My friend Irma is the first of 16 films that Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis made together, and it's their worst, and only one of two that aren't very good. The reason is Lewis and his character of Seymour. He is a constant complaining, loud, obnoxious character who adds zero comedy to this film. Fortunately, the duo are not the lead stars of the film.
That billing goes to John Lund, Diana Lynn and Marie Wilson. Most of the comedy is provided by Lund's Al, and Wilson's Irma Peterson. She provides some scatterbrained humor, and Lund is a riot playing the tough, uneducated but sly con artist. Those two performances trump the terrible Lewis role and raise mediocre roles of Martin's Steve and Diana Lynn's Jane Stacey. Don DeFore is good as Richard Rhinelander, also providing some comedy.
The later pairings of Martin and Lewis have Jerry toning down his loud, complaining characters and then dropping that for good comedy and antics.
Here are the better lines from this film.
Al, "Chicken, believe me. You've got no chance to win this contest." Irma Peterson, 'Why not?" Al, "For one thing, all contest winners live in one of two places - Butte, Montana, or Keokuk, Iowa." Irma, "I'll move." Al, "... And the only other way you can win a contest is if you have a husband who isn't working and you 're the mother of 32 children."
Steve, "But what's the sense of living if you have to kill yourself?"
Steve. "Well, that's me - never a director, always a chauffeur."
Mrs. Rhinelander, "Well, what is she, a neurotic?" Irma Peterson, "Her religion has nothing to do with it."
Irma Peterson, "It's just that your son has so much money that she is drawn to him like a maggot." Mrs. Rhinelander, "A maggot?"
Al, "Chicken, you're cryin'. What's happened?... You didn't lose your job?" Irma, "Oh, no." Al, "Oh, you had me scared for a minute."
Radio Contest Announcer, "Well, ladies and gentlemen, we're about to call the winner of the mammoth $50,000 gift contest. There goes the giant wheel and someone will be the lucky winner. Our telephone operator is waiting to call the lucky winner who is Mrs. Hilda Platz of Keokuk, Iowa, the mother of 32 children." Irma Peterson, "Al was right."
Radio Contest Announcer, "Hold it, folks. Mrs. Platz is disqualified - she has no phone. And there goes the wheel again and the call goes to Miss Irma Peterson."
