The Ladies Man is a 1961 American comedy film directed by and starring Jerry Lewis. It was released on June 28, 1961, by Paramount Pictures.
Plot
Herbert H. Heebert is a young man who loses his girlfriend, swears off romance, and then takes a job at a genteel, women-only boarding house, run by retired opera singer Helen Wellenmellon. Although most of the women treat him like a servant, Fay helps him with his fear of women.
Cast
- Jerry Lewis as Herbert H. Heebert/Marna Heebert
- Helen Traubel as Helen N. Wellenmellon
- Kathleen Freeman as Katie
- Hope Holiday as Miss Anxious
- Lynn Ross as Miss Vitality
- Mary LaRoche as Miss Society
- Madlyn Rhue as Miss Intellect
- Sylvia Lewis as Miss Cartilage
- Jack Kruschen as graduation emcee professor
- Pat Stanley as Fay
- Jacqueline Fontaine as working girl
- Gloria Jean as Gloria
- Ann McCrea as Miss Sexy Pot
- Buddy Lester as Willard C. Gainsborough
- George Raft as himself
- Harry James as Harry
- Marty Ingels as himself
In addition, Lillian Briggs made her Hollywood acting debut in this film and actor George Raft appeared in a cameo role. Patty Thomas plays herself a dancer.
Production
Mel Brooks worked on the screenplay. He fought with Lewis and left the production. In Brooks's biography, he stated that the final draft screenplay only featured two of his scenes and asked the Writers Guild of America to make sure that he was not given any credit. Filming started in November 1960. The main set alone cost $500,000 to build (equivalent to $ in ).
The film grossed $271,635 in its first week of release in New York.
Herbert H. Heebert's line "Hey, lady!" was nominated for the American Film Institute's 2005 list AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes.
Home media
The film was released on DVD on October 14, 2004, and again on July 15, 2014, as part of the four-film collection 4 Film Favorites: Jerry Lewis, along with The Bellboy, The Errand Boy, and The Patsy.