as 16 television appearances and over 15 stage credits, including 3 Broadway productions. Her most prolific role was in Elia Kazan's 1956 film Baby Doll, which earned her a Golden Globe and an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Throughout her career, she became an established movie sex symbol.

References

  1. ↑ "New York Sound Track". Variety . September 3, 1958. p. 30. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Top Grosses of 1957". Variety . 8 January 1958. p. 30.
  3. ↑ "Top Grossers of 1958". Variety . 7 January 1959. p. 48. Please note figures are for US and Canada only and are domestic rentals accruing to distributors as opposed to theatre gross
  4. ↑ Jerry Lewis films French box office information at Box Office Story
  5. ↑ "Film Reviews: The Sad Sack". Variety . October 23, 1957. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  6. ↑ Whitehead, Harold. "Sad Sack - Capitol". The Montreal Gazette. No. December 28, 1957. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
  7. ↑ Crowther, Bosley (November 28, 1957). "Screen: Jerry Lewis as 'The Sad Sack'". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 December 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.