Jerry Lewis

Funnyman who went on to write, direct, and star in many movies.

The Nutty Professor (1963) -- This movie has a lot going for it. It's completely zany, for one, and isn't scared to do the most outrageous gags. Professor Kelp's character is completely ridiculous. The alter-ego Buddy Love is one of the best characters in all of movies, making male viewers at first want to emulate him but eventually realizing they shouldn't (and female viewers at first want to date him and then not, proving the premise of the movie in a startling way). He's not only suave but insanely funny in his own way. Watching his transformation is amazing, much more so than Eddie Murphy's stupid CG crap decades later. The love story actually works, the dialogue is perfect, and much of the movie is actually touching and very smart. The title has a nice little double meaning too: goofy nuttiness for Kelp and the nutty swingin' 60s for Love, and this second nuttiness is especially fun for modern viewers who want that era's sights (with Edith Head costumes and great set decorations) and sounds (with great songs like "We've Got a World That Swings"). If you haven't seen this, it's better than you imagine.