Down Memory Lane is a pastiche film comprised of old comedy footage from the
Mack Sennett studios. The vintage clips are tied together by a thin continuity wherein TV host
Steve Allen hopes to boost his ratings by screening excerpts from Sennett's silent and talkie two-reel comedies. Among the films represented are The Singing Boxer with Donald Novis,
Blue of the Night with
Bing Crosby, and
The Dentist with W.C. Fields. Mack Sennett himself shows up at the end for an explosive punch line to this chaotic collection of comedy clips. Down Memory Lane is a mess, but a funny mess; auteur theorists are advised not to search for a thematic connection between this film and director Phil Karlson's later "cult" classics. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide