Rock-A-Bye Baby (1958) starring Jerry Lewis, Connie Stevens
In Rock-A-Bye Baby, a bachelor agrees to baby-sit for a Hollywood star, his former sweetheart, who has had triplets.
Review
Rock-A-Bye Baby is an enjoyable Jerry Lewis comedy. It’s about a young man (Clayton) living in a small town, who’s hopelessly in love with his childhood sweetheart. She’s gone off to Hollywood and become a famous actress. She likes him, but doesn’t love him. When she finds herself pregnant after a whirlwind marriage in Mexico, she asks him to take care of her triplets …. For a while.
He does so, and a lot of the comedy deals with him as a fish out of water, trying to take care of three little girls. The starlet’s younger sister is in love with him, but he doesn’t “see” her romantically. At first. And, the father of both sisters doesn’t like him. And the father’s relationship with the older sister is strained, which he blames on Clayton. Until he sees how Clayton cares for the triplets, and treats them as though they were his own children.
There’s a conflict as the government wants to take away the triplets from the unmarried bachelor, but all works out eventually.
Rock-A-Bye Baby is a very enjoyable Jerry Lewis comedy, with lots of room for his slapstick comedy, wrapped up in an enjoyable story with a good cast. I rate it 4 clowns out of 5.
Cast
- Jerry Lewis (Cinderfella) as Clayton Poole. Hopelessly in love with his childhood sweetheart, Carla. She’s gone off to Hollywood, and become a major star. But she needs a small favor …. In fact, three small favors!
- Marilyn Maxwell (Lost in a Harem) as Carla Naples. Clayton’s long-time crush. She’s recently been offered the biggest role of her wife, the “White Virgin of the Nile”. But …. She’s pregnant! To keep the role, she asks Clayton to watch over her three newborn daughters for six months. But she regrets imposing on him almost immediately.
- Reginald Gardiner (The Great Dictator) as Harold Hermann. Carla’s agent. The entire scheme is his idea. And his feelings for Carla grow beyond strictly professional.
- Solvatare Baccaloni (Merry Andrew) as Gigi ‘Papa’ Naples. Father of Carla and Sandra. He’s estranged from Carla for years …. And blames Clayton for her leaving. He’s very protective of Sandy. And, there’s a sweet moment, as he and Clayton bond, singing a lullaby to the three babies. Given the family resemblance, he swiftly deduces that these three “orphans” are actually his granddaughters. And reaches out to Carla.
- Connie Stevens (Way … Way Out) as Sandra Naples. Carla’s younger sister, who’s had a crush on Clayton for as long as she can remember. Nice, kind, sweet, helpful …. It’s a pity that Clayton doesn’t realize how he feels about her, at first.
- Hans Conried (Peter Pan, Summer Stock) … Mr. Wright. Clayton’s boss. A nice, supportive man. Who’s taken extra insurance out on Clayton! And needs it!
- Isobel Elsom (My Fair Lady, Between Two Worlds) … Mrs. Van Cleeve. She wants to adopt the “orphans”.
- James Gleason (Here Comes Mr. Jordan, The Yellow Cab Man) … Doc Simpkins
- Ida Moore (Fancy Pants) … Miss Bessie Polk
Songs
- Dormi-Dormi-Dormi (Sleep-Sleep-Sleep), Music by Harry Warren, Lyrics by Sammy Cahn. Sung by Salvatore Baccaloni and Jerry Lewis
- The Land of La-La-La, Music by Harry Warren, Lyrics by Sammy Cahn. Sung by Jerry Lewis
- Love Is a Lonely Thing, Music by Harry Warren, Lyrics by Sammy Cahn. Sung by Jerry Lewis
- Rock-a-bye your baby with a Dixie melody, Music by Harry Warren, Lyrics by Sammy Cahn. Sung by Jerry Lewis
- The White Virgin of the Nile, Music by Harry Warren, Lyrics by Sammy Cahn. Performed by Marilyn Maxwell
- Why Can’t He Care for Me? Music by Harry Warren, Lyrics by Sammy Cahn. Sung by Connie Stevens
Trivia
- When young Clayton is singing to young Sandra, the actor is Gary Lewis, Jerry Lewis’ real-life son.
- Filmed at Universal’s back lot, Mrs Van Cleeve’s House was the one used for The Munsters a few years later.
- Carla’s deceased husband, Carlos, the bull fighter, doesn’t appear in the film. A photo reveals it’s Jack Benny in a matador suit.
- Snub Pollard has a bit role in this movie. In 1920 he starred in an unrelated silent movie with the same title
- Chester Conklin, Hank Mann, Barbara Pepper also have bit roles.
- Loose remake of the screwball comedy The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek..
Editorial review of Rock-A-Bye Baby courtesy of Amazon.com
Carla Naples ran away from her small town life, her small town family, and a small town boy with a crush on her to become a big star. But while on a shoot in Mexico she got secretly married and turns up pregnant with no proof of marriage her agent suggests a little bit of help keeping her babies and keeping them secret, he suggests family but Carla knows there’s only one person who’ll do anything for her and that’s small town crush Clayton Pool. Carla’s little sister has had a crush on Clayton as long as Clayton has had a crush on Carla. Clayton agrees to find the baby on his doorstep and keep it for Carla until…. Carla fails to tell him it’s not one baby, but three..and the laughs go on from there