The Adventures of Lucky Pierre

undefined

HERSCHELL GORDON LEWIS’ first nudie film contained that one element which was missing from many other early entries in that genre: a sense of humor. Inspired by a popular old schoolyard tale, The Adventures of Lucky Pierre consists of a series of short skits, each one featuring the titular character, played by club comic BILLY FALBO, in a variety of amusing situations. In "Pardon My Pigment," Falbo’s a bumbling artist painting three nudes in a park, (His painting turns out like an abstract Picasso!) In "The Plumber’s Friend," Falbo is a handyman fixing a shower faucet while a lovely blonde soaks in the tub, (The woman’s irate husband is played by Lewis regular WILLIAM KERWIN, a.k.a. "Thomas Wood") "For the Birds" sees Falbo as a nature watcher who stumbles across two sunning beauties, and in "The Photographer’s Apprentice," he’s a cleaner at a "Glamour Photo Studio" who ends up taking photographs of three nudes who inexplicably vanish each time he snaps a photo. In the best segment, "Drive-In Me Crazy," Falbo drives over a hundred miles to a drive-in which is screening a double bill of "I Was a Teenage Nudist" and "10 Days in a Nudist Camp" (as well as sixty-five cartoons!). After being serviced by an all-nude staff, Falbo settles down to watch the short subject "Picnic at the Playground," a "Movies-In-The-Rough Production" in "glorious black & white on our new narrow screen." The film-within-a-film stars the same three girls who work at the drive-in! One of the best assets of The Adventures of Lucky Pierre — aside from "Pierre’s Playmates" — is the performance by Falbo, who looks like a young Jack Klugman, and mugs and mimes in the classic Jerry Lewis tradition. There’s also a cheesy but fun organ-based music score composed and played by Herschell, with his musician friend LARRY WELLINGTON backing him on xylophone, drums, and sleazy sax.