Wow...talk about your contrived plots! The film begins with Jerry and his female partner working on their stage act. Out of the blue, Jerry gets a cryptic letter--telling him her was needed for government business. When he goes to where the letter tells him, he finds out his old partner (Dean) needs him to help him put on some sort of show for the army. It seems that Dean is now a paratrooper and plans on having Jerry take on the identity of a guy in his unit so they can put on a show together. While this idea is ridiculous, it's even more so when Jerry is stuck in the paratroopers and cannot get out--even though he really wants to.

This film finds Jerry Lewis at his most spastic and even louder than usual--making you wonder how anyone could possibly mistake him for a soldier (or human)! In addition, because of the performing angle, there are a larger than usual number of musical numbers--along with dancing and other choreography. If you like this, you're in luck. As for me, this mix created a less satisfying sort of Martin & Lewis film. Fortunately, the film was saved (somewhat) by the notion of idiot Jerry accidentally succeeding and becoming a great soldier! But to me, this isn't enough to make this anything other than a loud time-passer.

Robert Strauss (Sergeant McCluskey),Jerry Lewis (Hap Smith/Dogface Dolan),Dean Martin (Sergeant Chick Allen),Richard Erdman (the real Dogface Dolan),Ray Teal (General Timmons),Mona Freeman (Betty Carter),Marcy McGuire (Julia Loring),Edwin Max (Sam Gilmore),Alex Gerry (Earl White),Charles Evans (General Bond),James Flavin, Jody Gilbert.

Director: NORMAN TAUROG. Screenplay: Robert Lees & Fred Rinaldo, and Herbert Baker. Additional dialogue including special material for Strauss and Lewis: James Allardice, Richard Weil. Story: Brian Marlow. Photography: Daniel L. Fapp. Supervising film editor: Warren Low. Film editor: Stanley Johnson. Art directors: Hal Pereira, Henry Bumstead. Set decorators: Sam Comer, Emile Kuri. Costumes: Edith Head. Make- up: Wally Westmore. Process photography: Farciot Edouart. Special photographic effects: Gordon Jennings. Sound recording: Don McKay, Gene Garvin. Western Electric Sound System. Producer: Hal Wallis.

Songs: "I Can't Resist a Boy in a Uniform" (Freeman and Lewis),"Do the Parachute Jump" (Martin),"Big Blue Sky" (Martin and chorus),"I Know a Dream When I See One" (Martin),"Keep a Little Dream Handy" (Martin and Lewis),"What Have You Done for Me Lately?" by Mack David and Jerry Livingston. Musical numbers staged by Robert Sidney. Music director: Joseph J. Lilley.

This film was made using the facilities and personnel of the Infantry Center, Fort Banning, Georgia, in particular the Airborne Division of the Infantry School, assisted by units of the U.S. Air Force, — thanks to the U.S. Army and the Department of Defense.

Copyright 9 July 1952 by Wallis-Hazen, Inc. A Hal B. Wallis Production, released through Paramount Pictures. New York opening at the Paramount: 23 July 1952. U.S. release: July 1952. U.K. release: 3 November 1952. Australian release: 24 July 1953. Sydney opening at the Prince Edward: 24 July 1953 (ran 4 weeks). 8,612 feet. 96 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Tough sergeant is assigned to an entertainment unit. One of his men is more trouble than the rest, but comes good in the end.

COMMENT: A must for addicts of Strauss and Lewis. I must admit I'm not that fond of Jerry, but Bob is really hilarious here, making the most of his peppery dialogue with lots of eye-popping double takes and screamingly funny put-downs. Lewis often makes an admirable stooge for Strauss, but just as often he is too inclined to hog the camera. His solo segments and bits with less amusing players such as Freeman and Martin could be cut to the film's advantage.

But two support players to be retained in full are Ray Teal as an over-reactive general and especially Richard Erdman who has the role of his career here as the real but striving to be innocuous Dogface. His shaving routine with Strauss and his under-the-table sandwich act with Strauss and Lewis are the comic highlights of the picture.

After a comparatively late entrance, Martin has little to do than sing a few ballads in a couple of indifferently (and most economically) staged production numbers. Also hovering around — even more so — on the side-lines is Don DeFore whose role seems mostly to consist of looking daggers at Lewis from the near background.

Taurog has directed with his usual unimaginative efficiency, whilst Fapp has adopted a grainy style in order to seamlessly blend his stars' material with copious stock footage. But for all the location lensing, production values are extremely modest.

OTHER VIEWS: Martin & Lewis fans will doubtless find this quite a passable comedy, while those who can't stand the pair will indubitably give it a miss — so there's not much use writing a review. However, Robert Strauss contributes a few laughs as a harassed sergeant, while Richard Erdman is perfectly cast as the innocent schnook, and there is one really hilarious sequence with Erdman under the table in a dining car. However, most fans will have seen the climax before. It's almost identical to Laurel and Hardy's routine in "Great Guns" (1941) where it was at least ten times funnier. – John Howard Reid writing as George Addison.

This is another Martin & Lewis movie I watched on YouTube. Two years after At War with the Army, they're back there although Jerry's only there because Dean needs his old performing partner back to put on a show. Mona Freeman is Lewis' new partner back in New York where they're supposed to prepare for a Broadway show. So Jerry's there under false pretenses and...oh, watch the movie to see how it all turns out. In chronologically reviewing this iconic team's movies, I've mentioned when their leading ladies did another film with them. Now I can say what male co-stars have made return appearances: First, there's Robert Strauss-previously their superior officer in their last picture Sailor Beware-once again as their sergeant who eventually warms up to Lewis. Then there's Don DeFore-previously Dean's rival in My Friend Irma-as one of Dean and Jerry's fellow privates. Since there's a show business angle involved, there's plenty of musical numbers with Dean either by himself with some dancers or with Jerry clowning around. Jerry himself has a number with Ms. Freeman though her singing voice is dubbed by Imogene Lynn. In summary, this was quite hilarious to me with Dean himself, for once, getting almost as equal laughs as Jerry especially during that lunch-on-a-train sequence with Strauss and another actor named Richard Erdman who's character Lewis is impersonating. So on that note, I highly recommend Jumping Jacks.