THREE ON A COUCH (director: Jerry Lewis; screenwriters: Bob Ross/Samuel A. Taylor; cinematographer: W. Wallace Kelley; editor: Russel Wiles; music: Louis Y. Brown; cast: James Best (Dr. Ben Mizer), Janet Leigh (Dr. Elizabeth Acord), Jerry Lewis (Christopher Pride/Warren/Ringo/Rutherford/Heather), Leslie Parrish (Mary Lou Mauve), Mary Ann Mobley (Susan Manning), Gila Golan (Anna Jacque), Kathleen Freeman (Murphy); Runtime: 109; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Jerry Lewis; Columbia; 1966)
“The only thing funny about this pic is Jerry’s stilted performance.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

Jerry Lewis (“The Patsy”/”The Bellboy”/”The Ladies Man”) has made worse movies than this very bad one, but not many. The only thing funny about this pic is Jerry’s stilted performance. The script by Bob Ross and Samuel A. Taylor deserves to be burned like those bras burned by the feminists.

Christopher Pride (Jerry Lewis) is a jumpy L.A. artist who won in a contest $10,000 and the commission to do a wall mural in Paris. When he excitedly tells this to his self-assured psychiatrist fiancée, Dr. Elizabeth Acord (Janet Leigh), and of his plans that they ‘kill two birds with one stone’ by having their honeymoon in Paris, she tells him she can’t leave her three female patients, Mary Lou, Susan and Anna (Leslie Parrish-former model, Mary Ann Mobley- former Miss America, and Gia Golan-former Miss Israel). The girls all have severe love affair problems that cause them to hate men, and it wouldn’t be fair for her to leave them in such a tough spot. Dr. Ben Mizer (James Best), friend of both Chris and Liz, advises them to work it out by finding a way to make their love work for them.

In hopes of curing the women’s problems fast, Christopher impersonates three men who are the ideals for these ladies and he romances them so they will not think all men are cads. This leaves Christopher in disguise as a nebbish insectologist for Southerner Mary Lou, a jock for the athletic Susan and a big talking Jackson Hole, Wyoming rancher for the foreigner cowboy lover Anna.

The multi-character impersonating act is familiar stuff to Jerry, as this dull and dim-witted film has the predictability and look of all his other films. If you’re a Jerry Lewis fan, then you’ll probably find something funny that I just couldn’t. The film received an underwhelming reception from both critics and at the box office.

REVIEWED ON 3/20/2008 GRADE: C-

Dennis Schwartz: “Ozus’ World Movie Reviews”

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