Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River

Starring:Nike Arrighi, John Barrard, Michael Bates, Pippa Benedict, John Bluthal, Sandra Caron, Bernard Cribbins, Alexandra Dane, Colin Douglas, Harold Goodwin (II), Colin Gordon, Robbie Lee (II), Jerry Lewis, Al Mancini, Margaret Nolan, Nicholas Parsons, Jacqueline Pearce, Patricia Routledge, Terry-Thomas
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

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The opening sequence of Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River has a bowler-hatted Jerry Lewis mischievously striding (in his oddly graceful, loose-hipped way) along the streets of London. The spontaneous business he creates is, alas, the last bit of freshness in the movie, which quickly reverts to a painfully labored plot. Jerry is in Swinging London (wrap your mind around that), an entrepreneur who spends the entire film trying to make up to his estranged British wife for turning her family estate into a Chinese restaurant-discotheque. The story also involves Arab oil barons, Portuguese automobiles, and a philandering dentist. Lewis didn't direct himself in this one, which accounts for the off pacing and total lack of good visual gags. It was 1968, and his rapid decline from creative excellence (see The Ladies Man and The Nutty Professor) and box-office potency was already into its skid. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Super Jerry Lewis movie.......2006-06-22

I absolutely loved this movie.If you enjoy Jerry Lewis antics at their best then you'll love this movie.He was superb as a bumbling husband that does everything to impress his wife and make a fast buck.It was great!

A jolly bad show.......2005-11-19

With all the good Jerry Lewis comedies awaiting DVD release (and, yes, there are good ones), who greenlighted this loser? Hey, Columbia, why did you ignore the very funny THE BIG MOUTH and release this turkey instead? I don't get it (and in terms of a DVD purchase, I didn't). Even Jerry disowns this staggeringly unfunny farce about a wacky American loose in England, whose get-rich-quick schemes get him involved with a host of unsavory characters. No matter what side of the Atlantic you're on, this is a jolly bad show. I love Jerry, but this is the pits.

A Very Disappointing Jerry Lewis Film.......2005-05-30

In 1967, Jerry Lewis starred in what arguably may be his worst film ever: a little gem entitled "Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River". Directed by Jerry Paris (1925-1986) and based upon a novel of the same name by author Max Wilk, the film begins in London where Jerry Lewis plays an American entrepreneur named George Lester. He marries Pamela (Jacqueline Pearce) and whisks her away to various exotic locations for several years while trying to build a business of his own with the supposed financial assistance from a crooked British businessman named H. William Homer (Terry-Thomas, 1911-1990). Tired of living away from London, Pamela leaves George, who also returns to London. Without money and wanting to give Pamela a more permanent home, George comes up with an unusual business idea: he turns Pamela's inherited home into a Chinese restaurant/discothèque. Seeing what he's done to her house, Pamela threatens to have George thrown in jail and moves into a hotel. She then begins to have an affair with a wealthy British oilman named Dudley Heath (Nicholas Parsons), who has the plans for a revolutionary new oil drill. Thrown into this unusual story is a male flight attendant/auto-mechanic named Fred Davies (Bernard Cribbins) whom George had talked into selling Portuguese-made sports cars that nobody wants. Also thrown into the story is the leader of a British girl scouts troop named Lucille Beatty (Patricia Routledge, who may be best known for her title role as Hyacinth Bucket in the British TV sitcom "Keeping Up Appearances" that ran between 1990-1995).

Aside from a few funny scenes, such as Fred serving people on board the cheap airlines that he works for and scenes involving Lucille, the film staggers along and fails to sufficiently engage the audience or be truly funny. Overall, I cannot rate this film with a rating higher than 2 out of 5 stars and cannot recommend it. Had the film had better direction, it may have been far more entertaining and successful. Unfortunately, it was neither.

Jerry Lewis the great in a mature responsible (?) role.......2003-07-10

Jerry Lewis the great in a mature responsible (?) role or is it? Don't know what it is but this movie pulled it off very charmingly to become a classic hidden gem in comedy movies.
It was a pleasure to watch English actor Terry-Thomas, Patricia Routledge,(Keeping Up Appearances), one actor from Fawlty Towers and mature responsible (?) Jerry Lewis- always cooking up his next gig..
Hilarious comedy recommended for late night viewing so you don't miss out very intricate plot..:)

A Low point for Jerry...........2003-07-08

Don't Raise the Bridge....is one of the worst Jerry Lewis movies. It's 'plot' is plotless and the situation style comedy doesn't work for Jerry here.

Being released in 1968, this film appears to be Jerrys attempt to be more contemporary and click with theatre goers changing tastes in the late 60s. He was not really involved with the production as he was with the majority of his films. He has stated himself that he did this film for verteran TV director/actor Jerry Paris because it was financially appealing. The results are very uninspired.

This is not to say that Jerry can't be contemporary and he is a joy in a film like Three on a Couch, however this one is as much of a misfire as Way Way Out, Hook Line and Sinker, and Which Way to the Front?.....Hey, they can't ALL be good.

Hopefully Columbia will release the rest of his output and its kind of a shame that they chose this rather weak title as their first DVD release. The Big Mouth is a much funnier and better paced film and is easily the best film he made after 1965. Hopefully they aren't going to gague sales of this title as a determining factor for future releases as this one is IMO strictly for Jerry Lewis completists.

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