Posted Tue Mar 4, 2014 at 12:00 PM PST by Tom Landy
The classic Jerry Lewis comedy is getting an ultimate Blu-ray edition in June! Pre-order here!
In an early announcement to retailers, Warner Brothers is preparing a special 'The Nutty Professor: Ultimate Collector's Edition' for Blu-ray on June 3.
The title's eponymous professor is Julius F. Kelp (Lewis), a shy, bumbling chemistry teacher who has a mad crush on his student Stella Purdy (Stella Stevens). When he tires of being made fun of, Kelp develops a magic potion that turns him into smooth and smarmy nightclub singer Buddy Love. Stella is drawn to Buddy but unfortunately, the potion's formula is unstable and Buddy keeps slipping back into Julius at the most embarrassing moments. In the end the professor's ploy is revealed, but not before he delivers a speech calling for everyone to learn to love themselves first before others can return the favor. Stella realizes she loves him for who he is and, needless to say, the ending is a happy one.
In a personal letter included with the new Blu-ray, Lewis notes, "[This] is a very special film with a lot of heart and soul. I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, directing, acting, editing, scoring and extensive promotion of the film. It is what I always dreamed of doing when I was growing up, watching Charlie Chaplin on the big screen. I am so happy to offer the unique elements of this collection for the first time, and I'm thankful to Warner Bros. and Paramount Pictures for the opportunity to collaborate on this great release of The Nutty Professor, my very special child."
The 4-disc set will feature 1080p video, a lossless 5.1 soundtrack (original mono also included), and supplements include: Jerry Lewis: No Apologies – An intimate look at the artist who has entertained and educated audiences for more than eight decades; Audio Commentary by Jerry Lewis and Steve Lawrence; The Nutty Professor: Perfecting The Formula Behind-The-Scenes Footage; Deleted Scenes; Screen Tests; Jerry Lewis at Work; Jerry at Movieland Wax Museum, with commentary by son Chris Lewis; Jerry and Stella Promos; Bloopers/Outtakes; and Trailers.
The set will also include: Recreated "Being A Person" book – 96-pages made up of drawings and quotes inspired/written by Jerry Lewis and drawn by his personal illustrator. 250 copies of this book were originally made and distributed to members of the cast and crew of The Nutty Professor after the director heard of general conflicts among them; CD: Phoney Phone calls 1959-1972: Years before the Jerky Boys were harassing unwitting shop clerks, housewives and businessmen, Lewis perfected the art, as these recordings show. Released in 2001 on the Sin-Drome label, this is a collection of private prank calls secretly recorded by Jerry Lewis over the years; 48-Page Storyboard Book; 44-Page Cutting Script with Jerry's notes; Directors Letter – A letter specially written by Jerry to present this new collection; and Cinderfella (1960) and The Errand Boy (1961) on a standard DVD.
Suggested list price for the set is $49.99.
You can find the latest specs for 'The Nutty Professor: Ultimate Collector's Edition' linked from our Blu-ray Release Schedule, where it's indexed under June 3.
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