OK, so it's not sophisticated Woody Allen comedy, or even high-tech science fiction. As we say in the math world: givens.
But this one has some pieces which are over the top hilarious. The premise of this movie are noted in other comments and reviews, so I'm not going to waste time on that.
Some things I'll always remember:
**Howard Morris as Schmidlap. A galloping libido, stuck on the moon for a year with no female companionship, who descends into random violence towards Hoffman (played wonderfully by Dennis Weaver), includes two manic exchanges. Hoffman is pleading with the earth to send up replacements when the boss (Robert Morely) notices his front teeth are incomplete, and just casually asks what happened. Whereupon Hoffman responds that Schmidlap, in a testosterone fueled episode, knocked them out. Oh man, classic. The other event was when they're trying to get him in the spacecraft to go home to earth, and they have to practically hit him with a tranq dart to keep him from getting near Connie Stevens. Morris at his screwy, nutty, insanely funny best.
**Brian Keith as General Hallenby. Oh my. Screaming, grumbling, and all with a lack of understanding of what's going on around him that's just rich. His exchange with Lewis, who's told he has to "Secure the moon", results in Lewis, quite appropriately asking why he should do such a thing. Hallenby's response? "None of your damn business, Mattimore, JUST SECURE THE MOON!" As in, you don't have the need to know, so shut up and do what I tell you. Brian Keith's battle with the TV remote is not to be missed.
**Dick Shawn, a truly funny man, as a highly oversexed Russian, in a battle with "instant vodka" (just add water). Watching him struggle with the water jet, and eventually just giving up and swallowing the "instant vodka" tablets and then drinking water (talk about an instant DUI!) is just too priceless. And then, in a fit of western monogamy, he tries to warn Lewis not to try any frolics with Ekberg. His mangling of the word "hanky-panky" is a cheap joke, but Shawn pulls it off so well that I've remembered it for over 40 years.
Yes, this isn't Lewis at his best. For me that will always be the original "Nutty Professor", but in watching a lot of movies in my time I've learned something I think about a lot with him in relation to this movie. It takes a huge talent to let someone else get all the laughs. Very few in movies today have that kind of class, and Lewis did, and does.
So sure, it's not high brow humor. So what? It was funny, in spots, and that's not a bad thing.
But this one has some pieces which are over the top hilarious. The premise of this movie are noted in other comments and reviews, so I'm not going to waste time on that.
Some things I'll always remember:
**Howard Morris as Schmidlap. A galloping libido, stuck on the moon for a year with no female companionship, who descends into random violence towards Hoffman (played wonderfully by Dennis Weaver), includes two manic exchanges. Hoffman is pleading with the earth to send up replacements when the boss (Robert Morely) notices his front teeth are incomplete, and just casually asks what happened. Whereupon Hoffman responds that Schmidlap, in a testosterone fueled episode, knocked them out. Oh man, classic. The other event was when they're trying to get him in the spacecraft to go home to earth, and they have to practically hit him with a tranq dart to keep him from getting near Connie Stevens. Morris at his screwy, nutty, insanely funny best.
**Brian Keith as General Hallenby. Oh my. Screaming, grumbling, and all with a lack of understanding of what's going on around him that's just rich. His exchange with Lewis, who's told he has to "Secure the moon", results in Lewis, quite appropriately asking why he should do such a thing. Hallenby's response? "None of your damn business, Mattimore, JUST SECURE THE MOON!" As in, you don't have the need to know, so shut up and do what I tell you. Brian Keith's battle with the TV remote is not to be missed.
**Dick Shawn, a truly funny man, as a highly oversexed Russian, in a battle with "instant vodka" (just add water). Watching him struggle with the water jet, and eventually just giving up and swallowing the "instant vodka" tablets and then drinking water (talk about an instant DUI!) is just too priceless. And then, in a fit of western monogamy, he tries to warn Lewis not to try any frolics with Ekberg. His mangling of the word "hanky-panky" is a cheap joke, but Shawn pulls it off so well that I've remembered it for over 40 years.
Yes, this isn't Lewis at his best. For me that will always be the original "Nutty Professor", but in watching a lot of movies in my time I've learned something I think about a lot with him in relation to this movie. It takes a huge talent to let someone else get all the laughs. Very few in movies today have that kind of class, and Lewis did, and does.
So sure, it's not high brow humor. So what? It was funny, in spots, and that's not a bad thing.