Visit to a Small Planet (1960)

The stage play (expanded by Vidal from his TV script) opened on Broadway at the Booth on 7 February 1957 and ran a most successful 388 performances with Cyril Ritchard (who also directed) in the lead. COMMENT: When it relies more on the original play and less on the "talents" of Jerry Lewis, Visit to a Small Planet is moderately entertaining. Lewis fortunately is assisted by far more able comedians in Fred Clark and Gale Gordon who make the most of the risible situations and cynical dialogue. Miss Blackman is an agreeable heroine, whilst Earl Holliman has one of his meatiest parts as her jealous but not over-bright suitor. The extraneous incidents tacked on to the play, particularly a tediously long "beatnik" interlude in which Lewis gets to dance with - well not so much "with" as "around" - Barbara Lawson, were better left on the cutting-room floor. Some of the special effects are quite attractively contrived, though others are constrained by the film's obviously limited budget. Many of these effects sequences feature John Williams who seems to be acting at half steam. Taurog's direction is, as usual, competent but unexciting. OTHER VIEWS: By the humble standards of Jerry Lewis, this is a fairly engaging comedy for half its length. But after a boring and tedious and overlong visit to a beatnik dive, the film loses just about all its steam and resorts to a replay of the romantic situations plus a mild attempt at a slapstick climax which doesn't come off. The special effects are fairly effective and the support playing is adequate though Miss Blackman is not a particularly attractive heroine either in looks or personality and players like Clark, Gordon and Cowan act in a broad caricature manner which doesn't jell so well with the less animated playing of Blackman and Holliman. Mr Lewis is a bit more restrained than usual, though director Taurog still allows him a full quota of close-ups in which he mugs away to his heart's content. Aside from a bit of by-play with a glass screen in front of the camera, the direction is ruthlessly routine. Production values are very moderate with most of the action taking place in one set. -- JHR writing as George Addison. .

I remember seeing this move in it's original rum in the Central Square Theatre when I was a kid, but I read the play years later in my high school library in a book of plays from that year.I still remember Fred Clark as the Dad whom I knew from TV shows like The Burns and Allen Show. There where many sight gags in the movie which made me laugh uproariously at the time, and I remember sharing many scenes to old friends in the projects just afterwards.One I remember particularly was when Kreton (Lewis) played some bongos without touching them as the drummer(Buddy Rich, whom I didn't know THEN) angrily played the drum.I also remember Joan Blackman's boyfriend as Earl Holliman. He was one of those who I knew better in television on a lot of westerns and an early Twilight Zone episode, and a character part in Forbidden Planet.Many actors I learned about much after the fact from TV versions or reruns.I loved this movie then, and I love it even more now.I still don't understand or get those who hate Jerry Lewis in films, but I certainly understand those who didn't like him as a person.Having met him one time in a local TV Show when I brought him a portrait I had done, he didn't look at me much as he told me his wife took those. Her name was Patty and she was wonderful though, as she loved my drawing and thanked me profusely. She even introduced me to her son, whom I believe is now working for Jerry's business answering fan mail.I think this is one of his best, and it only gets better with each viewing. I don't think Gore Vidal's play would work since it was more of a satire of the McCarthy hearings, and wouldn't hold as well as this movie.

Back in 1955 Gore Vidal wrote a television play that later went to Broadway for 388 performances and starred Cyril Ritchard and Eddie Mayehoff. It was meant to be a satire on McCarthyism with an alien miscalculating a visit to Earth's American Civil War and arriving in Virginia a century later. So what must he have thought when his Broadway play wound up a vehicle for Jerry Lewis. Not that it's a bad Jerry Lewis, not his best to be sure, but surely not what Vidal intended.Jerry plays a most innocent alien with powers akin to what Ray Walston had in my favorite Martian. His people from way the other side of the galaxy have progressed to not only having powers beyond mortal men, but have dispensed with emotions. His people like his mentor John Williams are just below the Organians from Star Trek in that they still have corporeal bodies. Jerry wants to feel some earth like experiences so Williams gives him a chance.He experiences emotions all right, but a little too much for one Visit To A Small Planet. How he copes with Earth and its Earthlings is for you watch the film for.I can see that the characters that are played by the cynical Fred Clark and the excitable and paranoid Gale Gordon might have made great counterpoints for satire. But Jerry Lewis never has done satire and I doubt at his age he'll try it. Lee Patrick plays a role modeled on what she did as Leo G. Carroll's wife in the television version of Topper.It's jealousy that does Jerry in, mainly the jealousy that Earl Holliman feels as his girl and Clark and Patrick's daughter Joan Blackman starts taking an interest in their outer space visitor. Truth be told I can't see what Blackman sees in Holliman's lunkhead character. Holliman must have felt ridiculous doing the part.Best sequence in the film is Lewis and Blackman's visit to a beatnik joint and the impression he makes on all those cool cats. You'll get a chance to see ace drummer Buddy Rich in that scene and that should never be passed up.Visit To A Small Planet is a decent enough Jerry Lewis film, but far from whatever Gore Vidal had in mind.

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