Dual Jerry Lewis’ and Stella Stevens Ideally Mesh in The Nutty Professor

          Upon hearing of the recent passing of Stella Stevens, one sweet cinematic memory immediately crossed my mind: Stevens’ beautiful work as Stella Purdy in what many deem Jerry Lewis’ greatest film, 1963’s The Nutty Professor. As Stella, Stevens takes what could have been a stock ingénue role and invests it with freshness and individuality, including a serene comic sensibility that proves a perfect contrast to Lewis’ more overt, patented approach. The compelling sensitivity Stevens also brings to Stella is very moving in key sequences, allowing Professor to honestly earn its sentimental stripes. Stevens has much to do with Professor’s ongoing popularity and status at the forefront of Lewis’ film output and was rightfully very proud of her work and the film itself. With grade-A Paramount production values throw in, such as gorgeous Technicolor cinematography by W. Wallace Kelly that highlights the ace Art Direction by Hal Pereira and Walter H. Tyler and Set Decoration by Robert Benton and Sam Comer (particularly the aptly named Purple Pit hangout that serves as a striking centerpiece for much of the action) and a lush score by Walter Scharf that beautifully incorporates different variations of Victor Young’s haunting “Stella by Starlight” (originally composed for 1944's excellent The Uninvited) throughout, both as a homage to Ms. Stevens’ character and for the film in general, and typically spot-on Edith Head costumes, the team surrounding star/director/writer Lewis helped enable the multi-talent to achieve his full potential as an original, highly adroit screen artist.

           Professor serves as the peak of Jerry Lewis’ solo career as Paramount’s top comic star, after starting out with tremendous success alongside Dean Martin from 1949-1956 as filmdom’s biggest duo act. Upon the breakup of the team, Lewis continued to prosper with hits such as The Delicate Delinquent, The Bellboy, Cinderfella, and The Ladies Man, in the process developing his own projects as not only star but also screenwriter and director, as well as having much to do with the implementation of the video assist camera (which Lewis first used while filming The Bellboy) as a regular part of film production. Although the inventive Lewis creatively dreamt up original concepts for scenes, resulting in some classic comic bits and set pieces (check out his dance down an elaborate staircase in Cinderfella or how he adeptly utilizes that massive Ladies Man set), he normally played in his famously broad manner, which often allowed the shtick to grow tiresome long before the final fadeout. However, Lewis took great care in adapting his update of Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (with Bill Richmond co-writing the inventive screenplay), and in Professor one can see Lewis maintaining a tighter control both in front of and behind the camera as he crafts his passion project for an avid fan base, giving them plenty of the trademark Lewis comedy, while also providing the film with serious and even eerie aspects (the transformation scene comes to mind) unusual in a Lewis offering.

            In the dual role of the nebbish title figure, Julius Kelp, and his ultra-suave and slick creation/alter ego, lounge lizard Buddy Love, Lewis has a field day depicting both of possibly his best performances (with his later brittle, no-nonsense work in The King of Comedy also in the running), vividly illustrating the lovable Kelp as he fumbles from one mishap to the next, and not shying away from making Buddy Love one of the most revolting cads yet seen in a major release. Although there are some of the stereotypical “out-there” Lewis moments, the star shows much more restraint than normally found in his work, as he appears to embrace the idiosyncrasies found in each role with great zeal and with a commitment to stay focused and true to Kelp and Love, adding plenty of nuance to both roles to make then distinctly different, thereby allowing credibility to the idea onlookers wouldn’t soon recognize they are one and the same man. Lewis reportedly adapted the famous nerdy Kelp voice from a fan he’d met years before, and he clearly relishes adopting the accent as a key component in demonstrating the befuddled-yet-lovable nature inherent in Kelp, while using an amusing stream-of-consciousness, verbose delivery style to also indicate Kelp also possesses a highly intelligent, thoughtful mindset behind his fumbling nature.

After setting up a great intro for Buddy Love through reaction shots of those witnessing him walking to and entering the Purple Pit, Lewis does a stunning job in indelibly portraying the arrogant self-satisfaction and hateful self-loathing driving Love’s egomaniacal behavior. Lewis admirably makes no attempts to show Love as possessing much of any redeemable qualities, which he sometimes uses for comic effect amid the character’s darker aspects (Lewis is at his sarcastic best during Love’s exchanges with a couple Purple Pit employees), while also adding tension and uncomfortable dimensions to Buddy’s relationship with Stella. For example, during his speech to Stella regarding his feelings for her a viewer senses (as Stella does), there is a lot of truth in Buddy’s sweet talk about developing something really special with Stella, but one wants to protect Stella from being used by Love, which Lewis makes all-too evident would be the outcome for anyone who invests any emotional involvement with this magnetic but ignoble rapscallion.

            Starting life as the awesomely named Estelle Eggleston in Yazoo City, Mississippi (not Hot Coffee, as was frequently reported) and following several years as an up-and-coming talent in both comic (Lil’ Abner) and dramatic fare (Too Late Blues), as well as biding her time alongside Elvis Presley as one of the title figures in Girls! Girls! Girls!, Stella Stevens was primed for a major movie breakthrough by 1963, and Professor provides an ideal showcase for her burgeoning, highly individualistic talents. In particular, Stevens does a terrific job in clearly illustrating Stella’s perplexity concerning the dual nature of Kelp and Love’s personalities during her interactions with them, specifically when Love starts to morph back into Kelp while performing for the college kids at the Purple Pit. Stevens handles these moments, as well as her blossoming attractions to Kelp and Love, in a remarkably skillful and believability subtle manner, allowing the audience to both follow and buy into the fantastic premise playing out onscreen. She’s also deeply moving while comforting Kelp at the film’s conclusion, making it clear this oddball coupling has the strong connection necessary to make their union last.

            Stevens had a landmark year in 1963, stealing the show prior to the release of Professor in director Vincente Minnelli’s engaging comedy/drama The Courtship of Eddie’s Father playing yet another alluring bombshell with a captivating fragility and a light, perfect comic touch; as Dollye Day, a dreamy redhead with aspirations in the music field, Stevens has the film’s most memorable moment putting over a mean drum solo in an amusing manner, as Dollye starts out tentatively before working her way into the number to get the joint jumping. Stevens would again display ace comic timing as the klutzy, beguiling sidekick to Dean Martin’s Matt Helm in one of 1966’s big hits, The Silencers. The early seventies brought continued success, with Stevens doing fine work in Sam Peckinpah’s acclaimed sleeper The Ballad of Cable Hogue before memorably appearing in one the decade’s biggest blockbusters, The Poseidon Adventure, wherein alongside a slew of top names Stevens makes a strong impression as Linda Rogo, a tough former prostitute whose street smarts and survival skills come in handy after a topsy-turvy New Year’s Eve at sea. After this high point Stevens made many television appearances and continued in films of varying quality, with her superb work in Professor remaining a high point that gained her new fans as the movie attained classic status over the decades.

 Beloved character actress Kathleen Freeman served as a “Girl Friday” to Lewis in thirteen of his films, and she’s in peak form in Professor as the kind, concerned secretary Millie Lemmon. Freeman deftly knew her way around a site gag or double-take, and Lewis grants her several funny bits the veteran puts over with aplomb, while also delivering very touching reaction shots during Kelp’s speech at the prom near the film's conclusion, which provides additional depth to Millie. With his rich, commanding speaking voice and flair for zany comedy that does Lewis proud, Del Moore also makes a big impact as the stern Dr. Warfield, who has plenty to contend with as president of a university wherein the hapless Kelp manages to wreak havoc with each new experiment. In his biggest scene with Lewis, Moore fearlessly allows himself to appear progressively more ridiculous in riveting fashion, as the insincere Love spitefully pushes Dr. Warfield to recite Hamlet’s “To Be or Not to Be” in order to gain Warfield’s favor. As Kelp’s always-at-odds parents, who prove opposites don’t always attract, Howard Morris and Elvia Allman add abundant color to the film’s proceedings, and among other well-known names that can be spotted are Les Brown, leading his orchestra at the climatic prom, Marvin Kaplan, Henry Gibson, Seymour Cassel and, years before his iconic role as “Jaws” in The Spy Who Loved Me (and beyond), Richard Kiel as one of the towering he-men Lewis literally runs into at a gym.

Following the pattern of most Lewis output of the period, upon its June 1963 release Professor found instant success with the public, becoming a summertime hit that saw 3.3 million in film rentals by the year’s end (according to Variety). Foreshadowing the movie’s eventual esteemed status one of the top comedies of its era, Professor also enjoyed better-than-average reviews from critics, who praised the singular performances of Lewis and Stevens, while also (in some cases) giving Lewis proper respect for his terrific all-around efforts in making the film such a rich entertainment, which adeptly blending aspects of comedy, drama, fantasy and romance. Over the years the movie’s profile has risen, helped by a smash 1996 Eddie Murphy remake and popularity on home video, DVD, and Blu-ray (which really makes the Technicolor pop), leading to its placement in 2000 among the American Film Institute’s Top 100 comedies (at #99) and a 2004 entry into the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry. The Nutty Professor also endures as a fitting testament to the exceptional comic and dramatic talents of Jerry Lewis and Stella Stevens, allowing fans the perfect venue to see them at their comic, dramatic and cinematic best.