JERRY LEWIS - HARDLY WORKING [1979] FREE POSTAGE

Hardly Working is a comedy film directed by and starring Jerry Lewis. It was filmed in 1979, and released in the United States on April 3, 1981 by 20th Century Fox.

Plot

Bo Hooper (Lewis), a clown, finds himself unemployed when the circus at which he is employed suddenly closes. He winds up living with his sister (Susan Oliver), against the wishes of her husband Robert (Roger C. Carmel). From there he goes from job to job, wreaking havoc along the way. He finally finds some stability as a postal worker, until he finds out that his boss is his girlfriend's father. The father hates all mail carriers because his daughter's ex-husband was one, so he tries to wreck Bo's life, but Bo overcomes the odds and succeeds not only at work, but at impressing the father.

Production

This was Lewis' "comeback" film, as it was his first released film since 1970's Which Way to the Front?. In between, he filmed The Day the Clown Cried, which, to date, is unreleased.

The film opens with a montage of scenes from earlier Jerry Lewis films, including The Bellboy, Cinderfella, The Errand Boy, Who's Minding the Store?, and The Patsy. There are also connections to other Lewis films. as the clown makeup worn by Lewis in this film was designed by him for 1954's 3 Ring Circus and later reused in 1965's The Family Jewels.

Taglines

Taglines used for the film included,'The World's Funniest Man Is Back' and 'The Original Jerk Is Back' (in reference to the 1979 Steve Martin film, The Jerk.)

MPAA rating

The film was rated 'PG' by the MPAA, which is significant because it was the first time Jerry Lewis appeared in a movie that wasn't rated 'G'.

Distribution

It had a successful run in released in Europe during 1980, which convinced 20th Century Fox to pick up the independent production for distribution in the United States.

Cameo

Lewis' future wife, Sandee "Sam" Pitnick, appears as a disco dancer.

Reviews

The movie was critically panned; Roger Ebert called it, "one of the worst movies ever to achieve commercial release in this country, and it is no wonder it was on the shelf for two years before it saw the light of day."^[1]