''Cracking Up'' is a 1983 American

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

directed by and starring

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...

, his last film as a director and fourth and final film for 20th Century Fox. Originally titled ''Smorgasbord'', it was filmed in 1981 and 1982 and only received limited distribution in the United States. Lewis wrote the screenplay with

Bill Richmond Bill Richmond (5 August 1763 – 28 December 1829) was a British boxer, born into slavery in Richmondtown, New York. Although born in Colonial America, he lived for the majority of his life in England, where all his boxing contests took pl ...

, his writing collaborator on films such as '' The Nutty Professor'' and '' The Patsy''. The film contains a series of short comic sketches, set pieces and

blackout gag A blackout gag is a kind of joke in broad, rapid-fire slapstick comedy. The term is derived from burlesque and vaudeville, when the lights were quickly turned off after the punchline of a joke to accentuate it and encourage audience laughter. It ...

Plot

Warren Nefron is a klutz who cannot do anything right. He tells his problems to his psychiatrist, Dr. Pletchick. Through a series of flashbacks Nefron's life story is told. Warren is such a failure that even his many attempts to commit suicide fail. Dr. Pletchick cures Warren with

hypnosis Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychological ...

, but all of Nefron's problems get transferred to him as a result. Warren and a young woman attend a film titled ''Smorgasbord'' (the film's original title).

Cast

as Warren *

Herb Edelman Herbert “Herb” Edelman (November 5, 1933 – July 21, 1996) was an American comedian, and actor of stage, film and television. He was twice nominated for an Emmy Awards, Emmy Award for his television work. His best-known role was as Stanl ...

as the Psychiatrist * Zane Buzby as the Waitress *

Milton Berle Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over eight decades, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and ...

as the Lady (voiced by Ruta Lee) *

Foster Brooks Foster Murrell Brooks (May 11, 1912 – December 20, 2001) was an American actor and comedian best known for his portrayal of a lovable drunk in nightclub performances and television programs. Early life Brooks was born in Louisville, Kentuck ...

as the Pilot *

Dick Butkus Richard Marvin Butkus (December 9, 1942 – October 5, 2023) was an American professional football linebacker, sports commentator, and actor. He played football for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1965 to 1973. He w ...

as Anti-Smoking Enforcer *

Francine York Francine York (born Francine Yerich; August 26, 1936 – January 6, 2017) was an American actress and model. She also used her birth name Francine Yerich in her occupation. Early life Francine Yerich was born to Frank and Sophie Yerich in the s ...

as Marie *

Sammy Davis Jr. Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, actor, comedian, dancer, and musician. At age two, Davis began his career in Vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the Will Mastin Trio, which t ...

as himself *

Buddy Lester Buddy Lester (born William Goldberg; January 16, 1915 – October 4, 2002) was an American actor and comedian who portrayed dozens of character roles in films and television. Although known for his appearances in Jerry Lewis’ comedy films, he ...

as Passenger

Production

''Cracking Up'' includes many cameos, including those of

and

. In December 1982 after filming completed, Lewis underwent triple-bypass heart surgery at Desert Springs Hospital in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Release

The film was released theatrically in some European countries, such as

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

(where it was released on April 13, 1983 by

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. It was given a limited release in American theatres: it was given a test release in Wichita, Kansas, on April 22, 1983, under its original ''Smorgasbord'' title, then in Tucson, Arizona, on September 2, 1983, under its new title ''Cracking Up''. In early 1984, it premiered on

cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...

, initially on the

PRISM PRISM is a code name for a program under which the United States National Security Agency (NSA) collects internet communications from various U.S. internet companies. The program is also known by the SIGAD . PRISM collects stored internet ...

channel, and on

videocassette Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocasset ...

. In May 1985, it was given a two-day run at New York's Thalia Theater under its original title, double-billed with '' The King of Comedy''. It later played a smattering of revival houses, art cinemas and film festivals. The film was screened as part of the Jerry Lewis: The Total Filmmaker program at the 2016

Melbourne International Film Festival The Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) is an annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1952 and is one of the oldest film festivals in the world following the founding of the Venic ...

Reception

In a contemporary review for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', critic Vincent Canby called the film "a mostly cold buffet of random Lewis routines in which the director-star falls off slippery furniture, cracks up automobiles, fails at suicide and can't even walk across the floor of his psychiatrist's office without taking a header."

Home media

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, Inc. (doing business as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment; formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the American home video distribution ...

released the film on VHS and Beta on January 4, 1984, touting it as a unique exclusive premiere to home video, disregarding its brief theatrical run.

Warner Archive The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the int ...

released the film on DVD on May 18, 2010.

References

External links

* * {{Jerry Lewis 1983 comedy films 1983 films Films directed by Jerry Lewis Films with screenplays by Jerry Lewis Films with screenplays by Bill Richmond (writer) 1980s English-language films American comedy films 1980s American films