The Delicate Delinquent is an American VistaVision comedy film starring Jerry Lewis, released on June 6, 1957, by Paramount Pictures. It was the first film to star Lewis without his longtime partner Dean Martin and marked Lewis' debut as a producer and screenwriter.

Plot

Janitor Sidney L. Pythias is mistaken for a gang member and arrested along with three juvenile delinquents, Artie, Monk and Harry. Police officer Mike Damon believes that he can help a wayward youth as a cop had once done for him. He is given a month by Captain Riley to set a boy straight, provided that he allow socialite Martha Henshaw assist him in the effort. Sidney's secret ambition is to be a policeman. He also wants to impress Patricia, a student nurse who lives in his building, by making something of himself. Mike and Martha bicker while working with Sidney, who is permitted to attend the police academy, over the objections of Artie, Monk and Harry. Artie is accidentally shot by a gun in Sidney's possession, endangering his future with the police force, but it is Monk who is responsible. Cleared of all blame, Sidney becomes a cop, determined to set a good example for youths, while Mike and Martha fall in love.

Cast

Production

Box office

The film cost just under $500,000 to produce, but it grossed about $6 million.

Re-release

The Delicate Delinquent was rereleased in 1962 on a double bill with another Lewis film, The Sad Sack (1957).

Home media

The film was released on DVD on October 12, 2004, and again on July 22, 2019.