Review of Visit to a Small Planet

Although somewhat funny because of the typical Jerry Lewis antics, it bears very little resemblance to the original TV and Broadway plays which was supposedly the basis for the film. I was lucky enough to see the original TV broadcast and read the play. Personally, I found the TV version to be the best. The premise is that an alien (of superior intelligence) comes to earth and makes rather scathing comments and conclusions from his observations about American (and world) cultures and societies. Most likely rather accurate reflections of the author's (Gore Vidal) thoughts on the subjects and issues. It was a very socially relevant portrayal of the time period. The film version vaguely touched on some and made the alien a very naive buffoon which turned a great satire into a comic farce for laughs only and of little intellectual value.

I keep hoping that someday a video version of the TV broadcast will be released. I believe that the UCLA archives does have a kinescope copy on file.

JGB in Massachusetts