The Disorderly Orderly (1964)

Director:

Frank Tashlin

Writers:

Ed Haas (story)
Norm Liebmann (story)
(more)

Release Date:

16 December 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

When he flunks out of med school, Jerome Littlefield goes to work as an orderly in a private rest home where he wreaks havoc for everyone concerned...

Plot Keywords:

Slapstick | Psychosomatic Illness | Gurney | Hospital

Cast

Jerry Lewis	...	Jerome Littlefield
Glenda Farrell	...	Dr. Jean Howard
Everett Sloane	...	Mr. Tuffington
Karen Sharpe	...	Julie Blair
Kathleen Freeman	...	Nurse Higgins
Del Moore	...	Dr. Davenport
Alice Pearce	...	Mrs. Fuzzibee, Talkative Patient
Milton Frome	...	Board Member
John Macchia
Jack E. Leonard	...	Fat Jack
Barbara Nichols	...	Miss Marlowe, Actress patient
Susan Oliver	...	Susan Andrews
Danny Costello	...	1st Ambulance Driver
Michael Ross	...	1st Ambulance Intern
Benny Rubin	...	Waiter
Frank J. Scannell	...	Milton M. Mealy, Patient (as Frank Scannell)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Murray Alper	...	Patient (uncredited)
Allyson Ames	...	(uncredited)
Frankie Darro	...	(uncredited)
Herbie Faye	...	Mr. Welles, Patient (uncredited)
Paul Frees	...	Opening Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Muriel Landers	...	(uncredited)
Mike Mazurki	...	Moving Van Passenger (uncredited)
Kent McCord	...	Pre- opening credit hospital Intern (uncredited)
Glen Walters	...	Tall blonde masseuse (uncredited)
Cissy Wellman	...	(uncredited)
William Wellman Jr.	...	Driver (uncredited)
Dave Willock	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Francine York	...	Nurse (uncredited)

Directed by
Frank Tashlin

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ed Haas		story
Norm Liebmann		story
Frank Tashlin		writer

Produced by
Paul Jones	....	producer
Jerry Lewis	....	executive producer
Arthur P. Schmidt	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Joseph J. Lilley

Cinematography by
W. Wallace Kelley

Film Editing by
John Woodcock

Art Direction by
Tambi Larsen
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Ray Moyer

Costume Design by
Edith Head
Sy Devore		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Nellie Manley	....	hair styles supervisor
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor

Production Management
William Davidson	....	production manager (as Bill Davidson)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ralph Axness	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Charles Grenzbach	....	sound recordist
Hugo Grenzbach	....	sound recordist

Visual Effects by
Farciot Edouart	....	process photography
Paul K. Lerpae	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Ron Burke	....	stunts (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sy Devore	....	wardrobe: men

Editorial Department
Arthur P. Schmidt	....	supervising editor

Music Department
Irvin Talbot	....	conductor
Gus Levene	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Richard Mueller	....	technicolor color consultant
Marvin Weldon	....	dialogue coach
Dorothy Yutzi	....	script supervisor

Production Companies

• Jerry Lewis Productions
• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1964) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1971) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Paramount Home Video (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Paramount-Films (1965) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1983) (1998) (Finland) (TV)
• Paramount Home Entertainment Finland (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• Paramount Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• TV3 (1988) (Finland) (TV)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2006) (Finland) (TV)

Runtime:

Finland:89 min | USA:90 min | UK:89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:U | Finland:S | Sweden:11

Filming Locations:

Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

Jerry Lewis Productions

Trivia:

In the travel agency's window is a sign that reads, "TWA movie-in-flight: Jerry Lewis in 'The Disorderly Orderly'".

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: When Jerome is chasing the patient with the full-body cast, you can see the string attached to the cast that is pulling it down the hill.

Quotes:

Julie Blair: Can you drive an ambulance?
Nurse Higgins: Well, in the Army I drove a tank...

Movie Connections:

Featured in Jerry Lewis - König der Komödianten (2006) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Disorderly Orderly

Jerry gets committed....

This is the kind of movie most Lewis fans cite when talking about his best.

And why not? "The Disorderly Orderly" pairs Lewis with a good director (Tashlin), apt foils (especially Freeman), supremely funny moments (check out his "sympathy pains") and just the right amount of bathos in spots to give his character not just a clown but a good-hearted, hard-working, sympathetic clown.

And as most come to expect with this kind of movie, slapstick is the prevalent language throughout and if you don't speak it, you won't understand it here. I do, and I did.

See, and they said he wouldn't make it without Dean.

Eight stars. Classic slapstick carnage with a classic slapstick idol.