Sadly Over-hyped

A Major Disappointment

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

The classic screwball comedy, "Nothing Sacred", gets an update thanks to the brief Broadway version, "Hazel Flagg", which in its film version gets a sex change. Jerry Lewis becomes Homer Flagg, the victim of radiation poisoning who ends up a big newspaper story for New York reporter Janet Leigh while small town doctor Dean Martin makes a play for Leigh, all the while knowing that Lewis isn't sick. All mayhem ensues in a musical comedy that shows Martin and Lewis at their best. Martin scores as the doctor whom Lewis asks, "What college did you graduate from?", to which Martin replies with his own question, "Who graduated?"The few songs that remain from "Hazel Flagg" are sung nicely by Dean, and don't reflect the mediocre original cast recording. A jitterbug dance between Lewis and blonde bombshell Sheree North is the highlight, as is the production number, "Every Street's a Boulevard in Old New York", the best song in the Broadway production. Unlike Abbott and Costello (whom Martin and Lewis replaced as the top comedy team at the box office), you could tell that Martin's character always cared about Lewis's, while Bud always seemed out to take advantage of Lou's idiocy. This is a rare example of a flop Broadway show making it to the big screen, although in its altered story is obviously quite different. I enjoyed the twists on the gender of the lead characters. Fred Clark and Edward Arnold have nice smaller roles, adding class to an already classy production. It's colorful and fast moving, and doesn't cheapen the memory of the classic original which so many remakes of 1930's screwball comedies seemed to overkill on.

One of my favorite Martin&Lewis Pictures has quite the pedigree. Originally Ben Hecht wrote this as the story behind the film Nothing Sacred, it then was recreated as a musical Hazel Flagg on Broadway with songs by Jule Styne and Bob Hilliard. Then Paramount bought it as a vehicle for Martin and Lewis and scrapped most of the score retaining only How Do You Speak To An Angel and Every Street's A Boulevard.It's one of those gender reversal parts that Jerry Lewis got playing Homer Flagg, stationmaster at Desert Hole, New Mexico who gets a mistaken diagnosis of radium poisoning by Dr. Dean Martin. That sends Janet Leigh ace reporter on Fred Clark's newspaper for the human interest story of a man dying whose only wish is to see The Big Apple before he dies.Of course it's all a mistake, but Dean and Jerry keep the deception going to wangle a free trip to New York at Fred Clark's expense. And both of them fight over Janet Leigh.This was one film where Dean Martin did very well in the song department. Two songs written for the film by the same Broadway composers became favorites of Dino's fans world wide. That's What I Like and Money Burns A Whole In My Pocket sold a few records for him, the latter is a particular favorite of mine.As for Jerry he has some great comedy routines, one with Sig Ruman as a doctor specialist sent to examine him, another on the train that drops him in the middle of the Los Alamos Proving Grounds where they think he gets the radium poisoning, another swinging from a chandelier doing a demented act and pelting Dean Martin and Fred Clark with light-bulbs.Highlight of the film is both of them doing one of the great New York tribute ballads Every Street's A Boulevard In Old New York. Dean&Jerry also recorded this and it's a real gem on record and on film.If you're not a Martin&Lewis fan you'll become one after seeing Living It Up.

She was Hazel Flagg and Charles Winnegar was Dr. Enoch Downer Fredric March played the reporter from New York, Wallace Cook. The acting is comparable with identical story lines. The Martin and Lewis version does not degrade or surpass the original. Very enjoyable to watch. The location was changed from Vermotn/New York to New Mexico/New York. Both towns can be described as not up to date, impoverished, and a bit backward. Dean Martin likes his alcohol as did Charles Winnegar. Jerry is far more ditsy than Carole. Janet and Fredric were on par as reporters. Often times the remake is not as good as the original. Very little difference in the 1937 and 1954 version of this movie technologically. Easy to compare them.

I have always been fond of the score of "Hazel Flagg", and I've always liked this film version of it. But what has always puzzled me is that after Sheree North made a big hit on Broadway dancing in the show, they got her for the movie version, and cut her big dance number, the delightful comedy song "Salomee". She could have re-created her dance ! True, she did one of the show's original songs with Jerry, but they should have kept "Salomee." And Janet Leigh did other musicals, so I'm sure she could have handled Benay Venuta's numbers from the show. Hollywood !!! The story about the media, and fame, and paparazzi is even more timely today, so they should definitely do a re-make as "Hazel Flagg" with the original score.