User Reviews

Jerry Lewis (as Christopher Pride) wants to marry Janet Leigh (as Elizabeth "Liz" Acord) and move to Paris, where he has been commissioned to design a mural. But, Psychiatrist Leigh doesn't want to leave her patients; especially three strikingly beautiful women, who can't seem to develop romantic relationships with men. Mr. Lewis decides to assume three different alternate identities, in order to warm up the three frigid women, and free up fiancée Leigh. Will things get too hot?

Leigh and the three women (Mary Ann Mobley, Leslie Parrish, and Gila Golan) are lovely looking; but, don't watch for them to run around in bikinis and towels a lot -- there isn't much skin on display. James Best (as Ben Mizer) handles the role of Lewis' straight man well. The supporting cast performs ably; Kathleen Freeman and Buddy Lester are always fun to watch, drunk or sober. Lewis plays his "main" personality and four others -- "Warren", "Ringo" (not Beatle-influenced), "Rutherford", and "Heather". They are not complicated characterizations and, so, are not among is best.

"Three on a Couch" is interesting in its overindulgence. It's the Lewis brand, with a drink in one hand, and a cigarette in the other. Note, the script and situations are drenched in alcohol. This gives the film a "drunk", enochlophobic feel. The film's closing "party" has a surreal quality, with guests pouring into spaces they shouldn't fit. Lewis directs this "party" scene very effectively, by the way; his directorial skill is sometimes overshadowed by his on screen persona -- he might have been wise to peruse a parallel career directing movies in which he does not appear.

This is not one of Jerry's best films. It's pretty self indulgent, scenes drag out, some of the humor feels forced and over the top, and the whole concept really doesn't make much sense. It's best at the very beginning, and the final 20 minutes at the party and at the pier are hysterical and it's a great set piece to end the film on. If you love Lewis's work (like I do), stick with it and you'll dig the ending. Another plus, supporting cast is great.

One of my first exposures to Jerry Lewis as a child was the 1966 comedy THREE ON A COUCH in which Jerry played a nebbish engaged to marry a beautiful psychiatrist (Janet Leigh) who feels spends entirely too much time obsessing over three of her female patients (Leslie Parrish, Mary Ann Mobley, Gia Golan) who all have serious hang-ups regarding men and dating. In order to free up his fiancée so she'll have more time for him, Chris, Jerry's character, pretends to be three different guys and initiates a romance with all three women so that they'll gain some self-esteem where men are concerned and his fiancée will have more time to plan their wedding. I remember, even as a child, thinking to myself, "Does he really think he can get away with this?" but I guess Jerry thought like I did, he'd have no career. The three imaginary suitors border on cartoon characters and the lovely Leigh is wasted in thankless role, but there are scattered laughs throughout and Jerry has made worst movies, but it's better than a route canal.

This is the first and only movie I've seen from Jerry Lewis. He is from before my time and I didn't have great expectations of his comedic abilities. But it was better than I expected. There were moments I really had to laugh and that doesn't happen all to often. Even if not all the scenes are even funny and sometimes irritating long (the farewell party at the office), I must say that Jerry Lewis can be a very funny man.

I'm not normally a Jerry Lewis fan ... but this is one of his very few movies I can watch more than once. Lewis held back on his normal goofy, over-the-top performance to play a more normal type of romantic comedy lead.

In this one, his paramour is Janet Leigh: mature, gorgeous, and worth the watch all by herself. Lewis has given up a career as a commercial artist to take on art for art's sake, and won a contest to spend a month in Paris painting a wall-sized mural ... all expenses paid plus a $10,000 commission. He wants Janet to spend the month in Paris with him. Who wouldn't?! :-)

The problem is she's a psychiatrist with three patients she can't abandon until she'd given them more confidence after bad breakups. So Lewis set out to date the three patients, as three different impostors, and give them confidence. What could go wrong?

Plenty!

This time I have to surrender, even I've been a die-hard fan of Jerry Lewis Three in a Couch is a flop, nothing make sense, the plot expose a serious Lewis as normal guy, wrong approaching, he tries seduces his fiancée (Janet Leigh) to live in Paris, miscasting to this specific role, she is a real gift girl, however didn't had a comic vein, Lewis stays in both side teeter-totter, one time playing a sober smoking guy, suddenly appears with a new facet, dumb, hilarious and daffy, in this odd context both side didn't work out, Jerry Lewis wasn't allowed to be a dramatic acting, he couldn't put their foots in two different conoes as he tried impose here, the supporting casting aside Kathleen Freeman were another weak point, for all Jerry Lewis's legacy, erase it for good!!

Resume:

First watch: 2020 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 6

This movie is one that has both amused me and appalled me over the years. Jerry Lewis is an odd sort of comedic actor. When left to his own devices he can be downright annoying in his portrayals. Too bad this movie falls into that category. Jerry follows the stereotype he so loves as we see him often with cigarette in one hand and drink glass in the other. Lewis has potential to be great as a comedic actor but by acting as star (in multiple roles), director, and producer he's pretty much given himself carte blanche to do whatever he wants while in front of the camera.

The premise of the movie is fairly typical for Jerry Lewis movies of the 60's. It does provide us an opportunity to watch Janet Leigh and Mary Ann Mobley which is always a pleasure. All in all it's a pretty silly movie that simply doesn't hit the mark.

Christopher Pride (Jerry Lewis) wins a contest to go to Paris for a month and ready to marry psychiatrist girlfriend Dr. Elizabeth Acord (Janet Leigh). She can't join him since she can't leave her patients. She has three particular female patients who distrust men after terrible breakups. He decides to cure them while incognito.

Ben is a wet blanket and his views are outdated anyways. Quite frankly, he needs to be written out of the movie or be a rival to Christ. Christ doesn't really need his support for the plot and I don't need him for the appeal. It would be a fun love triangle if he could investigate and sabotage Christ. As a rival, he would add some needed danger and this movie needs an antagonist. As it stands, the only thing going for this movie is Jerry Lewis playing the different characters. I don't see it as that funny but it is somewhat interesting. The stakes are never that high since I don't see Elizabeth breaking up with Christ. He needs a good rival.

When I looked over the IMDb entry for THREE ON A COUCH, I was completely surprised by the overall rating of 6.1 as well as how positive the reviews were--especially when I saw someone who gave it a 10. Giving this movie a 10 is simply impossible to believe. While I don't fault anyone for liking this movie (though I truly hated it), a 10 implies perfection. And, considering that this is a comedy without a single laugh, a 10 just seems ludicrous and is perhaps evidence that the Jerry Lewis cult is alive and well. Don't believe the scores--this is a truly bad film and my 2 is actually rather generous! I am not the only one who hated it, as the film had an entry in the book "The Fifty Worst Movies of All Time" by Harry Medved. While perhaps he was overstating it to say it was among the 50 worst, it is bad....very, very bad.

Now the first half hour of the film wasn't bad (which is how the movie manages to earn a 2)--though it looked nothing like a comedy. Jerry is an artist (though, oddly, we never see him paint or see any of his art even once during the film) and has received an award to paint an important mural in Paris. However, his fiancée (Janet Leigh) is nuts, as she won't go with him--saying that her job as a psychiatrist precludes having a life. She won't transfer three of her clients to another therapist and has an overly developed sense of responsibility towards them. So far, so good. It's an interesting idea for a drama, though there's nothing remotely comedic about this.

Now Jerry and his friend (James Best) come up with a plan to "cure" Leigh's three patients. The three all have been hurt by men, so Jerry decides to pretend to be the perfect man for each of them--and hopefully getting each to come out of their shell--therefore allowing Leigh to let go of them and move to Paris with Jerry. An interesting though silly idea, it is handled with absolutely no subtlety or style. Instead, Jerry acts like an obnoxious moron--and in two of the cases, is so over the top and so irritating that you would assume the women are compete imbeciles to like him. The worst was his cowboy role. Practically every elementary school actor could be more convincing! To show that he's a real cowboy, Jerry moves a cigar around like he has the lit end in his mouth and mugs so much that it's downright nauseating. Additionally, the nerd he plays comes off more like a combination of Truman Capote and Tennessee Williams (I am not exaggerating). I mean no offense against Capote or Williams, but they were flamboyantly gay as was Jerry's nerd. That any woman would be taken in my his incredibly effeminate style is astounding. I also wonder if some viewers might be offended by how campy this portrayal was.

The bottom line is that the film isn't funny, and considering it's supposed to be a comedy, that's an insurmountable obstacle. The fact is, Mr. Lewis can be funny but he can also be very, very unfunny. This film is easily the worst of his movies that I have seen (even worse than CRACKING UP--which gave me a migraine), though I have also heard that SLAPSTICK OF ANOTHER KIND is worse--I have yet to see it. Don't believe the cult-like devotion of some fans--this film is embarrassingly bad.

Jerry Lewis stars in and directed this inept farce about an American artist who wins a contest and hopes to spend the money traveling to Paris with his new bride, but she's a psychiatrist and can't leave behind her three most troubled patients ("I took an oath!"). The romantically-crestfallen ladies who are standing in the way are soon individually wooed by three bachelors, each of them the artist (now a con-artist) under an alias. This deception, of course, allows Jerry to half-heartedly dip into his standard bag of tricks and treat us to his funny voices and disguises (including one in drag). The camera-work is continually bad, with constant shots featuring the back of Lewis' head, and the script from Bob Ross and Samuel A. Taylor is flaccid and condescending (offensive to doctors, to commercial artists, but mostly to women). The 'mod' attributes in the costumes and art direction give the picture a jazzy look, but it's really just the same old stuff Jerry Lewis had been churning out for years by this point. * from ****

Dr. Acord (played by Janet Leigh), Christopher Pride's fiancee, is a psychiatrist with three attractive female patients who have problems with men, played out in extreme dependence on her. Chris (Jerry Lewis) wants to go on an extended vacation with her. To ease Dr. Acord's conscience in putting a hiatus on their frequent visits, he decides to be a beau to all three at once, with separate fake identities, to rectify their maladjustments. Lewis shows his varied talents for goofiness in playing three different types of people -- actually four, because in one case he also plays the sister, and in this dual role he is goofy at its most extreme, and very funny.

The humor is cornball, but it is enjoyable. Jerry is a klutz -- not in a cheap slapstick way, but rather because he is a man out of place-- a zoologist, a rodeo star, and a fitness nut. But the ladies are each taken, and it is great. A nice syrupy ending too. "Three on a Couch" is a very enjoyable romantic comedy worth seeing.

Jerry's portrayal of Rutherford and sister Heather is one of his best. I'm giggling now as I remember the scenes. The movie is truly a delight to watch; I discovered it during the late 70's. Despite bad press from some and in my opinion, Jerry Lewis is one of the kings of comedy. In fact, Jerry is my second favorite comedian next to Richard Pryor.

Jerry Lewis plays Christopher Pride. He's an artist who's being paid $10,000 (which was big bucks back in 1966) to go to France and paint a mural on a wall. He tells his girlfriend Dr. Elizabeth Acord (Janet Leigh) because he wants to take her with him to propose and get married. However she's a psychiatrist and is treating three women (Leslie Parish, Gila Golan and Mary Ann Mobley) who hate men and she can't leave till they're cured. Pride and his best friend (James Best) come up with the "brilliant" idea of him romancing all three of the women separately, have them fall in love and "cure' them of hating men! No it makes no sense to me either. Predictable and stupid complications ensue.

I'm not a fan of Jerry Lewis. I find his humor shrill, loud and painfully unfunny. I only saw this because it was in the book "The 50 Worst Films Of All Time" and I was curious if it was really THAT bad. Sadly it is. There's not one funny joke or routine--not ONE! I never even smiled! Also the jokes ran on twice as long as they should have or were repeated nonstop (Lewis walks into an elevator door THREE times in 10 minutes). The story is stupid and its grasp on feminine psychology is questionable. According to this all a girl needs is to fall in love and she's fine! Lewis produced and directed this one and the direction is off badly. Some curious camera angles or setups just don't work.

The acting varies wildly. Lewis is frantic (as usual) and incredibly unfunny. None of his getups work. Seeing him in drag is actually scary! Leigh is excellent in a worthless role. She's basically the straight man (so to speak) to Lewis' jokes. She gives this movie a better performance than it deserves. Parrish, Golan and Mobley was beautiful women with zero acting ability. Best is pretty good and has a few great moments but the script is against him. Unfunny, offensive and just plain dull. To be avoided at all costs.

I am a caption editor so I've spent many hours with this movie. Kind of a drag... at least it's in color. My how Janet Leigh aged from Psycho to here... Jerry Lewis on the way to a heart attack from the smoking and drinking... The story is ridiculous, as the premise dies as soon as you think how silly it is that a person would not quit their job to go to Paris, with no expenses, for a year. Tired Vaudeville schtick fills in the gap. Well produced yawner.

While sheltering in place I searched for some entertainment, finding this on TCM. What a poor excuse for a movie. This couldn't be aired at a prison because it would be classified as cruel and unusual punishment. Yes, my wife and I watched it to the end, hoping that something good would appear...............NOT.

Inane, but not as much so as you expect from Lewis. Jerry even plays a reasonably intelligent and talented character in this one. Absolutely hilarious in many spots, even when gags are being milked. You miss stuff you can't see through the tears! A wonderful movie -- perhaps Jerry's very best!

Not one laugh. Absolutely horrible acting. I never found Jerry Lewis funny in any sense of the word. Never. And this movie just confirms that. I watch The Nutty Professor and also thought that was also an horribly, unfunny and ridiculous movie. That, like this movie, is unwatchable

Artist Christopher Pride has won a contest to paint a mural in Paris. He shows up to collect his award from the diplomats in an office, with the nervous energy one would expect from Jerry Lewis. Just one problem: he's about to get married to Elizabeth, a psychiatrist in a Los Angeles office building which must be about the size of the Empire State Building, judging from the number of psychiatrists in the building directory. If they get married, Elizabeth will have to accompany Christopher to Paris.

Elizabeth can take time off from some of her patients, but three of them will be devastated if she has to leave them. Mary Lou has a Southern accent and likes insects. Anna sounds European and sells perfume in a department store, but she likes cowboys. Susan is an exercise nut (she can't just lie on the couch; she must always be working out). All three have problems with men and need to talk to Elizabeth constantly about them.

Christopher's best friend Ben, an obstetrician, comes up with an interesting idea. What if Christopher goes out with each girl, portraying their ideal man? It might work. I know it'll work for the audience.

Ringo Raintree shows up at Anna's workplace with a cigar in his mouth. The poor man struggles with that cigar but somehow always manages to keep it in his mouth while talking up a storm about being the greatest rancher west of Chicago. Let's just hope he never has to prove his ability in, say, a rodeo.

Warren tries to keep up with Susan on the jogging trail. I wasn't aware people jogged in 1965, but Susan is kind of unusual.

And one of the movie's funniest scenes, and certainly one of Lewis' most hilarious moments, comes when Heather persuades Mary Lou to visit her very shy zoologist brother Rutherford. Heather is actually Christopher in drag, but she uses the key to her brother's apartment, goes in and discovers him hiding out in the bedroom, terrified of meeting this woman. As they argue, Mary Lou listens from the living room, but Christopher is actually taking off his dress and female underwear (lots of it in those days--and grapefruits in his bra) to get dressed as Rutherford. Heather is quietly washing her hair when her extremely nerdy brother finally meets Mary Lou, and he's not nearly as shy as she expected. He's about as goofy as Julius Kelp, though.

So will the plan work? Well, there are many funny moments. One of the best that I haven't mentioned is Warren's attempt to hit a board in Susan's karate class. But there's much more that you can probably guess will happen.

There was one scene that didn't make a lot of sense to me. After all ... well, I won't give that away. Let's just say there's a lot of excitement at the end. Particularly funny are the elevators.

I was surprised at first, because this didn't seem to be the wacky, zany comedy typical of Jerry Lewis. I've only seen a handful of his films only because I waited for them to show up on broadcast TV, which this one did. But it took time to set up the situation, and I worried this would actually be a comedy-drama. No, once the scheme began, it was everything one would expect from Jerry Lewis. Maybe not his best work, but he certainly shows his talent here.

James Best even sounded a little like Sheriff Rosco at times. Those noises he made when Ben was nervous must have originated with Best and not Rosco.

Kathleen Freeman was very good as Elizabeth's secretary. The poor woman, but she handles herself very professionally.

The other actresses did a pretty good job too. And there's a drunk who is entertaining.

I enjoyed the music a lot. Jerry Lewis must enjoy big band jazz as much as I do. And there's quiet jazz in restaurants as well as straight elevator music. No, not in the elevator. The elevator scenes are too wacky for that.

A great job.

First time I saw this movie 5/4/20 on TCM . I remember the the ads for this film back in 1966. I wanted to go see but I guess money was in short supply or at a movie house I couldn't get to-maybe? Well I finally saw it and boy I remember seeing the Bellboy when I first saw it in a movie house it was funny. Of course I was a kid. I laughed! I didn't even twitter at Three On A Couch - but Leslie Parrish was good to look at. And I would have been fooled into believing she was from the south. And Kathleen Freeman was funnier than Lewis. Maybe I'll take another look . Not funny!

This is another movie I hope will come out on DVD.

This is where Jerry Lewis gets play a smart person and yet show us his goofy side we all enjoy so much.

I love the part at the end where he thinks he is free and then the other three girls show up.

Janet Leigh too really does a good job as his fiancé.

I love the part where the girls encourage her to forgive him.

Their chemistry is great together!

That's what movies and television are for, to get away from reality where everything works out in the end.

This film essentially begins with an artist by the name of "Christopher Pride" (Jerry Lewis) being informed that he has just won a contest which allows him to utilize his artistic skills on a certain project in Paris for a month. Naturally, being quite elated at this favorable turn of events, he rushes over to tell his fiancé, "Dr. Elizabeth Acord" (Janet Leigh) the good news. Unfortunately, being a psychiatrist, she has to turn down the opportunity to go with him because she has three female patients who have recently experienced breakups with their boyfriends and absolutely depend on her during this particular time. That being said, this not only disappoints Christopher, but it also puts a damper on their relationship. So, to correct the situation, Christopher's best friend "Dr. Ben Mizer" (James Best) suggests that, since these three female patients have recently lost their boyfriends, that Christopher should rekindle their romantic interests by dating each of them. And to further help him out, Dr. Mizer also gathers some personal information on each of these women as well. But what neither of them count on is the strain that this puts on Christopher as he tries to juggle four different relationships at the same time. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was a fairly standard comedy for its time which started off rather slow but got better as it progressed. Likewise, have three very attractive young ladies like "Mary Ann Mobley" (as "Susan Manning"), Gila Golan ("Anna Jacque") and Leslie Parrish ("Mary Lou Mauve") certainly didn't hurt either. On the flip side, however, Jerry Lewis wasn't nearly as endearing as usual due to the rather serious nature of his character at times. At least, that is how it seemed to me. Be that as it may, while this may not have been the best Jerry Lewis comedy ever made, it was still fairly entertaining in its own right and I have rated it accordingly. Average.