Hollywood or Bust (1956)*** (out of 4)Steve Wiley (Dean Martin) is a gambler who is in over his head with some bookies. He works up a scheme to basically steal a car from a theater that is giving it away through on raffle. The only problem is that die hard movie fan Malcolm Smith (Jerry Lewis) ends up with the car and the two are forced to share it, which sends them on a road trip to Hollywood.Hollywood OR BUST would turn out to be the last Martin & Lewis movie and it's really too bad because it seems the duo were making some of their best movies at the end. This one here is an incredibly entertaining and at times very funny picture that manages to offer up a pretty good story and three great lead performances. It has been said that Martin and Lewis' relationship was pretty much dead during the making of this picture and that they refused to speak to each other but you certainly can't tell that by watching the film.I really thought that out of all the Martin & Lewis films I've seen this one here gave both actors their most equal parts. I think the highlight of the film is a moment early on when the two are inside the theater and trying to win the car for their own reasons. There were some very funny moments inside the theater and things got even funnier when the large Great Dane dog enters the picture. Martin, Lewis and the dog have some very funny scenes together and things get even funnier when Pat Crowley joins things as well as Maxie Rosenbloom in her quick role. Anita Ekberg plays herself, the star who Lewis loves the most.There are a couple decent music numbers throughout the picture but here is one time where Dean's songs take a back seat to the comedy. Hollywood OR BUST is your typical road picture but I really thought it was an extremely funny picture and one with a good spirit and a nice pace. It's really too bad Martin & Lewis came to an end here but at least they went out with one of their better pictures.

Okay, let's see: a large dog drives a car, a film nerd gets caught in a bull-ring wearing a red coat, the film nerd falls from a scaffolding right onto the bed on which Anita Ekberg lies. There are story holes (Dean still owes the money at the end to the gangsters, right?)Does any of this read as if we are embarking on an intelligent film odyssey (ie, cp with any Steve Martin film). Of course not. That being said, this is a really fun and funny movie. The characters are drawn sufficiently full that we feel we do know what and who they are, the slapstick is set up reasonably logically, and the visual comedy reflects the fact Lewis and Dean had honed their shtick over many many years. It all works, and works well. The songs are nice, Dean looks great, Lewis' timing is on-spot, all the women shown in the opening credits, pool scene, etc are still fun to see, the director keeps it humming quickly along, the shots of Chicago's Lake Shore Drive and downtown are fun to see, and the story, well, the story is the nonsense to get from one scene to another.

"Hollywood or Bust" was the last of Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin musical comedies and a very good one. Although it is not as bracingly innovative and riotous as Tashlin's "Artists and Models", I kept laughing throughout. Some hilarious and enjoyable scenes come to mind: The opening moments in the movie theater where Lewis is ruining a woman's hair with popcorn; the rousing musical number "A Day in the Country" (Martin and Lewis in a car) which is Tashlin's homage to the "Beyond the Blue Horizon" number in Lubitsch's 1930 musical "Monte Carlo"; and there is Lewis' imitation of Rudolph Valentino's "Blood and the Sand". Sure it can be silly and puerile at times, but it's a lot of fun. Worth seeing.

A very enjoyable film, though my view may be a bit prejudiced due to I have a Dane. Kudos to director Tashlin for giving Mr. Bascomb a distinct personality and some very funny moments! This movie is a testament to both Martin and Lewis as they had basically ended their partnership while HOB was being made, yet still seem to be enjoying themselves.