The Bellboy (1960) is an American comedy written, produced, directed by and starring Jerry Lewis in his feature film directorial debut. Lewis plays Stanley, a silent and accident-prone bellboy working at a luxury Miami Beach hotel. Rather than following a conventional storyline, the film consists of a series of loosely connected comedy sketches involving hotel guests, employees and visiting entertainers. Lewis also appears as a fictionalised version of himself, alongside guest stars including Milton Berle and professional golfer Cary Middlecoff.
The Bellboy was filmed primarily at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach, located at 4441 Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, Florida. Opened in 1954 and designed by architect Morris Lapidus, the hotel provided both the main setting and most of the actual filming locations. Lewis made the film while performing at the Fontainebleau’s nightclub, shooting during the day and appearing on stage at night. The production used the hotel’s distinctive curved exterior, spacious lobby, corridors, guest rooms, restaurants and swimming pool areas. The opening sequences introduce the hotel and its staff, while later scenes show Stanley struggling with luggage, room keys, telephone calls and various demands from the guests. The pool area appears in several sketches, including one in which Stanley covers a sleeping guest’s face with a loosely woven cloth, leaving an unusual sunburn pattern. Another scene uses a window overlooking the swimming pool, where Stanley is startled by a fully dressed man walking underwater.
Much of the Fontainebleau’s original architecture is visible throughout the film, including its elaborate public spaces and characteristic mid-century design. Lewis also used the actual hotel staff alongside professional performers, incorporating bellboys, maids and other employees into the production. The Fontainebleau remains in operation, although its interiors and resort facilities have undergone extensive renovations and expansions since the filming.
One of the film’s few excursions away from the hotel takes place at the former Flagler Greyhound Race Track, located at 450 NW 37th Avenue in Miami. Stanley accompanies several fellow bellboys to the dog races after losing control of a group of hotel guests’ pets. When the first race is unexpectedly cancelled, his colleagues discover that Stanley has taken the racing greyhounds for a walk. The racetrack originally opened in 1931 and was substantially modernised around the time of filming. The property later became known as Magic City Casino, and greyhound racing has since been discontinued.
The golf tournament sequence was filmed at Bayshore Golf Club, now Miami Beach Golf Club, at 2301 Alton Road. Professional golfer Cary Middlecoff appears as himself, preparing for a decisive putt when Stanley accidentally sets off a camera flash and causes him to miss the shot. The course originally opened in 1923 and was substantially redesigned during a major renovation completed in 2002. Although it remains an operating golf course, its present layout differs considerably from the one seen in the film.
Miami International Airport was used for the sequence in which Stanley is sent to retrieve a briefcase left inside an aircraft cockpit. He accidentally operates the controls and takes the plane into the air, eventually returning for an unexpected landing. The airport footage was combined with the film’s comedy effects to create the sequence. The film’s introductory scene, in which a fictional Paramount executive addresses the audience directly, was filmed separately at Paramount Studios in Hollywood, California.
Fontainebleau Miami Beach
Fontainebleau Miami Beach appears in Goldfinger (1964), Scarface (1983), The Bodyguard (1992), Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach (1988), and many more.
Miami Beach Golf Club
Miami Beach Golf Club, a public golf course in the Bayshore neighbourhood of Miami Beach, has appeared in The Bellboy (1960) and Pain & Gain (2013).