The Nutty Professor (1963 film)

The Nutty Professor
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJerry Lewis
Written by
Produced byErnest D. Glucksman
Starring
CinematographyW. Wallace Kelley
Edited byJohn Woodcock
Music byWalter Scharf
Production
company
Jerry Lewis Films
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release date
  • June 4, 1963 (1963-06-04)
Running time
107 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$19 million[2]

The Nutty Professor is a 1963 American science fiction comedy film directed, co-written (with Bill Richmond) by, and starring Jerry Lewis. The film also co-stars Stella Stevens, Del Moore, Kathleen Freeman, Howard Morris, and Elvia Allman. The score was composed by Walter Scharf. A parody of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, it follows weak-willed scientist Julius Kelp as he creates a serum that transforms him into a charismatic but narcissistic ladies' man, which he subsequently uses under his alter ego Buddy Love.

The Nutty Professor has been described as perhaps the finest and most memorable film of Lewis's career.[3] In 2004, The Nutty Professor was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

A remake of The Nutty Professor was released in 1996, directed by Tom Shadyac and starring Eddie Murphy and Jada Pinkett-Smith. A sequel, Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, followed in 2000, and an animated sequel to the 1963 film was released in 2008. Lewis directed a musical theatre version in 2012. A new version of the musical, featuring the last score by Marvin Hamlisch, book and lyrics by Rupert Holmes and direction by Marc Bruni, was staged from July 1 to August 6, 2022, at the Ogunquit Playhouse in Ogunquit, Maine.[4]

  1. ^ "The Nutty Professor (U)". British Board of Film Classification. June 18, 1963. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  2. ^ Natale, Richard; Dagan, Carmel (August 20, 2017). "Jerry Lewis, Comedy Legend, Dies at 91". Variety.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ebert was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "'The Nutty Professor' and 'Mr. Holland's Opus' Set for Regional Stage Musical Adaptations". January 26, 2022.