My Friend Irma/My Friend Irma Goes West (1949)

My Friend Irma
One croons. The other cavorts. Fans couldn't get enough of them! Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis made their crowd-pleasing film debuts in My Friend Irma, a 1949 funfest based on the long-running radio show. The guys are juice-bar operators who get a shot at new careers when a self-proclaimed manager discovers that Martin is better at squeezing out a musical "C" than Vitamin C. Their story intersects with the antics of Irma (Marie Wilson), the likable airhead who meddles in the romantic life of her roommate (Diana Lynn). Irma may be a queen of loopiness, but it's Lewis who walks off as America's clown prince. Exclaimed the Los Angeles Examiner: "There just hasn't been anything like him on land, sea or celluloid."

My Friend Irma Goes West
Hilarious sequel to My Friend Irma! Product Description

Light hearted kookie fun

this is a fun light-hearted movie. I tend to care for easy going, not too complicated movies. The sense of humor is classic, not modern. This movie is clean, in humor and in inuendos. If you lean toward the classics, i do believe this one would please. September 25, 2008

The Good, the Bad, and the Funny...

The Good: They actually finally put out another couple of (and I use the term loosely) Martin and Lewis movies. It's interesting to watch the transition between the 2 films. In My Friend Irma, they are definitely in support. They are add on characters in an adaptation of a sit-com radio show. They don't show up until 10 minutes into the movie, and while Dean is a natural as the romantic interest (He takes to film like a duck to water. The Camera loves him), they're not quite sure what to do with Jerry. For the new Comedy Team sensation, they don't spend a lot of time together. They have a couple of funny moments (When they interact at the Juice Bar, The Donkey Serenade in the Club)but basically it's not their show. Fast forward to My Friend Irma Goes West less than a year later and it's a different story. Dean and Jerry show up within the first 5 minutes and essentially drive the movie from there on. Jerry is much more prominent and this time it's the Irma people who are the support act.

The Bad: For some reason known only to the people at Paramount, they decided to cram both these movies on one side of a disc. There are jumps and freezes, particularly in "Goes West". There appears to have been no effort at restoring or remastering the films, the balance is off so scenes are unnecessarily dark. No Extras, No Commentary, No Trailers...Nada...Zip... Zilch. Then they insist on having Corinne Calvet sing, but that's another issue...

The Funny: The Vagabond Song in My Friend Irma Goes West. It's a bit directly from the Legendary Martin and Lewis Night Club act and it gives you a great example of why they were so popular. It illustrates that with Martin and Lewis you have two comedians, but their styles are so radically different that it becomes less a comedy team and more a physical manifestation of a Manic/Depressive disorder. It's hysterical.

I just hope the studio takes a little more care with future Martin and Lewis releases. They're worth it.

PS. I actually rated this 3 stars but for some reason it's showing up as 1...This is a rating system? January 28, 2006

What a bargain, buy it for the radio show terrifically adapted to movies

My Friend Irma was an extremely popular radio show featuring the prototypical, 39-34-36, dumb blonde, brilliantly played by Marie Wilson.

The show was backed up with a strong supporting cast being the lazy shyster boyfriend, her sensible roommate, an elderly landlady who has the hots for a non-interested musician tenant.

Martin and Lewis are basically "throw ins", or comic additions created to allow a 30 minute radio show to last a movie length.

Much like a number of TV shows that were unable to adapt as movies, similar radio shows did as well.

My Friend Irma did not, including the Goes West sequel. These are quality movies.

Given that many one vintage movie dvd costs the same as two movies on one dvd, this is a true bargain in cost and content.

Just don't buy it for Martin and Lewis alone.

By the way, why does Amazon include a 'NO' in 'was this review helpful to you?'. People are only human and don't like opinions that differ from themselves. With some who are less mature, this the 'NO' makes it too easy express such displeasure.

Are they trying to discourage negative reviews, hence not purchase the CD. Such reviews only help a person in not being dissatisfied a product that received positive reviews
January 5, 2006

an early glimpse at Martin-Lewis

I had never seen these two films probably because Dean and Jerry are mainly supporting characters - kinda like how Abbott and Costello were in "Night in the Tropics." But even with neither of them being Irma or her friend, these two films are entertaining. Jerry and Dean get to give a glimpse of their nightclub act that made them the hottest duo working.

"Goes West" is revolutionary since it deals with television and Las Vegas. My favorite part of the film is that these folks are broke, yet in 1950, they can afford a television. And television isn't treated as an enemy of cinema in the film - although we learn that movies pay much better. Also we get a glimpse of early Vegas. The boys hang out at the Flamingo's pool. What's strange is night shots where you don't see that many lights on the Strip.

It's a shame that Paramount put this out as a single DVD - thus getting very little notice. Jerry Lewis told a crowd in Philly that Paramount was coming out with a Martin-Lewis boxset in January. He didn't give anymore details. They better get the other 13 titles out soon! November 6, 2005

First Two Films to Feature Martin & Lewis

MY FRIEND IRMA was a radio series in the 1940's and legendary Hollywood producer Hal Wallis thought the film version would be a great vehicle for up-and-coming talents Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The film was so successful that in 1950 Irma went West, with Dean and Jerry along for the ride. This launched the comedy duo into stardom and before the year was out they were headlining their own film ("At War with the Army").

Although these films are not Dean or Jerry's best work(s) I am excited about this double feature because I hope more of their great films (as a team and as individuals) will be released, we still need: "Sailor Beware", "That's My Boy", "Visit to a Small Planet", "The Geisha Boy", "Some Came Running", "Rock-a-Bye Baby", and "Who's Minding the Store", "Which Way to the Front", "Hardly Working", "Cracking Up", and "Three on a Couch" on DVD. November 1, 2005

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