The Delicate Delinquent
| The Delicate Delinquent | |
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| Directed by | Don McGuire |
| Produced by | Jerry Lewis |
| Written by | Don McGuire Jerry Lewis (uncredited) |
| Starring | Jerry Lewis Darren McGavin Martha Hyer |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | June 6, 1957 |
| Running time | 101 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Delicate Delinquent is a 1957 American black-and-white film starring Jerry Lewis. It was filmed in 1956 and released on June 6, 1957 by Paramount Pictures and is notable as the first film that Lewis made without his longtime partner Dean Martin.
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[edit] Plot
Sydney L. Pythias (Jerry Lewis), a 'juvenile delinquent' who is mistaken for a gang member. Mike Damon (Darren McGavin), a police officer who tries to straighten him out by putting him through police training. After a difficult training and a series of mishaps, Pythias finally proves his worth by graduating and become a police officer.
[edit] Production
- The Delicate Delinquent was filmed from September 5-October 12, 1956 and is based upon a script entitled Damon and Pythias. Darren McGavin stepped in to fill the role of a police officer that was originally written for Martin. Although the credits show a copyright date of 1956, the film was released the following year, a common practice in Hollywood.
- Lewis, who also produced the film, played a 'juvenile', although he was 30 years old at the time.
- The romantic interest in the film was provided mainly by actress Martha Hyer, who married Hal Wallis in 1966, the producer of the Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis films. Hyer's fancy dresses in the film were designed by longtime Paramount costumer designer Edith Head.
- Comedian/impressionist Frank Gorshin made a rare dramatic appearance as a gang member in the film.
[edit] Business
The cost of the film was a little under $500,000, and it grossed about $6 million.[1]
[edit] Re-release
It was re-released in 1962 on a double bill with another Lewis film, The Sad Sack (1957).
[edit] Home media
The DVD for the film was released on October 12, 2004.
[edit] References
- ^ Lewis, Jerry; Gluck, Herb (1982). Jerry Lewis In Person. New York: Atheneum. p. 209. ISBN 0-689-11290-4.
