Which Way to the Front? is a 1970 American comedy film starring Jerry Lewis.
Which Way to the Front? | |
---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Jerry Lewis |
Produced by | Jerry Lewis |
Written by | Gerald Gardner Dee Caruso |
Starring | Jerry Lewis Jan Murray Willie Davis Joe Besser Kathleen Freeman Paul Winchell Neil Hamilton |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | 1,474,881 admissions (France) |
Screenplay
Brendan Byers III is a rich playboy who enlists to fight in the war against the Axis powers, but is classified 4-F. He really wants to fight, so he enlists other 4-Fs and some loyal volunteers from his own service staff and forms his own army. He finances their training and equipment. Once completed, they travel to the front in Italy, with Byers impersonating a Nazi general named Eric Kesselring.
The plan is to pull back the German lines, since the front has remained static for too long, enabling the Allies to push forward again. The mission does not go smoothly and they must overcome several obstacles, including the fiery wife of the local mayor who is the real Kesselring's lover, and the real Kesselring's involvement in an assassination attempt on Hitler. Afterwards, they face their next mission: infiltrating the Imperial Japanese command to influence the outcome of the Battle of Kwajalein.
- Jerry Lewis as Brendan Byers
- Jan Murray as Sid
- Steve Franken as Bland
- Kaye Ballard as Senora Messina
- Paul Winchell as Schroeder
- Kathleen Freeman as Bland's Mother
- Harold J. Stone as General Buck
- John Wood as Finkel
- Neil Hamilton as Chief of Staff
- George Takei as Yamashita
Which Way to the Front? was filmed from November 30, 1969 through February 1, 1970 and received a G rating from the MPAA. It marked the final film appearance for actors Joe Besser, Neil Hamilton, and Kenneth MacDonald.
The film received a "BOMB" rating in Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide and widespread disapproval from other critics.
Warner Archive released the film on made to order DVD in the United States on May 18, 2010.