My Friend Irma | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | George Marshall |
Produced by | Hal B. Wallis |
Written by |
Cy Howard Parke Levy |
Starring |
John Lund Marie Wilson Diana Lynn Don DeFore Dean Martin Jerry Lewis Hans Conreid |
Music by | Roy Webb |
Cinematography | Leo Tover |
Edited by | Leroy Stone |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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102 minutes gross = 10,247 admissions (France) |
Language | English |
102 minutes
My Friend Irma is a 1949 American comedy film directed by George Marshall and is most notable as the film debut of the comedy team Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The film was released on August 16, 1949 by Paramount and is based upon the CBS radio series My Friend Irma that first aired in 1947.
The storyline follows two women, Irma Peterson (Marie Wilson) and Jane Stacey (Diana Lynn), who room together in New York. Irma is a somewhat dim-witted blonde who deep down has good intentions. Jane is an ambitious woman who dreams of marrying a rich man. She winds up as a secretary for a millionaire, Richard Rhinelander (Don DeFore).
Meanwhile, Irma is in love with Al (John Lund), who is a con-artist looking to get rich quick. Al visits an orange-juice stand and encounters Steve Laird (Dean Martin) singing. He convinces him to leave his job and promises to make him famous. Steve and his partner Seymour (Jerry Lewis) then wind up living at Irma & Jane's apartment through the invitation of Al. She is angry, but Irma convinces her to let them stay. This opens up a romantic arc where Jane and Steve fall in love.
After a successful singing debut, Steve gets upset with Jane's wishes to marry a wealthy man and he leaves and returns to the juice stand. Meanwhile, Irma gets into a situation and decides to end her life. However, she finds out a radio station is about to call her for a $50,000 question, so she rushes home to answer the question. She wins the prize and all live happily ever after.
John Lund .......... Al
Marie Wilson....... Irma Peterson
Diana Lynn ........ Jane Stacy
Don DeFore ....... Richard Rhinelander III
Dean Martin ....... Steve Laird
Jerry Lewis ........ Seymour
Hans Conried ..... Professor Kropotkin
Kathryn Givney ... Mrs. Rhinelander
Percy Helton ...... Mr. Z. Clyde
Gloria Gordon ..... Mrs. O'Reilly, the Landlady