The Gorilla (1939 film)
The Gorilla | |
---|---|
20th Century-Fox | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 66 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $175,000[1] |
The Gorilla is a 1939 American
The film is in the public domain.[2]
In the film, investigators are hired to protect a wealthy man from a gorilla-themed killer. But they instead encounter an actual gorilla.
Plot
This article needs an improved plot summary. (January 2019) |
When a wealthy man (Lionel Atwill) is threatened by a killer known as The Gorilla, he hires the Ritz Brothers to investigate. A real escaped gorilla shows up at the mansion just as the investigators arrive. Patsy Kelly portrays a newly hired maid who wants to quit because the butler, played by Bela Lugosi, scares her.
Cast
- Jimmy Ritzas Garrity
- Anita Louise as Norma Denby
- Harry Ritzas Harrigan
- Al Ritzas Mulligan
- Patsy Kelly as Kitty
- Lionel Atwill as Walter Stevens
- Bela Lugosi as Peters
- Joseph Calleia as the Stranger
- Edward Norris as Jack Marsden
- Wally Vernon as a Seaman
- Paul Harvey as Conway
- Art Miles as Poe the Gorilla
Production
By October 1938,
The death of the Ritz Brothers' father caused production of the film in January to be delayed. Fox placed a $150,000 suit against the Ritz brothers for a breach of contract as the film was stated to start production on January 30, but was halted when the Ritz Brothers did not show up.[4] They were reluctant to appear in a B picture.[1] By March, the film began shooting again with the Ritz brothers returning to the film. The Gorilla became the last film made for Fox by the Ritz brothers.[4]
Release and reception
The Gorilla premiered on May 26, 1939.[citation needed] A negative review of the film was written in The New York Times stating, "It's all supposed to be either really funny or shockingly thrilling, depending on how you look at it. We couldn't see it either way."[5] Describing the Ritz Brothers performance in the film as "perhaps best appreciated by those who find the antics of The Three Stooges to be of too high an order of wit," critic Craig Butler wrote in AllMovie that "shameless scenery chewing from Patsy Kelly ... can't distract from the baldness of some of the plot machinations or from the fact that many of the comic moments are shoehorned in with little rhyme or reason."[6] Writing for Turner Classic Movies, critic Jeff Stafford described the film as "interesting primarily for Lugosi's tongue-in-cheek performance," but that the Ritz Brothers "come off like a poor man's version of The Marx Brothers," and that "Patsy Kelly's shrill performance as the terrified maid can also grate on your nerves."[7]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b "Ritzes 'Gorilla' Jam with 20th". Variety. February 1, 1939. p. 4.
- ISBN 9780786433636.page 152
- Rovi Corporation. Retrieved May 4, 2013.
- ^ a b c Rhodes, 2001. p.113
- ^ Hallenbeck, 2009. p.27
- ^ Butler, Craig. "The Gorilla (1939)". AllMovie. Netaktion LLC. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
- ^ Stafford, Jeff. "The Gorilla (1939)". Turner Classic Movies. Turner Classic Movies Inc. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
References
- Rhodes, Gary Don (1997). Lugosi: his life in films, on stage, and in the hearts of horror lovers. ISBN 0-7864-0257-1.
- Hallenbeck, Bruce G. (2009). Comedy-horror films: a chronological history, 1914-2008. ISBN 978-0-7864-3332-2.
External links
- The Gorilla on YouTube
- The Gorilla at IMDb
- The Gorilla is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- The Gorilla at AllMovie
- The Gorilla at the TCM Movie Database
- The Gorilla at the American Film Institute Catalog