Rock-a-Bye Baby (1958)

Purely Joyful Movie!

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The babies were absolutely adorable, I couldn't stop looking at them throughout especially while the other characters were talking! I loved how they were so many songs in this too, they were quite surprising though. I never seen a movie that features songs coming right out of the blue before. My favorite songs in this were: Dormi-Dormi-Dormi (Sleep- Sleep-Sleep), Rock-a-Bye Baby and The Land of La-La-La. They really gave you a good feeling by swaying your head and boogie the night away! I was surprised to have seen the little boy who played Jerry Lewis' younger self, I actually didn't know that was Gary Lewis aka his son! He honestly doesn't look like his father at all! I found it funny that he had the ring on his left index finger like Jerry Lewis normally wears. He was a great little boy and of course, he was just gorgeous!This movie gives you goosebumps, watch it!

While there is plenty of comedy to keep your funny bone out of joint, the film overall depends on a bunch of idiots to create its plot. Surprisingly, Jerry Lewis's simpleton is not one of them; His character (if not himself) comes with a lot of heart, taking in three adorable babies which may or may not be his. The usually likable Connie Stevens is truly annoying as the impish girl who seems obsessed with getting his attention, which ultimately causes him to always be in trouble as the result of her obnoxious distractions. Then, there is her older sister (Marilyn Maxwell), a movie star who insinuates that Lewis is the father and leaves the babies with her so she can continue her career. Stevens and Maxwell's father misinterprets the situation and idiotically fluctuates between emotions that are extremely inconsistent from one moment until the next. This musical variation of 1944's "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek" keeps the viewer guessing as to who & why the identity of the kiddy's daddy is never revealed until the end.Comically, the film is extremely funny, especially the opening scene involving a fire hose that destroys an entire neighborhood. Isobel Elsom is the Billie Burke like society matron who goes after custody of the children for herself after Lewis (thanks to Steven's interference) accidentally fills her living room with chimney soot. The adorable Ida Moore is very funny as Lewis's commercial loving landlady who tries pretty much every product she sees on TV. Such vets as James Gleason, Hans Conried and Hope Emerson are wasted in minor roles, but Reginald Gardiner is given some good material as Maxwell's droll manager. The songs are actually above average, although an Egyptian themed production number is truly silly. Although Salvatore Baccaloni's papa is the real dumbbell of the story, he does get a nice duet with Lewis called "Dormi-Dormi-Dormi (Sleep-Sleep-Sleep)". Lewis's young son appears as his character in a flashback which is a nice touch, and the courtroom scene at the end has some clever dubbing utilized for comic effect.

I am a fan of Jerry Lewis' early movies so when I shared this movie with my 11 and 5 year old grandsons, I was tickled to death when they laughed themselves silly watching it! They loved it from the first scenes with the runaway fire hose to the ending where Jerry makes those wild and crazy faces! I wish there were movies like this today (other than animated ones) that you could go see as a family. We owe it to our children and grandchildren to share as many movies like this with them as we can, because otherwise they won't get the chance to see genuine hilarity. Comedians and writers of today think dirty language and bathroom humor are funny. Who needs that? This is one of my favorite Lewis movies.

I've read the preceding comments and they pretty much tell the story of why this is a classic Jerry Lewis film. However, I think one of the reasons I love this one so much is that it also captures a feel for what life was like growing up in the fifties (as I did). In many ways it typifies the fifties mindset, but also exemplifies the entertainment of the period. Things were so much more family-oriented. Sex wasn't non-existence in films, but it was more often handled tastefully. Language was wholesome and the humor didn't depend on "shock" (such as the name of Navin Johnson's dog in The Jerk).I find the segment in Hill Valley of the fifties in Back to the Future especially enjoyable as Robert Zemeckis does a great job of re-creating the era. Watching Rock a Bye Baby, which is authentically of the era confirms that. (In fact, the court house and town square in both of these films appear to have a striking similarity to one another.)Although the story owes a lot to The Miracle of Morgan's Creek as inspiration (and even gives Preston Sturges credit), it really has its own unique flavor as well. Like a son who bears a resemblance to his father but also has his own personality. In many ways I think that Frank Tashlin has improved upon it. The subplot with the sister and its resolution are wonderful additions.Over all I think it is a great film and can't wait till it's available on DVD (Is anybody listening?).