Filmed right after 1951's
At War with the Army
, the
Dean Martin
-
Jerry Lewis
vehicle
The Stooge
was shelved until late 1952 to make way for another military farce,
Jumping Jacks
. When
Stooge
finally hit the screens Martin and
Lewis
fans were surprised by its dramatic content and the subdued performances of its stars. Martin plays an obnoxious vaudeville singer named Bill Martin, who gets nowhere professionally until he is accidentally teamed with goofy would-be comic Ted Rogers (Lewis). Bill and Ted climb to the top of the showbiz heap with a riotous act wherein Bill's onstage singing is interrupted by Ted's heckling from the audience (not unlike Martin and Lewis' genuine nightclub act). As his fame grows, so does Bill's ego, and eventually he ditches Ted to strike out on his own. Without his partner, however, Bill is a failure, so it's up to faithful Ted to save the day and patch up the friendship. The "femme angle" (to use
Variety
's phrase) is handled by
Marion Marshall
as Frecklehead Tait and
Polly Bergen
as Mary Turner. It's worth noting that
was Jerry Lewis' favorite Martin and Lewis comedy.