Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    EmmysSuperheroes GuideSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideBest Of 2025 So FarDisability Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
8 suggestions available
Watchlist
Sign in
Sign in
New customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Cracking Up

Original title: Smorgasbord (The Movie)
  • 1983
  • PG
  • 1h 29m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
1.1K
YOUR RATING
Cracking Up (1983)
SlapstickComedy

Suicidal nerd seeks help from psychiatrist, runs into various nutty characters.Suicidal nerd seeks help from psychiatrist, runs into various nutty characters.Suicidal nerd seeks help from psychiatrist, runs into various nutty characters.

  • Director
    • Jerry Lewis
  • Writers
    • Jerry Lewis
    • Bill Richmond
  • Stars
    • Jerry Lewis
    • Milton Berle
    • Sammy Davis Jr.
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.7/10
    1.1K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jerry Lewis
    • Writers
      • Jerry Lewis
      • Bill Richmond
    • Stars
      • Jerry Lewis
      • Milton Berle
      • Sammy Davis Jr.
    • 27User reviews
    • 12Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination total

    Photos36

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 33
    View Poster

    Top cast40

    Edit
    Jerry Lewis
    Jerry Lewis
    • Warren Nefron
    • (as Jerry --- Who Else?)
    • …
    Milton Berle
    Milton Berle
    • Ms. Sultry
    Sammy Davis Jr.
    Sammy Davis Jr.
    • Sammy Davis, Jr.
    Herb Edelman
    Herb Edelman
    • Dr. Jonas Pletchick
    Foster Brooks
    Foster Brooks
    • The Pilot
    Zane Buzby
    Zane Buzby
    • Waitress
    • (as Zane Busby)
    • …
    Dick Butkus
    Dick Butkus
    • Anti-Smoking Enforcer
    Francine York
    Francine York
    • Marie Du Bois
    John Abbott
    John Abbott
    • Surgeon
    Bill Richmond
    Donna Ponterotto
    Donna Ponterotto
    • Stewardess
    Robin Bach
    Robin Bach
    Buddy Lester
    Buddy Lester
    • Passenger
    Paul Lambert
    Paul Lambert
    • Joe - Carpet Installer
    Ben Davidson
    Ben Davidson
    • Big Bearded Plane Passenger
    Tori Lysdahl
    • Warren's Date
    Herbert Wiere
      Linda Hoy
      Linda Hoy
      • Nurse
      • Director
        • Jerry Lewis
      • Writers
        • Jerry Lewis
        • Bill Richmond
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

      User reviews27

      5.71.1K
      1
      2
      3
      4
      5
      6
      7
      8
      9
      10

      Featured reviews

      6john22900

      not Lewis's best but not his worst either

      The best way I can describe "Cracking Up" is it is a medium effort by Lewis, not his worst but not his best either. This Lewis film is worlds above "The Big Mouth" for example. The best and funniest sequences are the ones in which Foster Brooks and Zane Busby appear in. In fact, Zane Busby's scenes are among the funniest (and most annoying) in the entire picture. The annoying part of them is what makes them so darn funny. I wish Foster Brooks had more screen time than he does here but what he does with what he has to work with is very very funny. Lewis's main problem in this film is that he milks a gag on far longer than it is funny. This was not so much the case in many of Lewis's earlier films especially ones not written or directed by lewis himself. Lewis can be very very funny as his earlier pictures (after Martin) indicate and Lewis has a wild and fertile comic imagination that has served him pretty well. But as usual when Lewis writes and directs for Lewis, Lewis the editor does not know when to say "Cut!" and often scenes drag on far too long than they need be. I consider Jerry Lewis a true comic genius, much better than Chaplin, but not quite as good as Buster Keaton whose comedies in my opinion are very very underrated.
      7zsenorsock

      Viva Jerry!

      THIS is the film Jerry Lewis should have made his min-comeback with instead of the mawkish "Hardly Working". Yes, there isn't much of a story here, but like "The Bellboy" the gags for the most part are really pretty funny. The opening title sequence may contain Jerry's best moment in the film as he tries to cross a highly polished floor. Then listen what happens when the title card of the film's composer comes up. The scene where Jerry plays a cop and pulls over a overweight speeder is also one of his funniest in years. Can't argue this is a great film, but it IS funny and that's something Jerry had not been since at least "The Big Mouth" back in 1967. The other films Jerry made around this time were either just terrible ("Slapstick Encounters") or featured more of his dramatic side ("KIng of Comedy", "Funny Bones"). This film is just plain funny and its too bad it never got a wide theatrical release.
      RWolfson

      Cracked me up

      Jerry Lewis is hilariously amazing. He is truly a comic genius. He writes hilarious movies and executes them so well and this is no exception. This is a great movie A GREAT MOVIE ONE OF JERRY'S OVERLOOKED GEMS IS CORRECT!!!!!!!!! If Jerry reads this I just have to say, you are the best at slapstick, and you are hilarious the most talented comedian to ever live, but I have a feeling there is this one kid who is coming up who will become the greatest, all because of ur teaching through ur films and colgate comedy hours.
      3Mister-6

      He sure is....

      Jerry's finally lost it.

      I knew he was going downhill with "Hardly Working", which left him just that. But with "Cracking Up", he finds himself stuck with a movie that is so loud, so shrill and so in-your-face that laughing at it is not an option. You just want to analyze it to death.

      As an all-around crackpot, Jerry sees a psychiatrist (Edelman) to try and get to the bottom of why he is in such sad shape.

      The vignettes, when not repetitive, are just plain dumb. See, one part has him trying to quit smoking, so he goes to seek help. Now, whenever he lights up, Dick Butkus pops out of nowhere and belts him one. He shows up out of the bushes, in a buffet line, as a statue, etc. Cute at the beginning, but after the eleventh or twelfth time, it gets kind of annoying.

      There is a bit part for Sammy Davis Jr. but his best role is in an out-take at the end where Jerry hoists him up and announces, "I'd like to thank the NAACP for this award...."

      So, you see, Jerry can be funny. He used to be funny and there are times when he still has funniness within his grasp. But not here.

      Three stars from me. Eight stars if you're a rabid fan. Ten stars if you're reading this in France.
      haggi5115

      One of the best ever!

      I have seen many funny movies come and go, but I have yet to see a movie as funny as this one! My brother and I saw this movie on cable, back in 1983 when i was 13 years old, and we were literally on the floor "cracking up"!! It really lives up to its title!! Jerry Lewis was at his very best! Thumbs wayyyyy up!!

      More like this

      Hardly Working
      4.7
      Hardly Working
      The Ladies Man
      6.3
      The Ladies Man
      The Nutty Professor
      6.6
      The Nutty Professor
      The Bellboy
      6.5
      The Bellboy
      X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
      6.6
      X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes
      Three on a Couch
      5.8
      Three on a Couch
      School Daze
      6.1
      School Daze
      The Disorderly Orderly
      6.3
      The Disorderly Orderly
      Berlin Alexanderplatz
      8.4
      Berlin Alexanderplatz
      The Big Mouth
      5.5
      The Big Mouth
      I Hired a Contract Killer
      7.2
      I Hired a Contract Killer
      Rock-a-Bye Baby
      6.6
      Rock-a-Bye Baby

      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        The title was changed to "Cracking Up" so late that when the characters go to see this movie, the marquee of the theater still has the original title "Smorgasbord".
      • Goofs
        The chair used in the opening hanging sequence disappears entirely and then suddenly reappears.
      • Quotes

        Warren Nefron: I think I'll have the non-toxic lunch.

        Waitress: Would you like to start it with juice, fruit or soup?

        Warren Nefron: Hmm, I think juice will be fine!

        Waitress: We have apple, grapefruit, pineapple, apricot, orange, lemon, lemon crush, banana, asparagus, avocado, nectarine, tangerine, cherry, or pitless watermelon.

        Warren Nefron: Apple will be fine.

        Waitress: Apple it is! And what kind of salad would you like with your meal? We have Caesar, watercress, lettuce and tomato, plain tomato, plain lettuce, bibb lettuce, hearts of lettuce, hearts of bibb lettuce, lettuce leaves.

        Warren Nefron: Watercress is always the...

        Waitress: Watercress it is! Good choice! You got it! And what do you have on it? We have vinegar, vinegar and oil, plain oil, thousand island, hundred island, wine island, three mile island, Russian, German, Swiss, Mayo, Roquefort, blue cheese, brown cheese, cheese, cheese and bacon, bacon bits, bacon chips.

        Warren Nefron: Hmm, vinegar and oil...

        Waitress: Vinegar and oil, good choice! You got it! And now for your main course? We have steak, chops, veal, lamb chops, veal chops, chops of beef, beef tournedos, tournedos of beef, roast beef, boiled beef, royal beef, baked beef, braised beef, ribs, livers, lungs, onions...

        Warren Nefron: I think steak is the best...

        Waitress: Steak, and how would you like that? Medium, medium rare, well, well-done, rare, very rare...

        Waitress: [time has elapsed] ... coffee, decaf, cocoa...

        Warren Nefron: Can I just have a check?

        Waitress: Fine, will that be cash, Visa, MasterCard, Carte Blanche, American Express, Bank of America, Bank of Germany, Bank of Tokyo, Bank of England, Bank of Andorra, Bank of Uruguay, Bank of the Peloponesian Island...?

      • Crazy credits
        The main title is immediately preceded by a credit "Jerry---Who Else? in"
      • Connections
        Referenced in Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003)
      • Soundtracks
        Theme from New York, New York
        Music by John Kander, unused lyrics by Fred Ebb

        Danced to in bank sequence

      Top picks

      Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
      Sign in

      FAQ14

      • How long is Cracking Up?Powered by Alexa

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • April 13, 1983 (France)
      • Country of origin
        • United States
      • Language
        • English
      • Also known as
        • Más loco que un plumero
      • Filming locations
        • Irving Ave & Bel Aire Dr, Glendale, California, USA(Crosswalk in early flashback scene of Jerry Lewis as a boy.)
      • Production company
        • Orgolini/Nelson Productions
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Tech specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        1 hour 29 minutes
      • Color
        • Color
      • Sound mix
        • Mono
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.78 : 1

      Contribute to this page

      Suggest an edit or add missing content
      Cracking Up (1983)
      Top Gap
      By what name was Cracking Up (1983) officially released in India in English?
      Answer
      • See more gaps
      • Learn more about contributing
      Edit page

      More to explore

      Production art
      Photos
      Hollywood Power Couples
      See the gallery
      Production art
      List
      July 2025 TV and Streaming Premiere Dates
      See the list
      Poster
      List
      Most Popular Indian Movies of 2025 So Far
      See the list

      Recently viewed

      Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
      Get the IMDb App
      Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
      Follow IMDb on social
      Get the IMDb App
      For Android and iOS
      Get the IMDb App
      • Help
      • Site Index
      • IMDbPro
      • Box Office Mojo
      • License IMDb Data
      • Press Room
      • Advertising
      • Jobs
      • Conditions of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Your Ads Privacy Choices
      IMDb, an Amazon company

      © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.