Product Details

• Actors: Jerry Lewis, Marie McDonald, Sessue Hayakawa, Barton MacLane, Suzanne Pleshette
• Directors: Frank Tashlin
• Writers: Frank Tashlin, Rudy Makoul
• Producers: Jerry Lewis, Ernest D. Glucksman
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, HiFi Sound, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Paramount
• VHS Release Date: August 15, 1995
• Run Time: 98 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302287375
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,792 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Abracadabra! The Great Wooley and his lop-earred partner Harry Hare plan to dazzle audiences with magical feats during their USO tour of Japan and Korea. Harry works for carrots. Struggling artist Wooley works for peanuts. An orphaned Japanese boy is drawn out of his shell by the magician's humor and caring.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This Movie Has Magic!, July 7, 2002

By 

Sallie A. Martin (OK) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Geisha Boy [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Although Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis made a great team, this movie, The Geisha Boy, shows Jerry's true talent solo.

Jerry plays a magician named Mr. Wooley, who plans to entertain troops overseas to make a few bucks. Part of his tricks include a rabbit named Harry. This rabbit plays a big part in the movie (perhaps taking Dean's place?). Struggling, Mr. Wooley thinks that playing for the USO will make him a few bucks and give him, perhaps, the big break he's been waiting for. In this time he meets a beautiful Japanese woman, who has a nephew that laughs at practically the sight of Mr. Wooley, and is forever changed by Mr. Wooley. In this comical love story, also featuring Suzanne Pleshette in her first movie role, Jerry really shows true talent for clean comedy and laughs without a sidekick (if you don't count the rabbit). There are also a few surprise things in the movie that you really have to pay attention to catch, making it even more fun!

I highly recommend anyone who enjoys Jerry to watch this film. It will have you rolling with laughter and magically feeling good!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Hidden Gem of Jerry Lewis; A Japanese Fan Can Testify, January 10, 2002

By 

Tsuyoshi (Kyoto, Japan) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

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This review is from: Geisha Boy [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Owing to Eddie Murphy remake, "The Nutty Professor" comes to our mind first as Jerry Lewis's most representative work, but it also tends to overshadow his other neglected gems, one of which is here, "The Geisha Boy." Despite its now corny title, the film has still a lot to offer for our laugh.

Jerry is this time a second-rate magician, who goes to Japan and war-time Korea, to entertain the soldiers; instead, he falls in love with a Japanese woman Kimi (Nobu McCarthy). He also forms an unlikely relationship with an orphaned boy, who considers Jerry as a new father. As the time of returning to America comes near, he has to decide: stay or leave?

Besides the touching story, in which Jerry shows his tender side, he exhibits lots of his crazy gags as usual, and they are very funny even now. Among many others, my favorite is "the biggest splash in the world" that happens in the Japanese public bath. And Harry the Hare always steals the show -- look how he runs in a hotel -- and Sessue Hayakawa appears as a cameo, to parody his role in a David Lean film (you know what).

As far as I can judge from the film, Jerry's segments are all shot inside America, just like they did in Bogart's "Tokyo Joe" (though we see a big statue of Buddha in Kamakura, Japan, Jerry does not share the screen with it.) The town of Japan is obviously made in a soundstage, but these facts are not important. As a Japanese, I am not a little surprised (pleasantly) to find that the film is friendly to Japan, (remember both nations were at war 13 years before) and inaccurate descriptions of Japan, which are still often found in Hollywood movies, are reduced to the minimal level. It is quite possible that someone behind the production team gave information on Japan, not to offend Japanese audience. The biggest suprise is that some of the gag are clearly made for Japanese; check out the scene where a Japanese boy watches a TV program. An American is speaking (dubbed) Japanese, but his speech is in a dialect of Kansai, western district of Japan. This causes a big laugh in Japan, because it is like hearing a Japanese speaking with a strong accent of, say, New Orleans or Scotland. Who thought of this idea?

My only complaint is the film is longer than it should be, and the opening and ending reels move a little slowly. And Pleshette's character (her debut, and appears in military uniform) should be given more screen time. But these are minor things. A good film that makes you laugh a lot.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Domo Arrigato Gozaimasu, Jerry!, December 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Geisha Boy [VHS] (VHS Tape)

One of the better Jerry Lewis movies made after his split with Dean Martin. Jerry appears as an inept magician with a white rabbit named Harry as a constant companion. Together, they travel to Japan to perform as part of a goodwill tour sponsored by the State Department. While there, Jerry befriends a young boy who constantly follows him around. Jerry gets into one hilarious jam after another everywhere he goes in Japan. The 1958 Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team (their first year in LA after the move from Brooklyn) makes a cameo appearance in this film. Overall, very entertaining and funny with a couple of touching moments between Jerry and his young friend.