Jumping Jacks

Starting in 1949 and through the early 1950s, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis made 16 films together. Their match-up is the familiar one of comedy teams. A straight man, who often gets the gal, and a goof-up, klutz or clown. So, we had had Laurel and Hardy, Crosby and Hope, and Martin and Lewis.

This is one of the earlier Martin-Lewis comedies. As with most of their films, Dean's singing and their comedy routines play in the plot. So, we get a little singing and dancing along with a wacky story of sorts. After Chick (Martin) goes in the Army, Hap Smith (Lewis) finds himself a female partner for a new show. But before they can get launched in the big time, Chick calls for help that only Hap can provide. So, he sneaks on base to help with a show for the troops.

Well, it's not hard to imagine what happens from there on. The base is a fictitious one, of course, but for this one Paramount did some film shooting at Ft. Benning, GA, and the Army parachute school.

While this and similar films still bring a chuckle here and there, they don't seem as funny as they must have been to audiences in the mid- 20th century. I remember watching these in theaters as a youngster. Slapstick can still be good and very funny, but I think the comedy with actors completely changing their voices was a phase from that period that hasn't lasted.

This film is OK for some laughs and the music and comedy. The rest of the cast provide nice support for the two leads.