The Jack Lemmon Film Collection
Unquestionably one of the most prolific and versatile of Hollywood film stars, Jack Lemmon appeared in a score of films during a career that spanned nearly fifty years. He possessed remarkable range, and could be powerfully moving in dramas like The Days of Wine and Roses, or absolutely hysterical in classic comedies like Some Like It Hot. Comedy was certainly his specialty; though his true gift was the ability to blend humor with poignancy in a single characterization. It is the comic genre that has been seized upon by Sony Home Video in its tribute to this great actor. The new Jack Lemmon Film Collection includes five movies never before issued on the DVD format. They date from the first decade of his Hollywood career, 1954 to 1964. None of them are of the caliber of the aforementioned Billy Wilder masterpiece; but most provide some lightweight entertainment.
Phffft
Lemmon’s first two films paired him with Judy Holliday who, having snatched the 1950 Best Actress Oscar from the likes of Bette Davis, Anne Baxter and Gloria Swanson, had become Hollywood’s reigning queen of comedy. Her zany shtick nicely complemented Lemmon’s manic style of comedy. Though not quite as good as their first film together, It Should Happen to You, Phffft has the two comic geniuses working in perfect synchronicity. The title is slang for divorce, and refers specifically to that of a well-heeled couple who find that, after eight years of marriage, they are not really compatible ---or are they?
Like many marital and sex comedies of that period, Phffft is often dated. Yet there are some sly comic touches, and the obvious appeal of the star duo. Then an up-and-coming starlet, Kim Novak is terrific as a culturally challenged blonde that Lemmon’s character dates on the rebound. Jack Carson is ideally cast as a lecherous navy buddy. Mark Robson provides fine direction, making Phffft well worth a viewing.
Good Neighbor Sam
The most recent selection in the box is equally enjoyable. Released in 1964, Good Neighbor Sam is the sleeper of the bunch. Lemmon plays a suburban nebbish stuck in a thankless job at an advertising firm, who dreams of a promotion in order to provide every advantage for his wife and kiss. When an eccentric, puritanical client insists on having his ads supervised by an agent with sound morals, the unsuspecting Lemmon finds himself catapulted to the top of the ladder. His wife’s best friend moves in next door, and is forced to "borrow" Jack to pose as her husband. The charade is carried through to a highly amusing conclusion.
Though not one of Lemmon’s best known films, Good Neighbor Sam finds him in top form, and surrounded by a stellar supporting cast. The radiant Romy Schneider is his sultry neighbor, about to be divorced to Mike Connors. Not usually cast in lighter roles, they both prove themselves to be deft comics. Doing a wonderful Doris Day impersonation, Dorothy Provine is the essence of the perky, ’60s housewife. Edward Andrews as Lemmon’s sleazy boss, and Louis Nye as a creepy private detective are hilarious. Topping off the great cast, Edward G. Robinson nearly steals the movie as the hard-nosed dairy mogul obsessed with morality. Apart from a fine band of players, the film boasts several offbeat comic touches that set it apart from the routine, marital comedies of the period.
Operation Mad Ball & The Notorious Landlady
Less auspicious entries include two unsuccessful comedies directed by Richard Quine. The first is the 1957 Operation Mad Ball, in which Lemmon stars as Hogan, an enlisted con man stationed in France at the end of World War II. Hogan and his "heroes" spend the film planning a large ball for their troop, which is in desperate need of female companionship. Meanwhile, viewers are left waiting for laughs that never quite happen. Lemmon gives a typically committed performance, and the film features a colorful supporting cast, including handsome newcomers James Darren and Roger Smith. Ernie Kovacs and Arthur O’Connell are both great in their roles as commanding officers. Yet their talents are wasted in this dull, decidedly unfunny venture. A Mister Roberts this is not!
The Notorious Landlady fares better, due in part to a more interesting plot, and fine performances from Kim Novak, as the title heroine, Fred Astaire, and, of course, Lemmon.
Relocating to London to work for Astaire at the American embassy, Lemmon rents an apartment from Novak , who is rumored to have killed her husband. He proceeds to fall in love with her, never completely convinced she is innocent of the crime. Midway through the film, it becomes an Agatha Christie-like murder mystery, then ends in the style of a slapstick silent comedy worthy of the Keystone Cops. All over the map, The Notorious Landlady is highly uneven. Yet there is much to enjoy. Set in England, and nicely shot in Black and White, the film has several dashes of atmosphere, and a superior script by Larry Gelbart and Blake Edwards. And any film movie that includes Estelle Winwood as an eccentric widow is worth a shot!
Under the Yum-Yum Tree
The worst of the lot is the 1963 Under the Yum-Yum Tree, which despite its title, proves completely tasteless. It is an inane, painfully dated, sex comedy, which, like Operation Mad Ball, wastes its excellent cast. This time Lemmon is a notorious landlord, a sex-addicted owner of an apartment complex. When Edie Adams ends her tenancy, and her relationship with Lemmon, her groovy nice, Carol Lynley, wants her flat, and the lascivious Lemmon is more than happy to oblige. Just as he is about to make his move, Lemmon discovers she has taken in a roommate, her strapping fiancée, played by Dean Jones. Undaunted by this obstacle, he spends the entire movie going to fantastic lengths to get into her skirt. The film is so crass and dreadful that even Paul Lynde and Imogene Coca, as a pair of domestics, cannot rescue it.
All the movies are all shown in letterboxed format, and in excellent transfers. Most have only the original theatrical trailer as an extra. One interesting special feature is a 1954 episode from the TV series Ford Theatre entitled Marriageable Male. In it, Lemmon romances Ida Lupino---a truly odd pairing.
The set does contain a sixth disc of special features that includes an affectionate homage to his father hosted by Chris Lemmon. In it, Jack’s friends, such as Shirley MacLaine, Cliff Robertson and Larry Gelbart discuss the star’s life, career, and working habits. One of the points Chris Lemmon makes is that his father did not always make the best choices with respect to his cinematic vehicles, but consistently gave 100% of his abilities. He was being far too modest. The truth is that, whatever the quality of the film in which he appeared, Jack Lemmon was incapable of giving a bad performance in it. Certainly, the new Jack Lemmon Film Collection validates this point.
