Every time I express any sort of admiration for Jerry Lewis, even if it's only to salute his sheer longevity, I find myself in a debate with someone. Sometimes, it has to do with whether the things he says and does in real life diminish the merits of his movies. And sometimes, it's whether there are any merits in his movies.
I prefer almost all the films he made with the Italian fellow over those he made alone…but I like a lot of what he did alone and even the weakest efforts usually have their moments. What's interesting to me is that I find myself having these debates with folks who either haven't seen any of Jerry's movies lately or haven't seen many of Jerry's movies at all.
If you get the Encore Family channel, be advised that in the next few days, they're running The Ladies' Man, The Nutty Professor, The Errand Boy, The Bellboy and The Geisha Boy. The last of these was directed by Frank Tashlin but the rest were helmed by Jer and they're about as good as his work got when he was in charge. I might have swapped out The Errand Boy and swapped in The Family Jewels but otherwise, it's a pretty good list. If you watch and don't like 'em, there's no point in seeking out any of Jerry's other self-directed flicks.