Not a big Jerry Lewis fan but I remembered this one from my childhood and found it very funny but there were whole parts that I didn't "get". Forty years later I think I get it. It isn't supposed to be a comedy in the classic Hollywood sense. Much of the story is about someone who is either socially retarded OR is far more manipulative and ambitious than is apparent to the casual observer.
SPOILERS AHEAD One thing that kept going through my head was Jerry was feeling the heat coming from Lenny Bruce at that time. This film was how he imagined the world would look if HE died suddenly and Lenny Bruce was pushed into his slot. The scene in the small night club with the horribly named 'Step Brothers' was extremely revealing. It appeared that the Stanley character was whacked out on something, drugs or who knows what. The SS firing squad bit seemed more than a bit too much but by this time we're way too deep into Jerry's mind to bail.
I suspect that both Scorsese and the late Robert Altman wanted to pay a type an homage to this film with their works, THE KING OF COMEDY and THE PLAYER. The Patsy is a very good film but not great, too many self-indulgent bits but still worth seeing if want to see the Hollywod system attempt show a mirror to itself circa early sixties.
SPOILERS AHEAD One thing that kept going through my head was Jerry was feeling the heat coming from Lenny Bruce at that time. This film was how he imagined the world would look if HE died suddenly and Lenny Bruce was pushed into his slot. The scene in the small night club with the horribly named 'Step Brothers' was extremely revealing. It appeared that the Stanley character was whacked out on something, drugs or who knows what. The SS firing squad bit seemed more than a bit too much but by this time we're way too deep into Jerry's mind to bail.
I suspect that both Scorsese and the late Robert Altman wanted to pay a type an homage to this film with their works, THE KING OF COMEDY and THE PLAYER. The Patsy is a very good film but not great, too many self-indulgent bits but still worth seeing if want to see the Hollywod system attempt show a mirror to itself circa early sixties.