Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River (1968)

33% of users liked it
(101 ratings)

Humorist Max Wilk scripted this listless film version of his book of the same name. Jerry Lewis plays George Lester, an American entrepreneur living in London. After a money-raising scheme fails, his wife Pamela (Jacqueline Pearce) threatens him with divorce. Trying to demonstrate his willingness to… More Humorist Max Wilk scripted this listless film version of his book of the same name. Jerry Lewis plays George Lester, an American entrepreneur living in London. After a money-raising scheme fails, his wife Pamela (Jacqueline Pearce) threatens him with divorce. Trying to demonstrate his willingness to get serious with Pamela, George, with crackbrained finesse, turns her country home into a discotheque. Pamela, shocked, demands that George restore her home the way it was. While defending himself, George notes than Pamela now has a snobbish suitor in tow -- Dudley Heath (Nicholas Parsons). To show up Pamela, George contacts an old friend, conman H. William Homer (Terry-Thomas). Together, they concoct a scheme to abscond with Dudley's blueprints for an electronic oil drill and sell it to the Arabs. But complications occur when George catches the mumps and has to rely upon airline steward Fred Davies (Bernard Cribbins) to transport the microfilmed blueprints to Lisbon in his teeth. Once in Lisbon, a local dentist, Dr. Pinto (John Bluthal), is tabbed to remove the blueprints from Davies's mouth, but Dr. Pinto double-crosses them. George flies off to Lisbon with Pamela in pursuit, and the chase is on. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: G, 1 hr. 38 min.
Directed By: Jerry Paris
Written By: Max Wilk
Genres: Classics, Comedy

In Theaters: Jun 19, 1968 Wide
On DVD: Jul 8, 2003

Critic Reviews

Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Dreary comedy, where the laughs are not forthcoming.
Ryan Cracknell, Apollo Guide
A tame mix of jokes that haven't stood up over the years and misunderstandings that likely weren't all that funny to begin with.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Pretty funny Lewis vehicle. More controlled than most.

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Cast

            Jerry Lewis as George Lester

            Terry-Thomas as H. William Homer

            Jacqueline Pearce as Pamela Lester

            Bernard Cribbins as Fred Davies

            Patricia Routledge as Lucille Beatty

            Nicholas Parsons as Dudley Heath

            Michael Bates as Dr. Spink

            Colin Gordon as Mr. Hartford

            John Bluthal as Dr. Pinto

            Sandra Caron as Pinto's Nurse

            Margaret Nolan as Spink's Nurse

            Pippa Benedict as Fern Averback

            Harold Goodwin as Six-Eyes Wiener

            Nike Arrighi as Portuguese Waitress

            Alexandra Dane as Masseuse

            Al Mancini as Portuguese Chauffeur

            Richard Montez as Arab

            Molly Peters as Heath's Secretary

            Francisca Tu as Chinese Telephonist

            Robbie Lee as Bruce

            Jerry Paris as Baseball Umpire

            John Barrard as Zebra Man

            John Moore as Digby

            Colin Douglas as Barman

            Henry Soskin as Bearded Arab
See full cast

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