The Big Mouth
Encyclopedia
The Big Mouth is a 1967 comedy film
produced, directed, co-written by and starring Jerry Lewis
released on July 12, 1967 by Columbia Pictures
. It was filmed in San Diego and features Frank De Vol
as an onscreen narrator.
) is a bank examiner who loves fishing on his annual two week holiday. Unfortunately one day at the ocean he reels in an injured gangster in a scuba diving suit named Syd Valentine (also played by Lewis). Syd tells Gerald about diamonds he has stolen from the other gangsters and hands him a map. Gerald escapes as frogmen from a yacht machine gun the beach. They swim ashore and locate Syd where they machine gun him. Their leader Thor (Harold J. Stone
) ensures Syd's demise by firing a torpedo from his yacht that goes ashore blowing a crater into the beach.
As the police ignore Gerald's story, Gerald heads to the Hilton Inn in San Diego where Syd claimed the diamonds were hidden. There he meets Suzie Cartwright (Susan Bay), an airline stewardess. While searching for the diamonds, he needs to avoid the hotel staff after inadvertently hurting the manager (Del Moore
). Gerald disguises himself as a character noticeably similar to Professor Julius Kelp from The Nutty Professor
, while trying to stay one step ahead of the other gangsters who are on his tail, as well as the hotel detectives led by the manager - all the while courting Suzie. As each of the gangsters see Gerald, an identical lookalike to the deceased Syd, they have nervous breakdowns; one imagining himself a dog, one turning into a Larry Fine
lookalike, the other (Charlie Callas
, in his usual character) becoming a hopeless stutterer. The one man Gerald meets the who believes him, who identifies himself as a FBI
Special Agent, turns out to be an escapee from an insane asylum.
The movie climaxes in a chase through Sea World San Diego, where Gerald is pursued by Thor's gangsters, a rival group of gangsters who had made a deal with Syd to buy his diamonds, and a group of Chinese who smuggle the diamonds disguised as plastic pearls. Gerald disguises himself as a Kabuki
dancer but is pursued until Suzie rescues him by flying by with a helicopter and dropping a rope ladder that Gerald escapes on. They return to the Pacific Ocean, where Syd reappears. The gangsters chase Syd into the ocean, and Gerald and Suzie walk away, deeply in love. The diamonds are never located.
The final scene shows the narrator, Frank De Vol, facing the camera and solemnly announcing that the tale is true—then the camera pulls back as De Vol turns and walks away on the breakwater where the beginning and ending action had taken place. De Vol is wearing all of a business suit except trousers, and he is carrying a briefcase.
after he met Lewis on a chat show as well as a cameo by Colonel Harland Sanders.
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
produced, directed, co-written by and starring Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
released on July 12, 1967 by Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
. It was filmed in San Diego and features Frank De Vol
Frank De Vol
Frank Denny De Vol, also known simply as De Vol was an American arranger, composer and actor.-Early life and career:...
as an onscreen narrator.
Plot
Gerald Clamson (Jerry LewisJerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
) is a bank examiner who loves fishing on his annual two week holiday. Unfortunately one day at the ocean he reels in an injured gangster in a scuba diving suit named Syd Valentine (also played by Lewis). Syd tells Gerald about diamonds he has stolen from the other gangsters and hands him a map. Gerald escapes as frogmen from a yacht machine gun the beach. They swim ashore and locate Syd where they machine gun him. Their leader Thor (Harold J. Stone
Harold J. Stone
Harold J. Stone was an American film and television character actor.Born Harold Hochstein to a Jewish acting family, he began his career on Broadway in 1939 and appeared in five plays in the next six years, including One Touch of Venus and Stalag 17, following which he made his motion picture...
) ensures Syd's demise by firing a torpedo from his yacht that goes ashore blowing a crater into the beach.
As the police ignore Gerald's story, Gerald heads to the Hilton Inn in San Diego where Syd claimed the diamonds were hidden. There he meets Suzie Cartwright (Susan Bay), an airline stewardess. While searching for the diamonds, he needs to avoid the hotel staff after inadvertently hurting the manager (Del Moore
Del Moore
Del Moore was a comedian, a television and movie actor, and a radio announcer.Born Marion Delbridge Moore in Pensacola, Florida, he began his career in radio before moving to television. In 1952, he appeared in the first of several So You Want To . . . Warner Bros. comedy shorts with George O'Hanlon...
). Gerald disguises himself as a character noticeably similar to Professor Julius Kelp from The Nutty Professor
The Nutty Professor
The Nutty Professor is a 1963 Paramount Pictures science fiction comedy feature film produced, directed, co-written and starring Jerry Lewis...
, while trying to stay one step ahead of the other gangsters who are on his tail, as well as the hotel detectives led by the manager - all the while courting Suzie. As each of the gangsters see Gerald, an identical lookalike to the deceased Syd, they have nervous breakdowns; one imagining himself a dog, one turning into a Larry Fine
Larry Fine
Louis Feinberg , known professionally as Larry Fine, was an American comedian and actor, who is best known as a member of the comedy act The Three Stooges.-Early life:...
lookalike, the other (Charlie Callas
Charlie Callas
Charlie Callas was an American comedian and actor most commonly known for his work with Mel Brooks, Jerry Lewis, and Dean Martin and his many stand-up appearances on television talk shows in the 1970s...
, in his usual character) becoming a hopeless stutterer. The one man Gerald meets the who believes him, who identifies himself as a FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
Special Agent, turns out to be an escapee from an insane asylum.
The movie climaxes in a chase through Sea World San Diego, where Gerald is pursued by Thor's gangsters, a rival group of gangsters who had made a deal with Syd to buy his diamonds, and a group of Chinese who smuggle the diamonds disguised as plastic pearls. Gerald disguises himself as a Kabuki
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
dancer but is pursued until Suzie rescues him by flying by with a helicopter and dropping a rope ladder that Gerald escapes on. They return to the Pacific Ocean, where Syd reappears. The gangsters chase Syd into the ocean, and Gerald and Suzie walk away, deeply in love. The diamonds are never located.
The final scene shows the narrator, Frank De Vol, facing the camera and solemnly announcing that the tale is true—then the camera pulls back as De Vol turns and walks away on the breakwater where the beginning and ending action had taken place. De Vol is wearing all of a business suit except trousers, and he is carrying a briefcase.
Production
The Big Mouth was filmed from December 5, 1966-February 28, 1967 and marked the film debut of Charlie CallasCharlie Callas
Charlie Callas was an American comedian and actor most commonly known for his work with Mel Brooks, Jerry Lewis, and Dean Martin and his many stand-up appearances on television talk shows in the 1970s...
after he met Lewis on a chat show as well as a cameo by Colonel Harland Sanders.