Customer Reviews

Cinderfella [VHS]

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I recall watching some Jerry Lewis movies when I was a child while visiting my Aunts house. I was entertained. As I grew older I found that Jerry Lewis became lost in childhood memories. However, one late night I was watching television and this movie was on. I had missed the beginning, and had to go to bed before the end, if I hadn't I would have been up to 5:30. I thought this movie was sooo cute, that I just had to order it. And it was worth it. I love the Cinderella gone upside down plot of this movie, and Jerry is an adorable jem. Perhaps I was a fan all along, but this movie had to remind me of it. This movie inspires me to see more of what Jerry has to offer and perhaps view some more of his movies as a grown up! A child grownup that is, who always roots for the underdog!

Jerry Lewis fun!

When I was in 4th grade, a hundred years ago. and we lived in Maryland, when my birthday came I got to take the whole party to this movie! So, to me it was not only funny, it was special. I'll never forget sitting in the theater with all my little girl friends, in our best birthday party dresses and white shinny leather shoes, and hair bows, watching with enchantment.

Pass the popcorn and watch this movie with kids, or your poker buddies, it's fun! Jerry Lewis plays the male version of Cinderella, has a fairy God-father, has evil step brothers. He is sweet, funny, but also has feelings. Poor Cinderfella, when they are mean to him! But, it all works out in the end.

No cursing or nudity - which sure is a relief! We have grandkids over a lot here, so, we like our assortment of good family movies. You should too!

Made primarily as a Christmas attraction for family audiences, CINDERFELLA (1960) stars Jerry Lewis in a gender-bending spin on everyone's favourite fairytale, co-starring Judith Anderson and Ed Wynn.

Fella (Jerry Lewis) lives with his overbearing stepmother (Judith Anderson) and two stepbrothers (Henry Silva and Robert Hutton) in his dead father's Beverly Hills mansion, where he's treated like a servant--and a klutzy one at that! Forbidden to attend a party being held in honour of the visiting Princess Charming (Anna Maria Alberghetti), Fella's eccentric Fairy Godfather (Ed Wynn) steps in to lend a helping hand...

Unless you're a Jerry Lewis fan (and there really is no 'gray area'), you won't entirely appreciate his performance in CINDERFELLA. Lewis was given lots of free rein with his performance in this movie, and the constant mugging sometimes causes the feather-light story to become bogged down. Anna Maria Alberghetti provides a sweet Princess but her role is fairly minor. Judith Anderson ("Rebecca", "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof") does manage to turn the stepmother into an ultimately sympathetic character, something you don't really get in any other 'Cinderella' movie.

The DVD includes some fun outtakes and bloopers, plus a commentary track with Jerry Lewis and his friend, singer Steve Lawrence. (Single-sided, dual-layer disc).

See Jerry Lewis at the top of his game, along with the Count Basie Orchestra, and you have a virtual orgy for the senses. The supporting cast is top notch. However, the dip into the hipness of the era, via the Basie Orchestra really puts this fairytale over the top.
See it, and let your hipness get rejuvenated.
TONY HOROWITZ

"Cinderfella" was Jerry Lewis' answer to the classic Cinderella story. And he intended it to be a masterpiece. To say that it fell somewhat short of it's goal is putting it mildly, but it's not bad. The plot is, of course the familiar story, with a few (expected) variations. When his father dies, poor Fella (Lewis) is left at the mercy of his snobbish stepmother (Judith Anderson) and her two no-good sons, Maximilian (Henry Silva) and Rupert (Robert Hutton). As he slaves away for his nasty step-family, Maximilian and Rupert attempt to find a treasure Fella's father has supposedly hidden on the estate. Meanwhile, hoping to restore her dwindling fortunes, the stepmother plans a fancy ball in honor of the visiting Princess Charmein (Anna Maria Alberghetti) whom she hopes will marry Rupert. Eventually, Fella's Fairy Godfather (Ed Wynn) shows up to convince him that he has a shot at winning the Princess himself. Lewis had big plans for the film's release. Although it was completed in January of 1960, he insisted it make it's debut that Christmas, complete with a holiday campaign and record album tie-in. In the meantime, he produced and starred in a low budget item called "The Bellboy" in order for Paramount to have a Jerry Lewis movie for summer release. "Cinderfella" was given a lavish production and a formidable supporting cast was recruited to co star with Lewis. He was indeed fortunate to obtain the services of Judith Anderson, who, while not a performer one would expect in a Jerry Lewis film, was nevertheless excellent as the stepmother, bringing just the right touch of arrogance to the part. Ed Wynn is reliably daffy as the Fairy Godfather,though, due to severe editing, he disappears before the climax, and is not seen again. Silva and Hutton do what they can as the stepbrothers, but the beautiful Alberghetti has nothing to do but fall hopelessly in love with the hapless Fella. The pace of the film is somewhat choppy, and several critics pointed out that the editing had left voids in the plot. The film originally ran 99 minutes, it ended up at 88. Sure enough, it was released at Christmastime, when it inspired some of the most scathing critical comment ever bestowed on a Lewis picture. Most of this was devoted to Lewis' own performance, and his frequent mugging, mixed with his pathetic attempts to play for sympathy. "Cinderfella" did just O.K. at the box office, and it ended up well behind the modest "Bellboy" which was a box-office smash. Thanks to handsome sets (with exteriors filmed at the "Beverly Hillbillies" estate in Bel Air, CA), costumes and a pleasant (if unmemorable) score, "Cinderfella" is entertaining enough to get by. But you'd better be prepared for a lot of "singing/mugging" from the Producer/Star, who fancied himself a brilliant vocalist. After all, though, this is SUPPOSED to be a fairy tale! [phillindholm]

What a treat to watch this Jerry Lewis gem from December,1960! It's still a joy to catch this movie with all the slapstick and sight gags galore. Count Basie and the Orchestra were in top form in this movie. Leiws did a super job in the retelling of the classic fairy tale! I know you won't be dissapointed!!!

A unique twist on an old fairy tale "Cinderella." Unlike Cinderella, the main character is a boy "Cinderfella" and a fairy godfather takes the place of a fairy godmother. This movie is full of music, dancing, humor, and unexpected changes in the plot. My husband and children love it. I must admit that it's on the top of my Jerry Lewis' favorites list too.

I love Jerry Lewis movies, but upon viewing this Dvd version it seems that something has been cut out. My wife says she is almost sure there was more interaction between the Princess and "Fella". The Princess says she loves Fella in the end, but they have only really seen each other at the Ball. I'm not sure, maybe I just don't remember it as well as I thought. I still think it's a great movie that is good for family viewing. My Kid's and I loved it.

Jerry Lewis was busy in 1960, capitalizing on his popularity with "Visit to a Small Planet," "The Bell Boy," and this movie, as well as singing the title song for the movie "Raymie." While "Cinderfella" is less than many of Jerry Lewis's best movies, it is family friendly and enjoyable kooky fare.

Jerry Lewis is Fella. His father has passed away and left the house to his stepmother, played by Judith Anderson. Of course, Fella has two rather vain and greedy stepbrothers, Maximilian (Henry Silva) and Rupert (Robert Hutton). As with the original story of Cinderella, everyone treats Fella poorly. Since the stepmother is running out of money, and since they believe Fella might know where his father hid millions, they decide to be nice to Fella. There is a lengthy scene at an excessively long table that soon becomes annoying. Fella keeps changing coats as he alternately tries to eat and tries to serve his stepmother and stepbrothers. However, when Fella tries to light Maximilian's cigarette, the attempts are one of the gems of this movie.

One day everyone hears that Princess Charming, played by beautiful Anna Marie Alberghetti, is coming to visit with the purpose of finding a husband. We know that Fella's fairy godmother is going to show up. Oops, make that fairy godfather, in the form of Ed Wynn. Ed goes through a story about how the point of having Fella marry the princess is to counter the story of Cinderella. Actually, that part of the movie is tedious and unnecessary. During Ed's attempt to convince Fella that he is a real fairy godfather he makes Cinderella (Nola Thorp) appear.

There is the necessary scene at the ball where Fella appears in an outfit that looks a bit like a movie usher's uniform (the pants have a stripe down the side). Of course, there is fun and frivolity until the stroke of midnight, when all of Fella's accouterments must necessarily undo themselves. As soon as Fella gets the chauffeur back into the water, since the chauffeur was a goldfish, Maximilian shows up and threatens Fella, wanting him to reveal where the money is. The viewer needs to see how that scene ends.

As must happen in any movie related to Cinderella, everything must come out in the end of this short movie, which is less than an hour and a half long, but I will leave the details for you to discover.

This movie bears a lot of similarity to the superior "The Nutty Professor" from 1963. As in the latter movie, Lewis plays two characters. In the latter movie, one character is very wacky, and the other is very suave and cool. In "Cinderfella," one character is a bit kooky, but the other character is almost a caricature of being suave. Thus, the two characters in "The Nutty Professor" are extremes rather than the milder characters in "Cinderfella." However, "The Nutty Professor" is funnier too. I like this movie and "The Nutty Professor," but I think the latter is more sophisticated and better developed, as well as being funnier.

Count Basie and his orchestra appear in this movie, and as usual the big band sound is excellent. Of course, you have to have an appreciation for this kind of music.

There was a reference in a Lewis song to his membership in the Mickey Mouse Club, which I believe had recently gone off the air in 1960, though I think reruns were playing.

The DVD release had bloopers and a commentary by Jerry Lewis and Steve Lawrence.

Jerry Lewis has had many films funnier than this one. However, it is cute, and there are enough funny moments to have this one in your collection.

In the 1970s, Jerry Lewis movies were sporadically shown at 8 p.m. on New York station WNEW. At the time, I enjoyed these prime time showings, like this movie, "That's My Boy," and "Don't Give Up the Ship." How times have changed. Watching some of these movies today is downright painful. (Actually, all of them probably are; I just haven't seen them all recently.)

Cinderfella in particular struck me as a complete Jerry Lewis vanity project, probably no less than "The Nutty Professor." Both had Lewis combining his trademark childish antics with "serious" scenes of him supposedly being a devastatingly suave and irresistible ladies' man. Cinderfella had the additional detriment of regularly regaling us with Lewis' grating and self-indulgent renditions of maudlin songs not worthy of even a Disney cartoon. In later years, his singing would become the low point in all of his Muscular Dystrophy telethons.

Part of the problem was that Lewis didn't age well. When he was young and lanky, he could pull off the man-child role. But by the time of this movie, at the tender age of 34, he was already starting to puff up. He should have been evolving his comedic style, as Jim Carrey and Tom Hanks did as they aged. The same, old schtick becomes tiresome very quickly. It didn't help that he insisted on wearing two big, "macho" rings on his hands, which the supposedly unassuming and impoverished Fella never would have worn. Jerry, you're overcompensating. And, sorry, but you're no Dean Martin, who COULD pull off the easy charisma of a natural charmer and had a great voice (and didn't need and didn't wear as much finger bling).

Finally, the ending of the movie didn't work, either. Are we supposed to cheer that the princess ended up with Fella? After all, wasn't it drilled into our brains all through the movie that Fella is a clumsy and complete imbecile, mitigated only by the fact that he's well-meaning and kind? Quite frankly, I'm not sure I would wish him and his constant bumbling on any woman.