Artists and Models
| Artists and Models | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Frank Tashlin |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Produced by | Hal B. Wallis |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Daniel L. Fapp |
| Edited by | Warren Low |
| Music by | Walter Scharf |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $3.8 million[1] 1,031,433 admissions (France)[2] |
Artists and Models is a 1955 American musical romantic comedy film in VistaVision directed by Frank Tashlin, marking Martin and Lewis's 14th feature together as a team. The film co-stars Shirley MacLaine and Dorothy Malone, with Eva Gabor and Anita Ekberg appearing in brief roles.
Plot
Rick Todd is a struggling painter and smooth-talking ladies' man. His goofy young roommate Eugene Fullstack is an aspiring children's author who has a passion for comic books, especially those of the mysterious and sexy "Bat Lady".
Each night, Eugene has horrific screaming nightmares inspired by those ultra-violent comics, which he describes aloud in his sleep. They are about the bizarre bird-like
A neighbor in their apartment building, Abigail Parker, is a professional artist who works for a
Abigail becomes frustrated at work at the increasingly lurid and bloodthirsty stories the money-hungry Murdock demands. She quits to become an anti-comics activist, dragging Eugene into her crusade as an example of how trashy comic books can warp impressionable minds at the same time that Rick gets a job with the company after pitching the adventures of "Vincent the Vulture" from Eugene's dreams. Rick attains success at his new job, but after falling for Abigail he keeps his work a secret from both her and Eugene.
Unbeknownst to all, Eugene's dreams also contain the real top-secret rocket formula "X34 minus 5R1 plus 6-X36" that Rick publishes in his stories. With spies all around them, they manage to entertain at the annual "Artists and Models Ball" and capture the enemy, preserving national security.
Cast
- Dean Martin as Rick
- Jerry Lewis as Eugene
- Shirley MacLaine as Bessie
- Dorothy Malone as Abigail
- Eddie Mayehoff as Mr. Murdock
- Eva Gabor as Sonia
- Anita Ekberg as Anita
- George "Foghorn" Winslow as Richard Stilton
- Jack Elam as Ivan
- Kathleen Freeman as Mrs. Muldoon
- Herbert Rudley as Secret Service Chief Samuels
- Richard Shannon as Secret Service Agent Rogers
- Richard Webb as Secret Service Agent Peters
- Alan Lee as Otto
- Otto Waldis as Kurt
- Minta Durfee as dancer (uncredited)[3]
Production
Martin and Lewis' 14th feature, Artists and Models, was filmed from February 28 to May 3, 1955, at Paramount Studios.[4] The film was released on November 7, 1955, by Paramount Pictures, and was one of the team's highest-budgeted pictures at $1.5 million ($12,589,869.40 in 2011 dollars). The film was shot in VistaVision and Eastmancolor, with prints by Technicolor, and stereophonic sound by Perspecta. Costumes were by Paramount wardrobe designer Edith Head.[4]
Artists and Models marked the first time Lewis worked with former Looney Tunes director Frank Tashlin, whom he admired greatly.[4] Martin and Lewis would reunite with him on their last film, Hollywood or Bust, and Lewis would then work with Tashlin on six of his solo films.
Producer
Tashlin brought a lot of sexual
Longtime Martin and Lewis writer
Songs featured were by music legends Harry Warren and Jack Brooks, and included "When You Pretend", "You Look So Familiar", "Innamorata (Sweetheart)", "The Lucky Song", and "Artists and Models". A sixth number, sung by Shirley MacLaine during the party, entitled "The Bat Lady", was cut from the final edit.[4]
MacLaine did not make another film with Lewis, but did go on to appear in six more films with Martin, .
According to a 1955 column by Sheilah Graham, the part of Abby was originally offered to Lizabeth Scott, who had played opposite the team in Scared Stiff. When she turned the part down, Martin asked for Dorothy Malone, his other love interest from Scared Stiff.
The cast is filled with cameos by many Martin and Lewis regulars. Eddie Mayehoff made his cinematic debut in That's My Boy and co-starred in The Stooge. Kathleen Freeman also appeared in 3 Ring Circus, along with a number of Lewis' solo films. Jack Elam was in the team's second-to-last picture, Pardners. Anita Ekberg would appear in Martin and Lewis' final film, Hollywood or Bust.
The "Vincent the Vulture" comic books made as a prop for this picture briefly appear in the unaired pilot for the television series Get Smart.
Home media
The film was included on the five-film DVD set the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis Collection: Volume Two, released on June 5, 2007. It was released on its own on March 13, 2020.
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 85% of 13 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10.[6]
References
- ^ 'The Top Box-Office Hits of 1956', Variety Weekly, January 2, 1957
- ^ Box office information for film in France at Box Office Story
- ^ "Minta Durfee Filmography". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
- ^ a b c d Neibaur, James L. and Okuda, Ted, The Jerry Lewis Films, An Analytical Filmography of the Innovative Comic, Pages 98-103. McFarland & Company, Inc., 1995.
- ^ "Finding Aid for the Herbert Baker Papers, 1939-1978". Content.cdlib.org. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
- ^ "Artists and Models". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 3, 2023.
External links
- Artists and Models at IMDb
- Artists and Models at Rotten Tomatoes
- Artists and Models at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
- Artists and Models at the TCM Movie Database
- Artists and Models on YouTube
- My Favourite Comic Book Movie, or How To Keep the Tarnish Off Brass Knuckles
- Artists and Models And Its Mysterious Missing Plot Points