Trivia

Said to be Jerry Lewis's favorite of all the Martin and Lewis films, because he felt it came closest to capturing what they had as a team onstage.

Though filmed in 1951, it was held up release till 1953 because Paramount was unsure of its box office appeal due to its extensive dramatic moments.

Generally considered to be the apex of the Martin and Lewis collaboration, "The Stooge" (1951) was ironically the only one of their vehicles that could be categorized as a drama, as nearly all of the comedy occurs on stage. The remainder of the offstage plot is largely serious in tone.

Jerry Lewis' trademark catch-phrase, "Hey, Lady!!!" originated in this film. He directs the line at Marion Marshall as he falls out of the theater balcony in his first performance as the stooge.

In his memoir, Jerry Lewis reports that he was increasingly disturbed by producer Hal B. Wallis' stubborn determination to stick to the team's proven formula for success, as this did not allow Dean Martin's comic gifts to shine. Lewis reports that he often went head to head with Wallis on this subject, unbeknownst to Martin, whose frustration continued to grow in strained silence. Adding to the tension was the fact that Martin's subtle humor was often overlooked by reviewers who focused all of their attention on Lewis' broader antics, and it was this inequity that ultimately led the team to split in 1956. Till the end of his life, Lewis maintained that Martin was ten times the comic he was.