Visit to a Small Planet

1960 "The space race is on and Jerry's leading it... In reverse!"
5.9| 1h25m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 04 February 1960 Released
Producted By: Paramount
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

The weirdest alien of the galaxy pays a visit to Earth... Jerry Lewis is Kreton, a childish alien who, against his teacher's will leaves his planet to visit the Earth, and lands in the backyard of a famous television journalist who doesn't believe in UFOs and aliens. Wanting to study humans but not able to fully understand them, Kreton makes a mess out of it, generating a lot of comic situations.

Watch Online

Visit to a Small Planet (1960) is currently not available on any services.

Director

Norman Taurog

Production Companies

Paramount

AD
AD

Watch Free for 30 Days

All Prime Video Movies and TV Shows. Cancel anytime.
Watch Now
Visit to a Small Planet Videos and Images
  • Top Credited Cast
  • |
  • Crew

Visit to a Small Planet Audience Reviews

Alicia I love this movie so much
VividSimon Simply Perfect
Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.
Glucedee It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.
Bento de Espinosa I didn't know this movie exists, so I'm very surprised, because as a boy I just loved Jerry Lewis. Long time I wished he would come to my birthday party. Once, in my naivety, I even called Paramount Pictures and asked to talk to Jerry. He wasn't there, they said.Some people commented, Gore Vidal wasn't happy with Jerry Lewis playing the main character. I totally disagree: Jerry is trying very hard to save a script that simply isn't funny! Yes, unfortunately this is a very unfunny comedy, but the little funny moments come all from Jerry. Actually I think it was a mistake that Jerry accepted to play in this movie, because this story is too silly even by Jerry Lewis' standards! So, watch it as a Jerry's rarity and try to enjoy it as such.
ruthann-renaud I was five years old when this movie came out and was intrigued more by the special effects (Jerry floating in air and walking up the wall and onto the ceiling). It was also of not that this was his last film for many years where he had someone else direct the film (the veteran Norman Taurog). From this Jerry went to make his kind of movies. My parents were big Lewis fans and I am to this day. This may not be up there with "The Nutty Professor" but it's close. This film also had a good supporting cast and had a "stagy" look befitting its origins as a play. I mentioned being intrigued by the FX (floating and walking on walls). Being a typical kid I thought I could walk on walls and quickly found out I couldn't. This is definitely something that shouldn't be tried at home-only in the movies.
Dejael A bumbling, clowning alien visitor named Kreton observes the ways of humans here on Earth. Arriving in Richmond, Virginia in Civil War costume in 1960, he believes he is just in time to witness the beginnings of the Civil War, but is off by 100 years. He then decides to observe the customs of 20th Century American life, including such things as lovemaking rituals and what people do for entertainment: he watches two people romantically involved with each other (Holliman & Blackman), billing and cooing at one another, and ends up getting between them; he goes to a Beatnik nightclub, and realizes that the Beatniks are more like the aliens he knows than humans. Lots of hilarious Jerry Lewis mugging, sight-gags and comedy routines, terrific special effects work by the master John P. Fulton; great flying saucers! Terrific counterpoint with Lewis' Kreton and his professor back home, Mr. Delton, played by the distinguished English actor John Williams; a few Lewis gems: "Keep your nose out of other people's planets", even if you think "the grass is greener on the other side of the galaxy"! A really fun picture. I saw this when it first came out in the summer of 1960. Too bad it wasn't filmed in Technicolor; that's really the only flaw I find in it - it was made in b&w. It would have been so much better in Technicolor. This is probably why it wasn't more popular. Great fun for the whole family, with a terrific cast. This was Lewis' last studio picture under his old Paramount contract before he formed his own independent production company; he made "The Bellboy" in six weeks completely on his own, right after completing work on this movie, and sold it to Paramount. This would be his arrangement with the film studio on all his subsequent films of the 1960s at the studio until he went on to other studios. Delightful for Jerry Lewis fans, and a delightful music score by Leigh Harline. So why isn't this out on video?
SanDiego Film version of Gore Vidal's stage hit was later re-made as TV's Mork and Mindy. UFO movies in the 50's and early 60's usually dealt with unfriendly, intellectually superior aliens out to kill helpless and somewhat naive humans. Then comes Jerry Lewis as a friendly, intellectually lacking alien who is out to study the "human condition." Most of the gags have been used and reused again on countless sitcoms but they are done well. Great character actors give hilarious supporting performances. Supposedly Gore Vidal was not happy with this version of his play. I've seen Vidal on TV many times over the years and never once ever seen him laugh or smile so maybe he has a different definition of comedy than the rest of the planet.