Artists and Models, which provided the Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis duo with its finest screen hour, is a dizzily self-reflexive play on movie illusion.
Eugene Fullstack (Lewis) is a comic book addict whose colourful dreams are transcribed – and secretly sold – by Rick Todd (Martin). They are mirrored by two women – sultry graphic artist Abby (Dorothy Malone) and ditzy Bessie (Shirley MacLaine).
Tashlin’s endlessly inventive game of permutation and combination between these four characters builds up to a great piece of burlesque mayhem: Eugene and Bessie’s delirious détournement of the kitsch romantic ballad Inamorata.
The plot launches without warning into an international espionage intrigue (enter Eva Gabor), and a splendid musical demonstration of image-and-sound artifice (When You Pretend).
Rick Todd
Dean Martin Eugene Fullstack
Jerry Lewis Bessie Sparrowbrush
Shirley MacLaine Abigail ‘Abby’ Parker
Dorothy Malone Mr Murdock
Eddie Mayehoff Sonia/Mrs Curtis
Eva Gabor Anita
Anita Ekberg Richard Stilton
George Winslow Ivan
Jack Elam Secret Service Chief Samuels
Herbert Rudley Secret Service Agent Rogers
Richard Shannon Secret Service Agent Peters
Richard Webb Otto
Alan Lee Kurt
Otto Waldis
Director
Frank Tashlin
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