One of Jerry Lewis' best solo efforts was "The Bellboy". It has very little in the way of plot but featured lots and lots of vignettes-- most of which were pretty funny. The jokes came one after another after another and even if one fell flat, it was soon followed by another. "Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River" is the opposite. There is LOTS of plot (too much) and because the plot is so darn complicated, there doesn't seem to be a lot of room for laughs. It's not a terrible film...but it certainly isn't a very good effort from Lewis.
I will try to explain the plot. It is complicated and confusing....so here goes. Jerry marries and takes his wife all over the world for three years--taking her on one adventure after another. The problem is that there's no normalcy for her--and the marriage is all about Jerry and his adventures. So, after she tires of his self-absorption, she sues for divorce and leaves him. In the interim, Jerry turns her lovely home into a Chop Suey palace and discotheque! She returns and is naturally furious--especially since he took out a loan in BOTH their names. She vows to have him jailed and he insists that he will win her back--even when she introduces him to her new boyfriend.
As for the boyfriend, he works in the oil industry and he's invented a new drill. Jerry's very larcenous friend (Terry-Thomas) is intrigued when Jerry proposes a way to earn back the money Jerry owes his wife--to steal the boyfriend's plans for the drill and sell it to the Arabs. BUT, after Jerry sneaks into the company and photographs the plans, he gets the mumps and cannot fly to meet the Arabs. Now here is where the film gets WAY too complicated. He comes up with a scheme where they'll blackmail a local doctor to implant microfilm into an air steward's mouth AND make sure the painkiller wears off at about the time the poor man arrives in Lisbon on a flight. And, the dentist is to give the man a card for an 'associate' (actually a very crooked dentist) in Lisbon in case there are any complications--and he has rigged it so there will surely be a serious complication. Then, at the crooked dentist's office in Lisbon, Terry-Thomas and the Arabs look into the man's mouth to read the plans. BUT, Jerry has only sent half the plan--and the Arabs are NOT pleased. From here, it gets even MORE complicated....all of which tend to confuse the audience and leave you wondering how the plot got this convoluted. As a result of its lack of humor, I think this one merits a 4. I only give it a 4 because Terry-Thomas was pretty good in the movie. Overall, not terrible but not at all good.
By the way, although Lewis himself directed most of his films during the 1960s, this one was directed by Jerry Paris--the same guy who played 'Jerry Helper' on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" as well as director of many comedies over the years. And, the script was also not written by Lewis--making this a rare case where all Lewis had to do was act in the film.
I will try to explain the plot. It is complicated and confusing....so here goes. Jerry marries and takes his wife all over the world for three years--taking her on one adventure after another. The problem is that there's no normalcy for her--and the marriage is all about Jerry and his adventures. So, after she tires of his self-absorption, she sues for divorce and leaves him. In the interim, Jerry turns her lovely home into a Chop Suey palace and discotheque! She returns and is naturally furious--especially since he took out a loan in BOTH their names. She vows to have him jailed and he insists that he will win her back--even when she introduces him to her new boyfriend.
As for the boyfriend, he works in the oil industry and he's invented a new drill. Jerry's very larcenous friend (Terry-Thomas) is intrigued when Jerry proposes a way to earn back the money Jerry owes his wife--to steal the boyfriend's plans for the drill and sell it to the Arabs. BUT, after Jerry sneaks into the company and photographs the plans, he gets the mumps and cannot fly to meet the Arabs. Now here is where the film gets WAY too complicated. He comes up with a scheme where they'll blackmail a local doctor to implant microfilm into an air steward's mouth AND make sure the painkiller wears off at about the time the poor man arrives in Lisbon on a flight. And, the dentist is to give the man a card for an 'associate' (actually a very crooked dentist) in Lisbon in case there are any complications--and he has rigged it so there will surely be a serious complication. Then, at the crooked dentist's office in Lisbon, Terry-Thomas and the Arabs look into the man's mouth to read the plans. BUT, Jerry has only sent half the plan--and the Arabs are NOT pleased. From here, it gets even MORE complicated....all of which tend to confuse the audience and leave you wondering how the plot got this convoluted. As a result of its lack of humor, I think this one merits a 4. I only give it a 4 because Terry-Thomas was pretty good in the movie. Overall, not terrible but not at all good.
By the way, although Lewis himself directed most of his films during the 1960s, this one was directed by Jerry Paris--the same guy who played 'Jerry Helper' on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" as well as director of many comedies over the years. And, the script was also not written by Lewis--making this a rare case where all Lewis had to do was act in the film.