The Comedy Of Terrors (1963)

We are now well into the month of May and I hope everyone is being safe as we all endure the pains of Quarantine and government imposed stay at home orders. I just hope that through this blog, I can give you some suggestions on films to watch and for today's Sunday At The Classics, we have decided to check out 1963's The Comedy Of Terrors which was directed by Jacques Tourneur (I Walked With A Zombie). The film stars Vincent Price (The House On Haunted Hill) as drunkard undertaker Waldo Trumbull who along with his trusty sidekick Felix (Peter Lorre) run a funeral home that isn't quite the most happening place for business in New England. Then you add the pressure of owing rent and now Trumbull has the bright idea that if they are not willing then we shall make them so as he creates his own clients. The film also stars Boris Karloff (Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome) as  Amos Hinchley, Joyce Jameson (The Outlaw Josey Wales) as Amaryllis Trumbull, Joe E. Brown (It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World) as Cemetery Keeper, Beverly Powers (Kisses for My President) as Mrs. Phipps, Orangey The Cat (Breakfast At Tiffany's) as Cleopatra, Luree Holmes (How To Stuff A Wild Bikini) as Black's servant, and Basil Rathbone (The Adventures Of Robin Hood) as John F. Black.

When you have the caliber of actors in this film like Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, and Basil Rathbone would you expect anything less than a great performance from them? Vincent Price was brilliant as a self centered drunkard who only cared about money more than anything in the world while Peter Lorre played the obedient servant who was only obedient because of a secret that was being held over him. Basil Rathbone on the other hand was the Shakespearean loving landlord who just refused to stay dead in the film which was the comedy of terrors in this film. At points in this film, you will find yourself rooting for Peter Lorre's character as he attempts to get the girl because she deserves better than Trumbull because I sure as heck was rooting for him. I know I didn't mention Boris Karloff in the beginning and that is because he looked like death in this film and while he played his role well, he didn't have to do much, but act like he had one foot in the grave. He does however shine towards the end of the film when he gets his one big scene. I thought the film was a lot of fun to watch and I can imagine that it entertained a lot of horror fans back in the day as this is an original horror comedy as there were a lot of good laughs in this one for sure. I am definitely recommending this one to anyone who loves any of those four gentlemen in this film. That is why I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade so check it out on Amazon Prime right now.

The Patsy (1964)

Did you know that after today, there are only 38 more Sundays left in the calendar year which may seem like a lot, but it really isn't with how time flies by. So with that being said, we have another cool Sunday At The Classics for you guys and would believe me if I said I had never seen a Jerry Lewis (The Nutty Professor) film? Well, it's true and thanks to HULU I decided to check out the 1964 comedy The Patsy which was written and directed by Lewis himself. The film follows a comedy writing team who just recently lost their comedy star when he died in a plane crash. Rather than breaking up and go their separate ways they stumble on a nitwit hotel employee named Stanley (Lewis) who they believe they can turn into the next comedy star, but that will prove to be challenging. The film also stars Ina Balin (The Comancheros) as Ellen, Everett Sloane (Citizen Kane) as Caryl Fergusson, Phil Harris (The Jungle Book) as Chic, Keenan Wynn (Dr. Strangelove) as Harry, Peter Lorre (M) as Morgan, John Carradine (The Ten Commandments) as Bruce, Scatman Crothers (The Shining) as Shoeshine Boy, Hans Conried (Peter Pan) as Prof. Mueller, and Del Moore (The Nutty Professor) as The Policeman.

I don't really know the reason why I have never checked out a Jerry Lewis film to be perfectly honest and it's weird because I just never took the time to. To understand what kind of comedian he was, it seems like he was a very physical comedian in where they do a lot of faces and just dumb comedy like stumbling over words and bumping into things to get a laugh which he did succeed to get out of me in a few of the scenes. For Mr. Lewis to have been around as long as he had been, he must of done something right, but what I liked most about this film was the writing and the story. The film was social commentary on Hollywood at the time and how desperate they always were to find the next big thing which still applies to this very day. Just think of how many comedians have come and gone when they tried finding the next Eddie Murphy. The whole film they are riding and dying on the idea of word getting out that they have found the next star even though he seems to be a complete moron. The funny thing is that when they all abandon him at the end, that is when he is the most successful because now he has something to prove to everyone. The real star was born at the very moment in time and it all came from within him and not this comedy team. The film was also stacked with some of the best in the business and it was awesome to see Scatman Crothers in the film, he has his moment with Jerry which was very funny. I definitely think this film was worth checking out and I look forward to more Lewis films in the future so I am going to go ahead and give the film an A- for a final grade.