''The Delicate Delinquent'' is an American

VistaVision VistaVision is a higher resolution, widescreen variant of the 35 mm motion picture film format that was created by engineers at Paramount Pictures in 1954. Paramount did not use anamorphic processes such as CinemaScope but refined the ...

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

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 ...

, released on June 6, 1957, 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 the first film to star Lewis without his longtime partner

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 ...

and marked Lewis' debut as a producer and screenwriter.

Plot

Janitor Sidney L. Pythias is mistaken for a gang member and arrested along with three juvenile delinquents, Artie, Monk and Harry. Police officer Mike Damon believes that he can help a wayward youth as a cop had once done for him. He is given a month by Captain Riley to set a boy straight, provided that he allow socialite Martha Henshaw assist him in the effort. Sidney's secret ambition is to be a policeman. He also wants to impress Patricia, a student nurse who lives in his building, by making something of himself. Mike and Martha bicker while working with Sidney, who is permitted to attend the police academy, over the objections of Artie, Monk and Harry. Artie is accidentally shot by a gun in Sidney's possession, endangering his future with the police force, but it is Monk who is responsible. Cleared of all blame, Sidney becomes a cop, determined to set a good example for youths, while Mike and Martha fall in love.

Cast

as Sidney Pythias * Darren McGavin as Mike Damon * Martha Hyer as Martha Henshaw * Horace McMahon as Capt. Riley * Mary Webster as Patricia *

Richard Bakalyan Richard Bakalyan (January 29, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor who started his career playing juvenile delinquents in his first several films. Early life Richard Bakalyan was born on January 29, 1931, in Watertown, Massachuset ...

as Artie * Robert Ivers as Monk * Joseph Corey as Harry *

Emory Parnell Emory Parnell (December 29, 1892 – June 22, 1979) was an American vaudeville performer and actor who appeared in over 250 films in his 36-year career. Early years Parnell was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. He spent eight months in the Arct ...

as Sgt. Levitch * Frank Gorshin as Wise Guy on Street * The Great Togo as himself * Robert Fuller as Jerry Lewis’ stunt double

Production

*''The Delicate Delinquent'' was filmed from September 5 through October 12 of 1956 and is based upon a script entitled ''Damon and Pythias'' inspired by the Damon and Pythias legend. Darren McGavin stepped in to fill the role of a police officer that was originally written for Dean Martin, who refused to play the role, ending the Martin and Lewis partnership. Although the credits show a copyright date of 1956, the film was released the following year, a common practice in Hollywood. *Lewis, who also produced the film, played a juvenile, although he was 30 years old at the time. *The romantic interest was provided mainly by actress Martha Hyer, who in 1966 married Hal B. Wallis, producer of the Martin and Lewis films. Hyer's wardrobe was created by longtime Paramount costumer designer

Edith Head Edith Claire Head (née Posener, October 28, 1897 – October 24, 1981) was an American film costume designer who won a record eight Academy Awards for Academy Award for Best Costume Design, Best Costume Design between 1949 and 1973, making he ...

. *Comedian/impressionist Frank Gorshin makes an early dramatic appearance as a gang member.

Box office

The film cost just under $500,000 to produce, but it grossed about $6 million.

Re-release

''The Delicate Delinquent'' was rereleased in 1962 on a double bill with another Lewis film, ''

The Sad Sack ''The Sad Sack'' is a 1957 American comedy film based on the Harvey Comics character of the same title, created by George Baker. The film stars Jerry Lewis and Peter Lorre and was released by Paramount Pictures. Plot Private Meredith Bixby ...

'' (1957).

Home media

The film was released on DVD on October 12, 2004, and again on July 22, 2019.

References

External links

* *
''The Delicate Delinquent''
at

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Delicate Delinquent, The 1957 films 1957 comedy films American comedy films American black-and-white films Films about juvenile delinquency Films set in New York City Paramount Pictures films Films based on classical mythology Films produced by Jerry Lewis 1950s English-language films 1950s American films VistaVision films