The Caddy (Taurog, 1953): Cinema Museum, 7.30pm
Cinema Museum introduction:
July
2026 marks eighty years since the formation of Martin and Lewis, and
seventy years since their break up, exactly a decade later. It’s
difficult to overstate their success in this period; at the height of
their fame in the early fifties, the pair were a showbiz phenomenon
who incited levels of hysteria reserved in popular memory for fans of
Elvis or The Beatles. The Martin and Lewis empire spread everywhere:
from the nightclub scene where they originated into television,
radio, comics and, of course, Hollywood. The
Caddy remains
one of the better works for understanding their volatile, magnetic
chemistry. It was their ninth of sixteen films together, one of three
Martin and Lewis films released in 1953 alone. The film was a massive
commercial success and became the fourteenth highest grossing film of
the year. But it also marked the beginning of the end for the pair,
as Lewis grew increasingly egotistical and controlling and,
emboldened by the commercial success of That’s
Amore,
Martin became convinced of his ability to go it alone. By the summer
of 1954, whispers of a rapidly fracturing partnership, even a feud,
began to spread through Hollywood like wildfire. Martin and Lewis
went on to release seven more films after The
Caddy,
and in the three years after its release, they remained a mainstay of
popular television and film until their acrimonious split in 1956,
after which both went on to enjoy successful solo careers. The film
will be preceded by an introduction reflecting on the shared career
and legacy of Martin and Lewis.
Here (and above) is the trailer.
