''Jumping Jacks'' is a 1952 American semi-

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

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 ...

starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis. The film was directed by

Norman Taurog Norman Rae Taurog (February 23, 1899 – April 7, 1981) was an American film director and screenwriter. From 1920 to 1968, Taurog directed 180 films. At the age of 32, he received the Academy Award for Best Director for ''Skippy (film), Skippy' ...

, and released by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. It was one of the military comedies that marked the duo's early career. Brigadier General Frank Dorn, Deputy Chief of the US Army's Information Office praised ''Jumping Jacks'' as something that would "contribute to troop morale within the Army."

Plot

United States Army Corporal Chick Allen is a paratrooper preparing a show with other soldiers. The general, however, is unhappy with the quality of past shows and is threatening to eliminate them unless the quality improves, which is why Chick has invited his former partner, Hap Smith, to help out. Hap, who has continued their nightclub act with a new partner, Betsy Carter, poses as a soldier so that he can do one performance with the general in the audience. The show impresses the general so much that he arranges for the show (including Hap) to tour other camps. Fearing a court-martial, Chick and the rest of the performers pass Hap off as Private "Dogface" Dolan, while the real "Dogface" goes into hiding. Hap undergoes paratrooper training to keep up the ruse but he is very accident prone. However, inadvertently, it works to his benefit as everything he does is seen as "correct military conduct". The top sergeant takes notice and praises him. Understandably, Hap wants to return to civilian life and tries to sneak away any chance he can but Chick always manages to stop him. During one of his escape attempts, under some war maneuvers, Hap destroys a key bridge and captures an enemy general. Hap is eventually exposed as a civilian but is sworn in as a paratrooper and becomes a hero.

Cast

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...

as Corporal Chick Allen *

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 ...

as Hap Smith * Mona Freeman as Betsy Carter * Don DeFore as Lieutenant Kelsey * Robert Strauss as Sergeant McClusky *

Richard Erdman John Richard Erdman (June 1, 1925 – March 16, 2019) was an American character actor and occasional film and television director. He appeared in more than 160 films and television productions between 1944 and 2017, mostly in supporting roles ...

as Private "Dogface" Dolan (billed as Dick Erdman) * Ray Teal as Brigadier General W.W. Timmons * Marcy McGuire as Julia Loring * Danny Arnold as Private Evans

Production

''Jumping Jacks'' was filmed from December 3, 1951 through January 23, 1952. The original story (''Ready, Willing and Four F'') was written during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

by Robert Lees and Fred Rinaldo and acquired by

. It was offered first to

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

, then to

Danny Kaye Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; ; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer, and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and rapid-fire novelty songs. Kaye starred ...

, but both turned it down because they had already done army comedies. Paramount made arrangements to bring

Cantinflas Mario Fortino Alfonso Moreno Reyes (12 August 1911 – 20 April 1993), known by the stage name Cantinflas (), was a Mexican comedian, actor, and filmmaker. He is considered to have been the most widely accomplished Mexican comedian and is well ...

up from Mexico for the film, but the war ended, making army comedies obsolete. The screenplay was updated for Martin and Lewis by

Herbert Baker Sir Herbert Baker (9 June 1862 – 4 February 1946) was an English architect remembered as the dominant force in South African architecture for two decades, and a major designer of some of New Delhi's most notable government structures. He was ...

, who would write several other films for the team as well as write for Martin on ''

The Dean Martin Show ''The Dean Martin Show'' is a TV Variety show, variety-Television comedy, comedy series that ran from 1965 to 1974 for 264 episodes. It was broadcast by NBC and hosted by Dean Martin. The theme song to the series was his 1964 hit "Everybody Loves ...

'' TV series and three of Martin's

Matt Helm Matt Helm is a fictional character created by American author Donald Hamilton (1916–2006). Helm is a U.S. government counter-agent, a man whose primary job is to kill or nullify enemy agents—not a spy or secret agent in the ordinary sense of ...

films. Principal photography took place at the Airborne Department of the Infantry School, assisted by United States Air Force units stationed at

Fort Benning Fort Benning (named Fort Moore from 2023–2025) is a United States Army post in the Columbus, Georgia area. Located on Georgia's border with Alabama, Fort Benning supports more than 120,000 active-duty military, family members, reserve compone ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

."Notes: 'Jumping Jacks'."
''Turner Classic Movies''. Retrieved: November 14, 2015.

Reception

In his review of ''Jumping Jacks'' 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 ...

'',

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...

, noted that the film appealed to Martin and Lewis fans. He said, "The Ripping and Roaring Society of Jerry Lewis Fans — or, at least, as many members of it as the Paramount Theatre can hold — was rolling in the aisles and generally acting in its customarily warm, responsive way at the opening performance of their hero's new picture, 'Jumping Jacks,' in that theatre yesterday. And the worst that a non-subscriber to that society and its sentiments can say is that the rabid behavior of the members seemed a bit on the over-wrought side." Reviewer and film historian

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic, film historian, and author. He is known for his book of film capsule reviews, '' Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide'', published from 1969 to 2014. Maltin was the film criti ...

considered it, "(a) good opportunity for plenty of sight gags when they join a military paratroop squad."Maltin, Leonard
"Leonard Maltin Ratings & Reviews: 'Jumping Jacks'."
''Turner Classic Movies''. Retrieved: November 14, 2015.

Re-releases

''Jumping Jacks'' was re-released on a double bill with another Martin and Lewis film, '' Sailor Beware'' in 1957 and on another double bill with '' Scared Stiff'' in 1958.

Home media

The film was included on an eight-film DVD set, the ''Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis Collection: Volume One'', released on October 31, 2006.

References

Bibliography

* , James L. and Ted Okuda. ''The Jerry Lewis Films: An Analytical Filmography of the Innovative Comic''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 1994. .

External links

* * * {{Martin and Lewis 1952 films 1952 comedy films American aviation films American black-and-white films American buddy comedy films 1950s English-language films Films directed by Norman Taurog Films produced by Hal B. Wallis Military comedy films Paramount Pictures films Films about the United States Army 1950s American films Films scored by Joseph J. Lilley Films about parachuting