User Reviews

I saw this when I was about 12 or so and it kept me entertained throughout. Of course when you're a kid its probably a little easier to be entertained. But I was such a Jerry Lewis fan that basically he could do no wrong in my eyes. He's a comic genius, hands down, no question, so let it be written, so let it be done. There were some funny moments, it just wasn't his BEST work. Not EVERY movie an actor or actress makes can be their best film. But its reasonably funny and it SHOULD be able to be purchased by people who want it!! I would really like to know why it isn't on DVD or VHS! If it were one of his classic gem movies I could maybe understand it but its just an average Lewis film so why can't it be on VHS or DVD so we can get a copy. Some of us like ALL Jerry's stuff! If anyone can answer me regarding this, please do. kctkeller@hotmail.com

I saw this film for the 1st time at age 10 and I just loved it. My 11 yr. old loved it too. Jerry tries a bit different role here. At first he's a more believable, realistic person, probably tired by now of playing a lovable but bumbling idiot, then as the movie progresses, he starts to slip back into his more lovable, funny guy, routine on his fishing trips. The whole story is told to a group of doctors by Jerry and you wonder what landed him in a hospital all during the movie. The ending reveals it and is surely slap stick humor, but leaves you smiling and wanting another Jerry Lewis film to watch. I noticed the Bewitched set instantly, even at age 10. Good movie just not his best!

The premise here is pretty familiar: family man and insurance company employee Peter Ingersoll (Jerry Lewis) is told that he's dying by his doctor and supposed "friend" Scott Carter (Peter Lawford). Thinking that he has mere months to live, Peter follows his wife's suggestion to go on an expensive vacation on his company's dime. Peter racks up about six figures in debt, and then is tracked down by Scott, who tells him, guess what? I made a mistake, and you're not dying. Now Peter is embroiled in a variety of fraudulent schemes to avoid any sort of consequences.

"Hook, Line and Sucker" was, in this viewers' humble opinion, one of Jerry's lesser vehicles from this era. The fact that the scenario is routine stuff is just one problem, but the screenwriter, Rod Amateau, and director, George Marshall, don't develop things in any truly interesting or funny ways, and the whole story is mostly uninspired. There are some solid laughs at the outset, as well as a pretty amusing punchline at the end, but overall this is far from Jerry's best.

Jerry gives it a reasonably good performance, falling back on some classic Jerry zaniness. His "heart attack" is hilariously stupid, and when he's required to play the role of an "Australian" character, it's real eye-rolling stuff. He gets decent support from Lawford, and the gorgeous Anne Francis, as Peters' homemaker wife. Jennifer Edwards (daughter of filmmaker Blake Edwards) and Jimmy Miller play Peters' kids, and there is a brief role for Jerry's longtime repertory player Kathleen Freeman as an inattentive babysitter.

This delivers some laughs, and has a fairly bright wrap-up, but there are no genuine comedy fireworks to speak of.

Five out of 10.

Underrated Lewis comedy is quite good in parts. The film begins as if it were a TV sitcom with Jerry "happily" married to Anne Francis (of TV's Honey West) with two children and living in none other than the set from TV's Bewitched. We see him trying to outwit a gopher in the garden (who in turn outwits Jerry), trying to unplug the kitchen sink, cope with too many family members in the bathroom, and deal with an unattentive baby-sitter. This is middle-aged Jerry, still zany but a responsible parent earning a good wage. Think Tim Allen on Home Improvement. His wife is both beautiful and smart bringing the art of the housewife's budget duties to almost Wall Street levels. A visit to his doctor reveals he is dying from heart problems. Jerry tells his wife and she suggests that he pretend to abandon the family and use his credit cards to travel around the world. She assures him that his $150,000 life insurance payoff to her would be protected because she can't be held for her husband's debt if he abandon's his family. In addition, she has put in ad in the paper stating she would no longer be liable for his debts and the doctor would testify that a dying man would be too distressed to make rational decisions. Though the audience is signaled that the wife and doctor are scamming poor Jerry, there is no ground work to suggest there was anything wrong with the marriage to warrant such evil action from his wife. I was a little lost for words until I got used to the situation change. I suppose modern audiences weaned on Pulp Fiction and Fargo would find this an asset. After I accepted the new premise I enjoyed the rest of the film, especially a fairly clever last twenty minutes. Jerry Lewis' performance is quite good balancing between drama and comedy. The plot twists are just right to keep the audience interested. Non-Lewis fans might be surprised.

If anybody is ever wondering why Jerry Lewis' film career stalled in the early 1970's one need only look at this fiasco. While the central plotline isn't particularly fresh the potential for comedy is there but the makers of this film never find it. The lowpoint in a film of many lows must be the wooden performance of Anne Francis, who perhaps thought she was still a mannequin from "The Twilight Zone".

Jerry Lewis (as Peter Ingersoll) is in a hospital, with a medical team ready to operate on him, and a bunch of people who seem like an audience reacting, as he tells his story: He had a TV situation comedy-like family, complete with a TV show set out of "Bewitched". His doctor Peter Lawford (as Scott Carter) tells Mr. Lewis that, due to a bad heart, he has only months to live. Lewis' wife Anne Francis (as Nancy) suggests he spend his last months traveling and spending credit card money...

The plot of this movie doesn't have any discernible logic. Lewis, Lawford, and Francis carry on what the filmmakers thought was a funny situation? You can follow along with the happenings, but it doesn't make any sense; and, it certainly isn't funny. The one "joke" that may jolt you comes at the end of the film. However, it doesn't have much to do with the story (other than the obvious fact that Jerry Lewis enjoys fishing). A better idea might have been for Lewis to stop making movies like this, get some good writers, and do a real TV comedy.

** Hook, Line and Sinker (5/7/69) George Marshall ~ Jerry Lewis, Peter Lawford, Anne Francis

I have tried any number of times to understand why the French think Jerry Lewis is the comic equivalent of Charlie Chaplin. I always fail. His sophomoric mugging always leaves me cold. Therefore I was surprised to see him in a new vein in this flick which I caught on American Movie Classics. Gone is the juvenile horseplay of his earlier films with Dean Martin. We have here a more restrained and mature comic style, shown to good form at the start of the movie, which is a series of set pieces showing off comic aspects of life in suburbia. Unfortunately, the film goes downhill as it deals with his extravagant fishing trip.

In this little known 1969 Jerry Lewis Film co-starring Peter Lawford.Jerry Lewis plays a an average normal American Family man from Suburbia who finds out he is dying from his deceptive Doctor friend"Peter Lawford"and goes on a mad worldwide spending spree.This is really good Jerry Lewis film that unfortunately isn't on vhs/dvd!

A dying man goes on a spending spree and accumulates $100,000 in debt--only to find out he's perfectly healthy. Old-fashioned premise from screenwriter Rod Amateau, adapting his and David Davis' original story, is turned into yet another sorry, sloppy Jerry Lewis star-vehicle. Why did Columbia Pictures continually allow Lewis' production company to waste the studio's money on these failed comedic vehicles? Out-of-touch and outdated nonsense, with a funny sight-gag in the final scene failing to compensate for Jerry's listless overall performance. The most repugnant line in the script (among many) comes when an African-American board member shouts at a meeting, "I wanna know what happened to that Negro!" It's a stinker. * from ****

The film starts out so seriously. A group of doctors and nurses in scrubs enter the operating room looking quite grim, as if they are about to save a patient's life. The gallery is filled with interested witnesses.

And then the patient is asked what happened. We don't see precisely what happened to him until much later, but I will say the procedure is related to fishing, hence the film's title.

In flashbacks, the story is told. Peter Ingersoll is an insurance agent who joins an emotionless, dedicated group marching into work as if part of a military unit at precisely 9 AM. He has a "Leave It to Beaver" family living in a "Leave It to Beaver" house. Well, not exactly. His kids treat him like a moron. Certainly not the impression one had of Ward.

Peter does some work around the house and gets into the usual Jerry Lewis type messes--a rodent in the garden, a stopped up sink (this gag is really funny). One gets the impression, though, that he's not really happy. For example, though this film has a G rating, we do get to see that Peter and Nancy have some ... trouble in the bedroom. Unlike Ward and June, we can imagine where this couple's kids came from.

Peter's good friend Scott is also his doctor. Scott tells Peter he has some sort of incurable condition that will give him only months to live (though there are no obvious symptoms). Peter decides to enjoy what life he has left. And being an insurance man, he has a great policy that will leave his wife secure after he dies. So Peter decides to run up $150,000 in debt on a lavish round-the-world fishing vacation, figuring the creditors will not go after a grieving widow.

There is a problem, though, which gives the film most of its comedy potential. I shouldn't give that away.

Anyone looking for the zany Jerry Lewis style might be disappointed. The two gags early in the movie, and a limbo dance in the Caribbean, are about all the examples of the classic Lewis style until the movie's second half. Lewis does get to display more of his trademark behavior pretending to be Fred Dobbs in Europe. Still, this is an entertaining and funny movie.

Peter Lawford is very good. The other leading actors do a good job, and there are some really silly scenes in Europe.

The film got a G rating, though it should be mentioned a couple is apparently naked in a hotel, with the appropriate parts covered. But this could mean anything--right? Something similar happens with Peter and his wife. And of course there is slapstick violence. But nothing really makes this film out of bounds for most kids.

I had a good time.

"Hook, Line and Sinker" is a highly episodic Jerry Lewis film...where the plot seems secondary to a wide variety of funny bits...many of which aren't very funny. While I would not place it among the comedian's worst, he was capable of so much better.

Peter (Lewis) tells his recent life story to a room full of Hispanic doctors...why he's talking with these folks about his troubles, you have no idea until the end of the film. You learn that Peter leads a pretty dull life in suburbia and you see him in a variety of funny and very unfunny bits (the groundhog bit is awful). However, when his doctor (Peter Lawford) tells him he only has a month to live, his wife suggests he live life up...maxing out the credit cards during a wild month fishing abroad. However, he eventually learns that his death is a ruse....and he's in deep trouble and his finances are shot.

The problems with this movie are familiar ones for Lewis films--too many unfunny bits that go on and on as well as some mugging. While being episodic isn't necessarily bad (one of his better films, "The Bellboy" is VERY episodic), here it doesn't work because most of the bits just aren't funny.

Like an episode of three's company. The usual miscommunications and misunderstandings, although on that show, they never actually tried to commit fraud. Jerry lewis is peter, about to undergo surgery. A starring film role, years after his beakup with dean martin, all told in flashback. This one co-stars peter lawford. And they re-used the same gopher scenes in caddyshack! It's a crazy caper. When peter is told that he doesn't have much longer, he decides to live it up and ring up the bills! It's light on story, so lewis stretches out the various scenes. Lots of filler and scenery. Directed by george marshall, his final full length film. Story by rod amateau and david davis. Sylvia lewis, who plays karlotta, does not seem to be related to jerry lewis, although she appeared in several of his films. It's all just okay. Much silliness.

Fred C. Dobbs (Jerry Lewis) is on the operating table in a foreign country. He recounts his story for the medical students. Nothing goes right for the insurance agent family man who is actually named Peter Ingersoll. His only joy is fishing but his wife Nancy (Anne Francis) complains about the costs. His doctor Scott Carter (Peter Lawford) tells him that he's dying. With a large life insurance policy, his family is secured. His wife suggests that he takes an epic blow-out tropical fishing trip.

I don't mind that he's unhappy with his suburban life. I'm not rooting that hard for him to go have a single man adventure. He's lusting for the beautiful babes and that seems rather lonely and unfunny. I actually would like him to go into the wilds or get into the local life. He needs to get in touch with himself and get some character growth. Was he pitching for Pepsi back in the day? Sometimes, dated comedic references can go over my head. As for the rest of the premise, I stop caring about it. Jerry is doing some Weekend at Bernie slapstick that would be funny if I actually cared. I see what he's trying to do. It's a comedy that I don't find funny.