Review of Hook, Line and Sinker

A dying man goes on a spending spree and accumulates $100,000 in debt--only to find out he's perfectly healthy. Old-fashioned premise from screenwriter Rod Amateau, adapting his and David Davis' original story, is turned into yet another sorry, sloppy Jerry Lewis star-vehicle. Why did Columbia Pictures continually allow Lewis' production company to waste the studio's money on these failed comedic vehicles? Out-of-touch and outdated nonsense, with a funny sight-gag in the final scene failing to compensate for Jerry's listless overall performance. The most repugnant line in the script (among many) comes when an African-American board member shouts at a meeting, "I wanna know what happened to that Negro!" It's a stinker. * from ****