In the film, two entertainers parachute out of an airplane and land on the Island of Kola Kola. They are offered hospitality by the natives, and find love interests in the local chief's daughters. Wishing to find a way out of the island, they visit a scientist's castle. The scientist is conducting experiments in evolution, using a chimpanzee as his test subject. He later conducts a similar experiment on one of the entertainers, transforming the man into a gorilla.
Plot
Jungle-dwelling natives find two long-haired, bearded men dressed in frayed tuxedos asleep in the jungle, and carry the men to their chief and his daughter who insists on protecting them. She mimes instructions that the men are to be dressed, shaven and given haircuts, all of which is done while they are still asleep. Upon waking up, the men — Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo — introduce themselves to the chief's daughter Nona and recount that they were on their way "to do a show for the boys on Guam", but opened the wrong door on the plane, fell out with their parachutes and have been living on wild berries and raw fish. Nona explains that her father is Chief Rakos and "this is the most southern fringe of the Zambuanga Group — the Island of Kola Kola". "Sounds like bubble water," notes Petrillo.
At that evening's luau, Duke establishes a closer relationship with Nona, while Sammy is introduced to Nona's overly friendly, plus-sized "baby sister" Saloma, causing him to jump up, join the luau dancers and then perform a comedy routine, followed by Duke's rendition of "'Deed I Do". Afterward, Nona tells Duke that she was educated in an American college to prepare her for ruling the island as its queen. When Duke inquires about leaving the island, Nona suggests that Dr. Zabor, conducting scientific experiments on the island, might help.
Dr. Zabor looks strangely familiar to Sammy: "Ain't this the fellow that goes around with the hand and the face, biting people on the neck and wearing capes?" "You're crazy", replies Duke, "Watch out for bats!" shouts Sammy. Dr. Zabor offers to help Duke and Sammy leave the island, and offers them the hospitality of his castle and the use of his wardrobe.
Dr. Zabor, who has designs on Nona, sends his assistant Chula to spy on Duke and Nona. Chula reports Duke's and Nona's marriage plans. Back in the laboratory, Dr. Zabor injects the chimpanzee Ramona, reversing evolution and turning her into a small monkey with a tail.
The following morning, as Nona returns to the laboratory, Dr. Zabor realizes that the serum's effect was only temporary and Ramona has turned back into a chimp. The jealous doctor injects Duke with the serum and watches him turn into a gorilla.
As Nona and Sammy return to the laboratory in search of Duke, Dr. Zabor explains that the gorilla is actually Ramona advanced to a higher level of evolution. He and Nona start out for the village, leaving Sammy in the laboratory with the gorilla, who pantomimes to Sammy that he is really Duke.
Upon reaching the village, Sammy explains to Nona that the gorilla is Duke. She embraces the gorilla as Chula arrives with Dr. Zabor, who aims his rifle at the gorilla. Sammy shields the gorilla with his body and is mortally wounded. As the gorilla kneels over Sammy and pats his face, the scene shifts to Duke shaking Sammy awake. They're in the dressing room of The Jungle Hut nightclub in Passaic, New Jersey and "we're on next... come on!" Nona is in the gorilla-trainer act, with Chief Rakos in a gorilla suit. Chula is a waiter and Dr. Zabor is the manager: "You'd better get some laughs this time... or you'll be collecting unemployment insurance!"
During the 1950s, comedian Sammy Petrillo had established something of a career by imitating comedian Jerry Lewis, whom he closely resembled. Petrillo worked for Lewis at one point after an agent set up a meeting with Lewis who then cast him in a sketch on the NBC show The Colgate Comedy Hour. For $60, he played Jerry Lewis as a baby in a crib.[3] Petrillo went on to form a musical comedy team in the style of Martin and Lewis with singer Duke Mitchell in the Dean Martin role. The team played in various clubs in Las Vegas among other cities. Maurice Duke, who managed the duo, had pitched the idea of Petrillo and Mitchell starring in a movie to several studios. Duke eventually pitched the idea to Realart Pictures Inc. co-owner Jack Broder and his assistant, producer Herman Cohen. Maurice Duke then took Broder to see Mitchell and Petrillo perform in Culver City. While Broder thought the duo was hilarious, Cohen (who saw the duo's act later) said he thought Mitchell and Petrillo "stunk".[4]Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla was to be the first in a series of films starring Mitchell and Petrillo, but wound up as their only film together.[5]
According to Cohen, Jerry Lewis was furious when he heard that Mitchell and Petrillo had formed a team that was imitative of his act with Dean Martin, and that they were to appear in a film together. Gary Lewis, Jerry's eldest son was quoted, "When Sammy and the other guy played in that gorilla movie, I remember my dad and Dean saying, ‘We got to sue these guys — this is no good.’"[3] Lewis, who knew Jack Broder through the Friars Club of Beverly Hills, showed up at Broder's office. The two got into a screaming match over the film and Lewis stormed out yelling obscenities.[6]Paramount Pictures producer Hal B. Wallis, who then had Martin and Lewis under contract and also knew Broder through the Friars Club, threatened to sue Broder for releasing a film that featured a team that closely resembled Martin and Lewis.[7] Wallis and Broder had a meeting after shooting wrapped. According to Cohen, Broder offered to sell Hal Wallis the film's negative for a substantial amount of money. Wallis agreed to buy it -- so he could destroy it before anyone could see it. However, Broder and Wallis could not agree on a price, and Wallis finally declined the offer. Broder, forced to recoup his investment himself, released the film through Realart. Wallis never spoke to Broder again.[8]
Bela Lugosi was cast because Realart had reissued Lugosi's Universal horror films. By 1952, Lugosi's career had sharply declined. Cohen later recalled that Lugosi was quite ill at the time due to his addiction to morphine, but acted professionally and was nice.[9] The film was originally titled White Woman of the Lost Jungle. The Gorilla title was thought up by Jack Broder's ten-year-old son. Cohen decided it would be foolish not to exploit Bela Lugosi's appearance in the film and decide to retitle the film using Lugosi's name.[10]
Production
Despite its modest budget, Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla was professionally made by a crew of veterans. The film strongly resembles the 1950s films of The Bowery Boys, because director William Beaudine and writers Tim Ryan and Edmond Seward were moonlighting from that popular series at the time, as was ingenue Charlita. There is also a connection with Abbott and Costello: photographer Charles Van Enger and editor Philip Cahn had worked on that team's films.
Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla was filmed over a six-day period at the General Service Studios in Los Angeles.[1][11] The film's budget was $12,000.[1]
Reception
Although the film received no outright rave reviews when released, trade critics rated the film as an acceptable carbon of Martin and Lewis that might get by on its novelty value. Boxoffice gave it the best review: "This is a broadly played farce which burlesques jungle horror pictures to a fare-thee-well. Bela Lugosi, who plays his formula evil scientist role straight throughout, will have marquee value for the horror devotees, and the younger fans will be intrigued by the lobby blowups of Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo, who resemble the more famous Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Undiscriminating neighborhood and small-town audiences will get some laughs."[12]The Exhibitor recognized the same opportunity for showmen to promote the new Mitchell & Petrillo team: "Although this suffers from a weak script, the direct takeoff on the Martin and Lewis type of comedy by the comedy team makes this okeh [sic] for exploitation houses. Except for Lugosi, the cast is made up of unknowns. The direction and production are adequate."[13] Writer-publisher Pete Harrison gave director Beaudine the benefit of the doubt: "It is unlikely that many picturegoers will find it good entertainment, in spite of the fact that William Beaudine, a fine craftsman, directed it. It might have turned out to be a good entertainment if the director had been given a better story. As it is, it may get by on the lower half of a double bill in secondary situations."[14]The Hollywood Reporter concurred: "William Beaudine's direction merely proves that the best of directors are helpless when given a hopeless story and a weak cast."[15]Variety summed it up as a "mediocre horror-comedy; exploitable potential in Martin & Lewis look-alikes Duke Mitchell & Sammy Petrillo. Thesping is routine. Lugosi is menacing, and Charlita lends some eye appeal as the saronged femme interest."[16]
The film entered the public domain in 1980, and film and video distributors made the film widely available to collectors. Because the film had never received very wide distribution in its day, few contemporary viewers had seen it; Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla has since been included in many Lugosi and comedy collections, sometimes under its reissue title, The Boys from Brooklyn. In his long-running Movie Guide, Leonard Maltin jokingly called it "one of the all-time greats."
Decades later, the film was referenced by Martin Landau, who watched it three times in preparation for his role as Lugosi in the biopic Ed Wood, saying that it was "so bad that it made Ed Wood's films look like Gone with the Wind."
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References
1 2 3 Frank, Alan G. (1982). The Horror Film Handbook. Barnes & Noble Books-Imports. p.49. ISBN0-389-20260-6.
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