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The Ladies Man

FILM · 1961 · USA

The Ladies Man

Directed by
Jerry Lewis
Runtime
95 min
Studio
Paramount Pictures

54 archived facts 6 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026

After his girl leaves him for someone else, Herbert gets really depressed and starts searching for a job. He finally finds one in a big house which is inhabited by many, many women. Can he live in the same home with all these females?

  • The Ladies Man — production image

54 Interesting Facts About The Ladies Man

Interesting Facts (15)

  1. #001

    During the production of The Ladies Man, Jerry Lewis mounted a small video camera alongside his 35 mm camera, pioneering the "video assist" system that is now standard on nearly every feature film.

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  2. #002

    While filming his scene with the African lion Baby (also known as Zamba), Jerry Lewis carried a gun in his inside pocket for protection.

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  3. #003

    Trivia: In one of the early scenes in which Herbert sits on a bus bench, part of a poster for Lewis's previous film, Cinderfella (1960), is visible just to the left of the pharmacy on the street behind him.

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  4. #004

    This was Karyn Kupcinet's first and only feature-film appearance, as the haughty girl in the red dress who exasperates Herbert by calling him "Herby." She was murdered two years later in an unsolved crime.

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  5. #005

    In the broken-hat scene, with Lewis's back to the camera, his stifled giggles at Buddy Lester's reactions (Lester appears in a cameo) can be both seen and heard.

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  6. #006

    In a 2008 interview, Mel Brooks said he wrote the original screenplay for this film but asked to have his name removed from the credits because most of his work was cut from the final version. A handful of his comedy bits remain in the film, including a scene in which Jerry Lewis dusts off a trophy case and releases the live butterflies inside.

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  7. #007

    When Ralph Helfer, the owner and trainer of the African lion Zamba, learned that Jerry Lewis had a gun, he completely lost control, reared up toward Lewis's face and screamed loudly enough for everyone to hear. Jerry had Ralph thrown off the set and banned him from working at the studio for six months, until he finished the film.

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  8. #008

    This was Zamba's second appearance in a film.

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  9. #009

    Pat Stanley replaced Diana Dors as Fay.

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  10. #010

    The film holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 10 critic reviews.

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  11. #011

    This was Gloria Jean's last film, and the same is true for Karyn Kupcinet.

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  12. #012

    Like Lewis's The Bellboy, this film is a vehicle for over-the-top sight gags rather than a fully plotted story.

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  13. #013

    This was Dee Arlan's last screen appearance.

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  14. #014

    This was Patricia Olson's debut.

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  15. #015

    It is never explained why an all-female boarding house advertises for a "bachelor" rather than a married, preferably middle-aged, man.

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Production Story (17)

  1. #016

    Jerry Lewis pioneered the 'video assist' system, now standard on nearly all films, by mounting a small video camera alongside his 35mm camera during this production.

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  2. #017

    The film was shot largely on one of the largest interior sets ever built. A full-scale replica of a multi-storey girls' dormitory was designed to be dismantled to accommodate camera movements, and it occupied an entire soundstage on the Paramount backlot.

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  3. #018

    While shooting his scene with the African lion Baby (also known as Zamba), Jerry Lewis carried a gun in his inside pocket for protection. When Zamba's owner and trainer, Ralph Helfer, learned that Lewis had the gun, he completely lost control; he leaned into his face and shouted loudly enough to stop everyone who heard it. Jerry Lewis had Helfer thrown off the set and banned him from working at the studio for six months until the film was finished.

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  4. #019

    In the broken hat scene, with Jerry Lewis's back to the camera, he can be seen and heard trying to suppress his giggles at the reactions of Buddy Lester (a guest actor).

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  5. #020

    In the scene where Herbert and the blonde girl tap dance on television, as the shot transitions to the next one, the blonde girl can be seen stopping her backward hopping, her puzzled expression giving way to a blank, bored face. Herbert then looking away from where he fell implies the scene is over.

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  6. #021

    The opening scene shows the northwest corner of Universal's Courthouse Square backlot. On the left, the edge of Lou's Cafe ('Back to the Future') is visible, while when the telephone lineman slides down his pole, the edge of the courthouse building can be made out on the right.

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  7. #022

    In this film, Jerry Lewis says his name is Herbert H. Heebert and that the middle H stands for Herbert. He explains that he got the name from his mother constantly shouting "Herbert Herbert" when he was a child. In the 1953 film "Scared Stiff", in which Lewis appeared with Dean Martin, his character told the same story under the name Myron M. Mirtz.

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  8. #023

    Karyn Kupcinet's first and only film experience. As the stuck-up girl in the red dress, she exasperates Herbert by calling him "Herby". Kupcinet was murdered two years later; the crime remains unsolved. The production, which was also Gloria Jean's last film, served as a farewell for Kupcinet as well.

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  9. #024

    In the scene early in the film where Herbert reads his references to Katie, the portrait hanging on the wall behind him belongs to Francis X. Bushman, the matinee idol of the silent film era. Bushman's career extended into the 1960s with films such as "Sabrina" (1954). When the set foreman asked Jerry Lewis whom he wanted on the wall, Lewis chose Bushman.

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  10. #025

    Dee Arlan's last appearance on the silver screen.

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  11. #026

    Patricia Olson's first film.

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  12. #027

    In a 2008 interview, Mel Brooks stated that he wrote the film's original screenplay, but that he asked for his name to be removed from the credits because most of his work was cut from the final version. Even so, a few comedy bits he wrote made it into the film, such as the scene where Jerry Lewis dusts a display case and releases the live butterflies inside.

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  13. #028

    Diana Dors had signed a contract with Jerry Lewis Productions to appear in this film. Although she had recently been replaced by another actress when she appeared in 'On the Double' (1961), she received her $10,000 fee for this film. Pat Stanley took on the role of Fay.

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  14. #029

    Similar to Lewis's 'The Bellboy', this production is less a fully fledged story than a vehicle for extravagant visual gags. Rather than plot, the film aims to entertain the audience with a succession of showy antics.

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  15. #030

    In one of the film's early scenes, as Herbert sits on the bench at the bus stop, part of a poster for Jerry Lewis's previous film 'Cinderfella' (1960) is visible in the alley behind him, just to the left of the pharmacy; a nice in-joke for attentive viewers.

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  16. #031

    Its 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 10 critic reviews shows that the film achieved flawless consensus among critics.

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  17. #032

    The film never explains why a boarding house that only takes in women is looking for a 'single' man rather than a middle-aged, married one; this oddity remains a deliberate gap that feeds the story's absurd humour.

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Behind the Scenes (8)

  1. #033

    The film was shot largely on one of the largest interior sets ever built. A full-scale replica of a multi-story women's dormitory was constructed to accommodate camera movement and filled an entire soundstage on the Paramount backlot.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  2. #034

    During this production, Jerry Lewis mounted a small video camera alongside his 35mm camera, pioneering the 'video assist' system that is now standard in nearly all films.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  3. #035

    The film was shot largely on one of the largest interior sets ever built. A full-scale replica of a multi-story women's dormitory was designed to be dismantled to accommodate camera movements, and it occupied an entire soundstage on the Paramount backlot.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  4. #036

    While shooting his scene with the African lion Baby (also known as Zamba), Jerry Lewis carried a gun in his inside pocket for protection. When Zamba's owner and trainer, Ralph Helfer, learned that Lewis had a gun, he completely lost control; he leaned toward his face and shouted loudly enough to stop everyone who heard it. Jerry Lewis had Helfer thrown off the set and banned him from working at the studio for six months until the film was finished.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  5. #037

    In the broken hat scene, with Jerry Lewis's back to the camera, he can be seen and heard trying to suppress his giggles at the reactions of Buddy Lester (guest actor).

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  6. #038

    This was Zamba's second film experience.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

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  7. #039

    In the scene where Herbert and the blonde girl tap dance on television, as the shot transitions to the next one, the blonde girl can be seen stopping her backward hopping, and her surprised expression gives way to a blank, bored face. Herbert then looks away from where he fell, implying that the scene is over.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  8. #040

    The opening scene shows the northwest corner of Universal's Courthouse Square backlot. On the left, the edge of Lou's Cafe ('Back to the Future') is visible, while on the right, the edge of the courthouse building can be made out when the telephone lineman slides down the pole.

    BEHIND THE SCENES · SOURCED

    ShareReport

Characters & Cast (8)

  1. #041

    Jerry Lewis says his name in this film is Herbert H. Heebert and that the middle H stands for Herbert. He explains that he got the name from his mother constantly shouting "Herbert Herbert" when he was a child. In the 1953 film "Scared Stiff," in which Lewis starred alongside Dean Martin, his character told the same story under the name Myron M. Mirtz.

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  2. #042

    This was Karyn Kupcinet's first and only film experience. In the role of the stuck-up girl in the red dress, she drives Herbert crazy by calling him "Herby." Kupcinet fell victim to murder two years later; the crime has still not been solved. The production, which was also Gloria Jean's last film, thus served as a farewell for Kupcinet as well.

    CHARACTERS & CAST · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  3. #043

    In the scene early in the film where Herbert reads his references to Katie, the portrait hanging on the wall behind him belongs to silent-film matinee idol Francis X. Bushman. Bushman's career extended into the 1960s with films such as "Sabrina" (1954). When the set foreman asked Jerry Lewis whom he wanted on the wall, Lewis chose Bushman.

    CHARACTERS & CAST · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  4. #044

    This is Dee Arlan's last appearance on the silver screen.

    CHARACTERS & CAST · SOURCED

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  5. #045

    This is Patricia Olson's first film.

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  6. #046

    In a 2008 interview, Mel Brooks stated that he wrote the film's original screenplay himself, but asked for his name to be removed from the credits because most of his work had been cut from the final version. Even so, a few comedy bits he wrote remain in the film, such as the scene in which Jerry Lewis, while dusting a display case, sets free the live butterflies inside it.

    CHARACTERS & CAST · SOURCED

    ShareReport
  7. #047

    Diana Dors had signed a contract with Jerry Lewis Productions to appear in this film. Although she had recently been replaced by another actress when she appeared in 'On the Double' (1961), she still received her $10,000 fee for this film. The role of Fay was taken by Pat Stanley.

    CHARACTERS & CAST · SOURCED

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  8. #048

    Similar to Lewis's 'The Bellboy', this production serves as a vehicle for over-the-top visual gags rather than a fully fledged story. More than its plot, the film aims to entertain the audience with a succession of flamboyant, boisterous set pieces.

    CHARACTERS & CAST · SOURCED

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Easter Eggs & References (1)

  1. #049

    In the first scene, where Herbert reads his remarks to Katie, the portrait behind his head is of Francis X. Bushman, a matinee idol of the silent era whose career continued into the 1960s with films such as Sabrina (1954). The set decorator asked Jerry Lewis whom he wanted on the wall, and Lewis chose Bushman.

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Deeper Meaning (5)

  1. #050

    In the scene where Herbert and the blonde girl tap-dance on television, as the scene transitions to the next one, you can see the blonde girl stop jumping backward and her shocked expression turn into a blank, bored face. She then looks away from where Herbert fell, implying the scene is over.

    DEEPER MEANING · SOURCED

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  2. #051

    In one of the film's early scenes, as Herbert sits on a bench at the bus stop, part of a poster for Jerry Lewis's previous film, 'Cinderfella' (1960), is visible in the alley behind him, just to the left of the pharmacy — a pleasant in-joke for attentive viewers.

    DEEPER MEANING · SOURCED

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  3. #052

    The film earned a place on the '1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die' list edited by Steven Schneider, proving its importance in cinema history.

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  4. #053

    Its 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 10 critic reviews, shows that the film achieved flawless harmony in the eyes of critics.

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  5. #054

    The film never explains why a boarding house reserved only for women is looking for a 'single' man rather than a middle-aged, married one; this oddity remains a deliberate gap that feeds the story's absurd humor.

    DEEPER MEANING · SOURCED

    ShareReport

Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • Wikipedia English Wikipedia article
  • IMDb IMDb title page (trivia)

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