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Hardly Working
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hardly Working | |
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| Directed by | Jerry Lewis |
| Produced by | Igo Kantor James McNamara |
| Written by | Jerry Lewis Michael Janover |
| Starring | Jerry Lewis Susan Oliver Deanna Lund |
| Distributed by | Twentieth Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | April 3, 1981 |
| Running time | 91 minutes |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Hardly Working was filmed in 1979. It was released on April 3, 1981 by 20th Century Fox.
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Bo Hopper (Jerry Lewis), a clown, finds himself unemployed when the circus he is employed at suddenly closes. He winds up living with his sister (Susan Oliver), against the wishes of her husband Robert (Roger C. Carmel). From there he goes from job to job, wreaking havoc along the way. He finally finds some stability as a postal worker, until he finds out that his boss is his girlfriend's father. The father hates all mail carriers because his daughter's ex-husband was one, so he tries to wreck Bo's life, but Bo overcomes the odds and succeeds not only at work, but at impressing the father.
- It had a successful run in released in Europe during 1980, which convinced 20th Century Fox to pick up the independent production for distibution in the United States.
- This was Lewis' "comeback" film, as it was his first released film since 1970's Which Way to the Front?. In between, he filmed The Day the Clown Cried, which, to date, is unreleased.
- Taglines for the film included,'The World's Funniest Man Is Back' and 'The Original Jerk Is Back' (in reference to the 1979 Steve Martin film, The Jerk.)
- The film opens with a montage of scenes from earlier Jerry Lewis films, including The Bellboy, Cinderfella, The Errand Boy, Who's Minding the Store?, and The Patsy.
- The clown makeup was designed by Lewis for 1954's 3 Ring Circus. It was later reused in 1965's The Family Jewels.
- It was rated 'PG' by the MPAA, which is significant because it was the first time Jerry Lewis appeared in a movie that wasn't rated 'G'.
- Lewis' future wife, Sandee "Sam" Pitnick, appears as a disco dancer.
The movie was critically panned; Roger Ebert called it, "one of the worst movies ever to achieve commercial release in this country, and it is no wonder it was on the shelf for two years before it saw the light of day."