Poster
Watch

Hollywood or Bust

Hollywood or Bust

  • Status: Released
  • 06-12-1956
  • Runtime: 95 min
  • Score: 6.1
  • Vote count: 66

The last movie with Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin together, is a satire of the life in Hollywood. Steve Wiley is a deceiver who cheats Malcolm Smith when he wins a car, claiming that he won it too. Trying to steal the car, Steve tells Malcolm that he lives in Hollywood, next to Anita Ekberg's. When Malcom hears that, they both set out for Hollywood and the adventure begins...

Dean Martin

Steve Wiley

Jerry Lewis

Malcolm Smith

Pat Crowley

Terry Roberts

Maxie Rosenbloom

Bookie Benny

Anita Ekberg

Actress Anita

Willard Waterman

Manager Neville

Richard Karlan

Sammy Ross

Richard Alexander

Western Actor

Leon Alton

Casino Patron

Adelle August

Dancer

Chet Brandenburg

Stagehand

Kathryn Card

Old Lady

Beach Dickerson

Bellboy

Minta Durfee

Miss Pettywood

Franklyn Farnum

Audience Member

Adolph Faylauer

Man at Movie Premiere

Joe Gray

Gambler

Sam Harris

Man in Hotel

Carl M. Leviness

Elderly Casino Patron

Torben Meyer

Waiter

Del Moore

Photographer

Ralph Peters

Truck Driver

Jean Ransome

Casino Patron

Suzanne Ridgway

Woman at Craps Table

Tracey Roberts

Redhead

Michael Ross

Paramount Studio Gate Guard

Cosmo Sardo

Actor in Tuxedo

Jeffrey Sayre

Crap Table Stickman

Bernard Sell

Casino Patron

Charles Sullivan

Audience Member

Ben Welden

Boss

Frank Wilcox

Director

Chief Yowlachie

Chief Running Water

John Chard

The boys sign off with unbridled joy. 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