Marlene Dietrich Looks Down Jerry Lewis's Pants

Readers of the blog know that Artists and Models is one of my favorite movies (it's not the greatest movie, and certainly not the movie that's most free from gaping plot holes, but its combination of satire, color, wholesome sexiness, music, timeliness and timelessness, along with its messy structure, kind of brings together a lot of what I love about cinema), but because it was just another Martin and Lewis movie at the time, there's not a whole lot of promotional or behind-the-scenes material available.

So I was pleased to see someone offer, on Ebay, what appears to be a rare behind-the-scenes photo of Marlene Dietrich visiting the A&M set, and taking an unusually close look at Jerry Lewis's "Freddie Fieldmouse" costume, which he wears in the final scene when Eva Gabor tricks him into thinking she's the Bat Lady. (Leading to Dean Martin's unforgettable line asking if anyone's seen "A bat and a fat rat.")



I haven't decided whether to bid on the photo (I like to find out that memorabilia exists, but I don't care so much about owning it), so if anyone wants to buy it, be my guest. And here's the scene that Lewis and Gabor were getting ready for in that photo: