Jerry Lewis made some of his best films with Frank Tashlin, of which this is one. He plays dog walker 'Norman Phiffier', one of nature's dorks, with whom the lovely Barbara Tuttle ( Jill St.John ) is hopelessly besotted. Bab's mother is the fearsomely rich Phoebe Tuttle ( Agnes Moorehead ), owner of Tuttle's world-famous department stores. Not wishing this idiot to become one of her relatives, she arranges for Norman to work in one such store. He is given a succession of dirty, dangerous jobs by manager Mr.Quimby ( Ray Walston ) in the hope that he will quit and leave Barbara alone...The first twenty or so minutes are virtually laugh-free, but then something marvellous happens. Jerry wanders into an empty office and begins tapping an imaginary typewriter to the sound of Leroy Anderson's 'Typewriter Song'. The idea is not brilliant, but the execution is. Lewis' facial expressions are a joy to behold. From this point on, the film does not put a foot wrong, as with each new job Norman screws up big time. Tashlin's background as a cartoonist is evident in these scenes. When demonstrating a golfing game, Norman sends the ball crashing through the window, beginning a long journey that sends it around the street ( knocking out a traffic cop along the way ) and right back where it started. Working in the shoe department, he tries to fit shoes on a lady wrestler. Thinking he is trying to get fresh with her, she belts him one. He is not totally stupid though - required to paint the ball on the end of a flagpole at the top of the store, he finds a way to do the job without endangering his life. The surreal climax has Norman attempting to deal with an out-of-control vacuum cleaner which is behaving like a '50's sci-fi movie monster.Despite the slapstick tone, the script manages a neat dig or two at our consumerist society, most notably in the sequence where Norman has to deal with dozens of women out to take advantage of a sale. Its like watching the Sack of Carthage in Technicolour.Barbara's infatuation with Norman is hard to understand, but then this is a comedy, after all. As ever, Jerry is surrounded by top-notch comic talent, including John McGiver ( as Barbara's Dad ) and the ever-reliable Kathleen Freeman.This is an engaging, wacky farce, and worth catching for the aforementioned 'typewriter' mime which is comedy gold.

Reasons to watch and enjoy this film have been enumerated by other commentators here. Some others:1) The way Jill St. John's character, against all reason, is ga-ga over Jerry's. Seems like the fantasy of every dorky guy in the world: Just keep pluggin', and eventually a hot babe will develop an unreasoning crush on you.2) An early and egregious example of product placement! After all, the flick IS set in a department store, so we're treated to not-so-subliminal ads for Browning rifles (worked into Jerry's scene with Nancy Kulp), Planter's nuts (in the toasted ants scene), MacGregor outerwear etc. And of course, the star of the film (much like the chandelier in the stage musical "Phantom of the Opera") is really the Hoover vacuum cleaner in the famous appliance department scene. It even has the word HOOVER boldly emblazoned across its bag, and the name only gets bigger and bigger as the bag inflates to Thanksgiving-Day-parade balloon size.3) Already mentioned, but bears repeating: Francesca Bellini is enchantingly gorgeous, and really seems a much more exciting catch than Jill St. John!4) As mentioned, fine performances by the character actors Agnes Moorehead, John McGiver (one of his more interesting outings) and Ray Walston.5) The true inspiration of the film is the way each of the many vignettes or set pieces builds from a pianissimo of silliness all the way up to a triple fortissimo of surreality, leaving sense, taste and every other useless item behind. It is indeed a live action cartoon, and in Jerry Lewis it has a cartoon character come to life.

Not my Favorite J.L. Film, (that would be Errand Boy), but delightful, nonetheless. Great physical comedy and some lightweight satire ("a man has to be king of his own ranch style tract home").The woman who played Jane Hathaway in Beverly Hillbillies makes a cameo appearance as a Big Game Hunter looking for a new rifle in the Sporting Dept., where Jerry's Character is working the counter. The usual slapstick devices come into play such as the golf bag sch tick (you know, the one), the golf ball going out the window...making, let's just say..multiple bounces along its journey, and of course. The exercise bicycles on the mattress, and ensuing endurance jog make my side hurt with laughter. Home sick from work or school, either from a cold or the bad ironic humor that pervades your weekdays? This is your film. If you don't like Jerry, you have no soul.

Everyone talks about Jerry Lewis films such as "The Nutty Professor","The Geisha Boy",and others.But no one hardly talks about "Who's Minding The Store?"which IMHO,is his most underrated movie ever!Jerry is so funny in this film,you would have thought the Three Stooges should have been in it! The other reason I love this film:Francesca Bellini,who plays Shirley the pretty secretary who wears the very tight skirts.Agnes Moorehead & Ray Walston are great in their respective roles as well,but the climax of the movie will have you rolling with laughter!