Hollywood or Bust (1956)

Director:

Frank Tashlin

Writer:

Erna Lazarus (writer)

Release Date:

6 December 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

A singer who can't pay his bookie joins a nerdy, star-struck movie fan and his Great Dane in a cross-country convertible ride to Hollywood.

Plot Keywords:

Chorus Girl | Melrose Gate | Grauman's Chinese Theater | Boulder Dam | Chorus Line

Cast

Dean Martin	...	Steve Wiley
Jerry Lewis	...	Malcolm Smith
Pat Crowley	...	Terry Roberts
Max 'Slapsie Maxie' Rosenbloom	...	Bookie Benny (as Maxie Rosenbloom)
Anita Ekberg	...	Actress Anita

Also Known As:

Beginner's Luck (USA) (original script title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Boulder Dam, Nevada, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

The original screenplay by Erna Lazarus concerned the adventures of a down-on-her-luck ex-chorus girl and a con man as they made their way to California. It was conceived as a vehicle for Shirley Booth and Humphrey Bogart. By the time Frank Tashlin got through re-tooling it for Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, it bore little resemblance to the original script. Nevertheless, Lazarus retained the sole writing credit.

Quotes:

Steve Wiley: [referring to sexy movie star Anita Ekberg] Do I know her? She drives me crazy!
Malcolm Smith: [obviously excited] Me too!
Steve Wiley: She keeps coming to my back door and wants to borrow a couple of cups of sugar...
Malcolm Smith: Sugar? That's nice, yeah!
Steve Wiley: ...a couple eggs...
Steve Wiley: Oh, eggs! Good!
Steve Wiley: I go over to her place - I borrow a grapefruit or two...
Malcolm Smith: [aroused by the metaphor] Oh, that's cute!

Movie Connections:

References Strategic Air Command (1955)

Soundtrack:

It Looks Like Love

The last picture with Martin and Lewis

Dean Martin plays Steve Wiley, a gambler with bad debts and Jerry Lewis is Malcolm Smith, a huge movie lover who wants to go to Hollywood to meet Anita Ekberg.And then there is a car raffle where Steve wins a car with a fake ticket and Malcolm wins it with a real one.So they're both off to Hollywood with Malcolm's dog Great Dane and Terry Roberts (Pat Crowley), a girl they meet along the way.A very pretty lady, if I may add.By the way, Dean Martin's daughters Claudia, Deana and Gail can be seen in the movie.Frank Tashlin's Hollywood or Bust (1956) is a good and funny comedy which offers you some good laughs.One good and funny scene is where Jerry sings the song of the dog food commercial and then there's of course the one where the dog goes for a ride with the car.A dog behind the wheel is always funny.This was the last movie Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis did together.There were personal conflicts that ended the relationship.They were such a hilarious duo and they did lots of great films together.But as you know,nothing lasts forever.Luckily they didn't stay as enemies forever.In 1976 Frank Sinatra reunited them on stage and they stayed as friends till Dean's death in 1995.While making this film there was lots of anger between them but you can hardly see it.This isn't all time best of Martin and Lewis but it's very enjoyable anyway.Jerry Lewis has said he hasn't seen Hollywood or Bust because it's much too painful for him to watch.Good movie, bad memories.