Jackson Booth-Millard I found this film listed in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, I did not realise the partnership of the famous crooner and the popular comedian had been a thing for years, this was their fourteenth feature together. Basically Rick Todd (Dean Martin) is a struggling painter and smooth-talking ladies' man, his goofy young roommate Eugene Fullstack (Jerry Lewis) is an aspiring children's author with a passion for comic books, especially those featuring the mysterious and sexy "Bat Lady". Every night, Eugene has nightmares, inspired by the many comics he reads, he screams and describes these visions aloud in his sleep, they are about the bizarre bird-like superhero "Vincent the Vulture", who has many fantastical elements, also known as "Vultureman", or simply "The Vulture", the golden helmeted hero soaring through space, according to Eugene's nocturnal babblings. An apartment building neighbour, Abigail "Abby" Parker (Dorothy Malone), is a professional artist working for New York comic book company Murdock Publishing, she created the "Bat Lady", she is becoming frustrated with the demands of Murdock for increasingly lurid and bloodthirsty stories. Abigail's energetic horoscope-obsessed roommate Bessie Sparrowbush (Shirley MacLaine) works as the secretary for the publisher Mr. Murdock (Eddie Mayehoff) and as a model for the flying bat-masked superheroine, she develops a crush on Eugene, who is unaware she is his beloved "Bat Lady" in the flesh. Abigail quits her job to become an anti-comics activist, she drags Eugene into her crusade as an example of how trashy comic books can warp the mind. At the same time, Rick gets a job with the company after using the ramblings of Eugene's dreams to pitch the idea of the adventures of "Vincent the Vulture", Rick becomes successful with this, but he has fallen for Abigail, he keeps this secret from her, and from Eugene. Unbeknownst to all, Eugene's dreams also contain the formula "X34 minus 5R1 plus 6-X36", a real top-secret rocket, Rick publishes this in one of the stories, soon enough spies are all around them, they plan to capture Rick and Eugene at the annual "Artists and Models Ball" to preserve national security. Also starring Eva Gabor as Sonia / Mrs. Curtis and La Dolce Vita's Anita Ekberg as Anita. Martin is obviously a great singer, he does well being the charmer as well, Lewis is bonkers, his antics borders on being annoying at times, but overall he is humorous, Martin and Lewis are indeed a great odd couple and comedy duo, Malone and MacClaine are good as well, it is a madcap story of comic books, animation art and modelling, most of the humour comes from the physical wackiness, but there are also some catchy songs and a great vivid colour, it is an enjoyable musical comedy. Very good!

SimonJack This may be the best of the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis comedy movie pairings. "Artists and Models" is fairly sophisticated with witty dialog along with the antics. And the antics in this one are very good, with some highly imaginative skits. On top of that, this film is a satire. It spoofs or pokes fun at many interests. Among these are superstitions that were very popular in the mid-20th century (astrology and numerology). It ravages comic books and hits quite hard on television. It spoofs the toy industry, government security and military top-secret plans. It has fun with spying during the Cold War – spoofing the CIA and Soviet KGB.The cast includes some short appearances by top Hollywood glamour girls of the day; and the entire cast perform well. Dean is Rick Todd, Jerry is Eugene Fullstack, Shirley MacLaine is Bessie Sparrowbrush, and Dorothy Malone plays the other female lead as Abby Parker. Eddie Mayehoff is hilarious as Mr. Murdock and Kathleen Freeman as Mrs. Muldoon appears to have two roles. She is the apartment owner or manager and she reprises one of her Swedish massage roles for great laughter. Several comedy skits that often have hijinks or antics are innovative and hilarious. The first is a one-bean dinner, with Jerry doing the carving that leads viewers to some healthy howling. There is a stairway scene that's a riot with Jerry and a young Shirley MacLaine in just her second movie. And, a chiropractic double skit is a riot. Jerry is maneuvered and mangled on a massage table with some very funny twists (literal), and then coerces Dean and three women onto the table for a very funny menagerie, which he then escapes. One very funny scene doesn't involve either lead. Murdock is chewing out Abby for not delivering the right stuff for his comic books. "You're supposed to be an artist and a writer of children's stories," he says. "..62 pages of drawings, and no blood. Not even an itsy bitsy nosebleed. Suffering catfish, you call this a Murdock book for kiddies? With no stranglings? With no decapitations? Where are they? Look at the competition we're getting from television. Night before, I counted 13 murders – four stranglings, nine suffocations and six poisonings (sic) – on two channels in one hour. And another thing. Just you think of this, girl. When they're able to show that red blood gushing out of open wounds in spectacular color – and they'll get it free, right into the living rooms there… sponsored by those friendly used car dealers."In one scene, two men are in a far building spying on Murdock in his office. We can't see the face of one who's looking through binoculars. The other guy asks what they are doing down there. In a voice that sounds very much like that of Jimmy Stewart, the other guys says, "I can't see too well through this 'Rear Window.'" What a hoot. This film came out when Dwight Eisenhower was president. Ike like to golf and often was in the news around his golf outings. One of the CIA agents thanks Rick for helping them uproot the KGB spies. "Who knows, the President might invite you to the White House," he says. "I doubt that," Rick replies. "Why?" the agent asks. ""I shoot in the low 70s," Rick answered. "Artists and Models" has four or five songs. There weren't any memorable tunes, and most just weren't that good. The film could easily have done without the musical numbers. Just a little rewrite would be needed. Martin and Lewis made two films together in supporting roles before they became top billing and films were scripted for and around them. The first starring role for the duo was "At War with the Army" in 1950. They made 16 films together from 1949 to 1956, and all were box office successes.

Spikeopath Malcolm Smith loves the movies and especially Anita Ekberg. Getting one of his lucky feelings, Malcolm buys a ream of raffle tickets to win a car. Sure enough he wins, but so does gigolo gambler Steve Wiley, who, not unsurprisingly has won by less than honourable means. Refusing to give out two cars, the promotion merely tells the men that they will have to share the car. Much to Steve's annoyance as he has debts to pay. So deviously he agrees to drive with Malcolm to Hollywood, planning to ditch him at the first chance he gets. Only he hadn't figured on Mr. Bascom, Malcolm's Great Dane who's along for the ride, and an encounter with the pretty Terry Roberts. Yep, it's safe to say this is not going to be an ordinary road trip.With their relationship deeply fractured at this time (this was their last film together), it's something of a surprise to find that Hollywood Or Bust is one of the finest films that Dean Martin (Steve) and Jerry Lewis (Malcolm) made. Everything that made the duo so massively popular is in here, even into the bargain daring to cast a satirical slant to the whiles and trials of Hollywood itself. A lot of the credit has to go to director Frank Tashlin. Tashlin, who was also at the helm for arguably the boys career high point Artists & Models, keeps the whole thing zippy, steering the duo in a direction to which they simply could not fail.Sure enough the humour is almost juvenile at times, and yes Dean of course croons and tries to bed the girl (a spiky Pat Crowley as Terry), but it's got such a sense of joy to it, the kind of joy that much like Artists & Models, can really lift the blues. Stand out songs from the Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster score are "A Day in the Country" and "It Looks Like Love", whilst it will be tough not to giggle at some of the antics of Mr. Bascom and the irrepressible Lewis, particularly with one particular movie parody. Anita Ekberg comes and joins in the fun later in the piece, just in time for the riotous carnage that you know is around the corner.If the sight of a Great Dane driving a car is not funny to you? Well chances are you should avoid this film completely. But that would be a shame for it's a delightful film, brisk and cheeky, it's most definitely one that's in desperate need of reappraisal from the grumpy brigade because it's a real blues lifter. 8/10

Craig S. Thom Yes, Jerry Lewis can get annoying, but this movie is worth seeing just for the visuals. As in Cinderfella, the clothes and sets are all too broad and too bright for real life. Tashlin has a talent for making Lewis's mugging work more often than not.