It’s no secret that the Hollywood Comet loves musicals.
In 2010, I revealed I had seen 400 movie musicals over the course of eight years. Now that number is over 600. To celebrate and share this musical love, here is my weekly feature about musicals.

This week’s musical:
You’re Never Too Young (1955) – Musical #778

Studio:
Paramount Pictures

Director:
Norman Taurog

Starring:
Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Diana Lynn, Nina Foch, Raymond Burr, Mitzi McCall, Veda Ann Borg, Margery Maude, Romo Vincent, Nancy Kulp, Milton Frome, James Burke (uncredited), Hans Conreid (uncredited), Bess Flowers (uncredited), Whitey Haupt (uncredited)

Plot:
Following a jewel robbery, thief Noonan (Burr) slips a diamond into the pocket of unsuspecting Bob Miles (Martin) and then on to barber apprentice Wilbur Hoolick (Lewis). When Wilbur has an encounter with Noonan, thinking he’s a jealous husband, he heads out of town to stay out of trouble.

Trivia:
• A version of “The Major and the Minor” (1942), which Diana Lynn co-starred in. Emory Parnell plays the same role of a train conductor in “You’re Never Too Young” and “The Major in the Minor.” Both “The Major and the Minor” and “You’re Never Too Young” are based on a 1921 story, “Sunny Goes Home” by Fannie Kilbourne, which was adapted into the 1923 play, “Connie Goes Home” by Edward Childs Carpenter.
• Thirteenth film co-staring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis
• The film was re-released in 1964 with “The Caddy” (1953)
• Dean Martin was one of the producers on the film.
• First feature film of Mitzi McCall
• The film was filmed at the North Shore Tavern in Lake Arrowhead

Highlights:
• Stunning VistaVision

Notable Songs:
• “I Know Your Mother Loves You” performed by Dean Martin
• “Love is All That Matters” performed by Dean Martin
• “Simpatico” performed by Dean Martin

My review:
I might as well go ahead and say: Jerry Lewis’s style of humor is not for me. So this was a rough watch to me.

In YOU’RE NEVER TOO YOUNG (1955), there’s a barbershop routine where Dean Martin is getting tortured by Lewis’s comedic antics during a scalp massage, Lewis gets caught in the train bed, goes ape wild (while pretending to be a child) during a university board meeting, he mimics voices on the phone, conducts a chorus in an obnoxious way which doesn’t allow you to hear the song, and then there is a water skiing incident where he obviously has several near misses. It’s too much for me!

YOU’RE NEVER TOO YOUNG (1955) falls under the “musical remake” category. It’s a remake of the 1942 film, THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR, which starred Ginger Rogers as an adult pretending to be a child so she could get a half-fair train ticket when she was in a jam and had to get out of town. In a gender reversal of roles, in YOU’RE NEVER TOO YOUNG, Jerry Lewis plays the adult pretending to be a child. The problem being, the plot here is convoluted by extra characters. Let me explain:

During a jewel robbery, thief Noonan (Burr) drops a stolen diamond in the pocket of Bob Miles’s (Martin) suit jacket. While Bob has a disastrous hair massage from barber apprentice Wilbur Hoolick (Lewis), the diamond somehow is transferred to Wilbur’s pocket. To get the diamond from Wilbur, Noonan sends Wilbur to his apartment for a private head massage. When Wilbur arrives, Noonan’s girlfriend (Borg) is waiting for him to seduce him in order to get the diamond. When Noonan arrives, Wilbur believes he’s about to get clobbered by a jealous husband and decides to leave town, but he can’t afford it. When Wilbur realizes children get half fair, he dresses like a little boy. Once on the train, the train conductor believes he’s a grown man and Noonan is also on the train looking for Wilbur. Wilbur ducks into the room of teacher Nancy Collins (Lynn), who is headed to the all girl’s school where she and her boyfriend, Bob (Martin) work. When Bob heads to meet Nancy at the train, the school headmaster’s daughter, Gretchen (Foch) goes along and thinks Nancy has a grown man in her room. Because of this, Wilbur keeps up the deception of being a child and is taken in by Gretchen’s family while he waits for his parents.

And that’s just getting the story set up! Antics continue to ensue at the school once they are there.

Outside of the ridiculous jewel robbery, there are several similarities to THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR, but the plot is somehow too convoluted with the addition of Dean Martin in the cast, though Dean Martin and Diana Lynn are the only part of the film I enjoyed. It was fun that Diana Lynn appeared in both the original and the remake.

Jerry Lewis trying to be a child is so ridiculous. Of course, it was for Ginger Rogers too, but she at least could MAYBE pass as a pre-teen. Lewis just looks like an adult man. It also bugged me that while acting like a child or not, he used that stupid voice he does. It would help distinguish between the characters, in my opinion, if he’d just … spoke with his normal voice. But I know that’s asking too much.

As I said, Dean Martin was one of the better parts of the film. He plays the thankless role of the straight man, but at least we get to hear him croon a few catchy songs. Diana Lynn is also fun, though this was sadly starting to near the end of her film career.

This was number 13 out of 16 films Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis made together. Several film historians said that by the time this movie came out, animosity was near a boiling point with the two of them. Following the film, when Jerry Lewis booked the premiere in the Catskills, Lewis cleared it with the director and producers first and then informed Dean Martin the following day, Martin was annoyed he wasn’t included in the initial discussion, and didn’t attend the premiere.

While Jerry Lewis’s humor is not for me (perhaps it is for you!) I can list a few positives: the color is stunning, the songs are warm and fun, and I liked the number the students performed welcoming Wilbur to the school. As far as the negatives, I’ll just say this. I’ll disagree with the title – You CAN be too young.

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