Who’s Minding the Store? (1963) starring Jerry Lewis, Jill St. John, Ray Walston, Agnes Moorehead, John McGiver
In Who’s Minding the Store? an incompetent young man is given a job in a department store by his girlfriend’s mother. She hopes to put an end to their romance. But, he perseveres …
Product Description
Dog walker, Norman Phiffier (Jerry Lewis) is in love with Barbara Tuttle (Jill St John), an elevator operator in her parent’s department store. Barbara’s conniving mother, Phoebe (Agnes Moorehead) disapproves of the couple and is determined to break up her daughter’s romance with the incompetent boob. With hidden ulterior motives, Phoebe hires Norman to work in her department store and despite the impossible requests of Mr Quimby (Ray Walston), the store manager, Norman manages to do an admirable job in his own slapstick manner.
Comedy highlights
- Jerry Lewis’ typewriter routine.
- Norman and Mr. Tuttle both trying to hold Barbara’s hand while in the elevator — secretly.
- Norman tutoring Mr. Tuttle on how to improve his golfing.
- The zany antics of the golf ball flying wildly throughout the store.
- The running gag of the poor traffic cop, getting hit by various items flying out of the store.
- Barbara “talking down” Norman on how much they need to save before they can be married.
- Lady wrestler, hired to get Norman fired — in the shoe department.
- Time card
- Gourmet food department
- Bargain sale
- Watching TV in bed
- Mattress sale
- Selling the elephant gun
- Carrying a mirror & causing a traffic accident
- The mouse roars! Mr. Tuttle stands up to his wife.
- Mr. Tuttle meets Norman’s fiancée for the first time — it’s his own daughter!
- “Fixing” the vacuum cleaner – an extended comedy scene.
- Finding out that Barbara is actually the Tuttle heiress.
- Dog walking finale
Cast of characters in Who’s Minding the Store?
- Jerry Lewis (The Nutty Professor, Visit to a Small Planet) … Norman Phiffier. Nice, clumsy, shy young man. He’s in love with Barbara, and eventually asks her to marry him. But, unknown to Norman, her wealthy mother strongly disapproves!
- Jill St. John (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World) … Barbara Tuttle. The beautiful young heiress. She’s incognito, working at one of the Tuttle department stores. Where Norman has fallen in love with her for herself, and not her money.
- Ray Walston (The Apartment, Silver Streak) … Mr. Quimby. The store manager, who’s been ordered by Mrs. Tuttle to make life as difficult as possible for Norman. So he’ll quit, and Barbara will break up with him. But Norman keeps persevering …
- John McGiver (Fitzwilly, The Manchurian Candidate) … Mr. John P. Tuttle. The browbeaten head of the great Tuttle department store — in name only.
- Agnes Moorehead (Citizen Kane, The Big Street) … Mrs. Phoebe Tuttle. The controlling head of the Tuttle department store chain. She’s alienated her daughter Barbara, end emasculated her husband. As have the Tuttle women before her. But …
- Francesca Bellini (The Carpetbaggers) … Shirley Lott. Quimby’s … personal … secretary. A very attractive, nice young lady. Who has eyes for Norman as well!
Secondary characters
- Peggy Mondo (The Music Man) … Lady wrestler. Hired by Quimby as the worst possible customer for Norman in the shoe department. She ends up tossing him around like a rag doll, before jumping up and down on him!
- Nancy Kulp (The Beverly Hillbillies, The Aristocats) … Emily Rothgraber. The TV hunter who comes in to buy an elephant gun. Pushing Norman around, ending with the backfire sending him throughout the store.
- John Abbott (Walt Disney’s The Jungle Book) … Mr. Orlandos
- Isobel Elsom (My Fair Lady, Between Two Worlds) … Hazel, a Dowager. Friend of Mrs. Tuttle, who makes the mistake of asking Norman to fix her old vacuum cleaner!
- Kathleen Freeman (The Disorderly Orderly, The Blues Brothers) … Mrs. Glucksman. Shoe department customer.
- Fritz Feld (Pocketful of Miracles) … Irving Cahastrophe, the Gourmet Manager.
- Milton Frome (Batman the Movie, Pies and Guys) … Francois, the Driver
- Mary Treen (It’s a Wonderful Life) … Mattress Customer. If only she could see how the mattress would work for watching TV in bed …
- Dick Wessel (Beware of Blondie, Unknown Island) … Traffic Cop. The poor police officer. The brunt of the running gag of things getting thrown from the Tuttle department store.
- Jerry Hausner (Off Limits) … Smith
- Richard Deacon (The Dick Van Dyke Show, Critic’s Choice) … Tie Salesman. An extremely short cameo.
Trivia for Who’s Minding the Store?
- This was the seventh of eight Jerry Lewis films directed by former cartoon director Frank Tashlin.
- Norman Phiffier’s previous jobs include that of caddy, TV repairman, and Paramount Theater usher. Jerry Lewis played a caddy in The Caddy and a TV repairman in both Rock-a-Bye Baby and It’s Only Money. He also made a number of movies for Paramount, including Who’s Minding the Store?