The Naked Ape (film)

Last updated
The Naked Ape
The Naked Ape poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDonald Driver
Screenplay byDonald Driver
Based on The Naked Ape
by Desmond Morris
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography John A. Alonzo
Edited by
Music by Jimmy Webb
Production
company
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date
  • August 1, 1973 (1973-08-01)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Naked Ape is a 1973 American comedy film, loosely adapted from the non-fiction book of the same name by Desmond Morris, written and directed by Donald Driver, and starring Johnny Crawford, Victoria Principal, Dennis Olivieri, Diana Darrin, Norman Grabowski, and John Hillerman, with animated segments created by Murakami Wolf Studios. The film was released on August 1, 1973, by Universal Pictures. [1] [ failed verification ] [2] [3]

Contents

The Desmond Morris book had been optioned for a film adaptation in 1968, and aside from some factual consultation, Morris was not involved in the screenplay writing. Initially set up at Universal, after initial screenplay drafts were submitted, the book was deemed unfilmable and was almost sent into turnaround, until Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner, who had been producing other film projects at the time, agreed to co-finance the project.

Leading lady Victoria Principal later said that her career momentum was hurt by the film's failure. [4] [5]

Plot

In a series of satirical live action and animated vignettes, the evolution of humanity is depicted and explored, primarily through the experiences of Cathy, a tour guide in a natural history museum describing the ages of mankind and its advancement, and Lee, a college student who meets Cathy in one of his classes and grows infatuated with her. Through them, rituals of courtship, sex, marriage, workplace manners, and military service are dramatized, suggesting that despite centuries of change, certain behaviors remain constant.

Cast

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Desmond Morris</span> English zoologist, ethologist and artist (born 1928)

Desmond John MorrisFLS hon. caus. is an English zoologist, ethologist and surrealist painter, as well as a popular author in human sociobiology. He is known for his 1967 book The Naked Ape, and for his television programmes such as Zoo Time.

The aquatic ape hypothesis (AAH), also referred to as aquatic ape theory (AAT) or the waterside hypothesis of human evolution, postulates that the ancestors of modern humans took a divergent evolutionary pathway from the other great apes by becoming adapted to a more aquatic habitat. While the hypothesis has some popularity with the lay public, it is generally ignored or classified as pseudoscience by anthropologists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierre Boulle</span> French novelist (1912–1994)

Pierre François Marie Louis Boulle was a French author. He is best known for two works, The Bridge over the River Kwai (1952) and Planet of the Apes (1963), that were both made into award-winning films.

<i>Planet of the Apes</i> (novel) 1963 French novel by Pierre Boulle

La Planète des singes, known in English as Planet of the Apes in the US and Monkey Planet in the UK, is a 1963 science fiction novel by French author Pierre Boulle. It was adapted into the 1968 film Planet of the Apes, launching the Planet of the Apes media franchise.

<i>Roustabout</i> (film) 1964 musical feature film starring Elvis Presley directed by John Rich

Roustabout is a 1964 American musical feature film starring Elvis Presley as a singer who takes a job working with a struggling carnival. The film was produced by Hal Wallis and directed by John Rich from a screenplay by Anthony Lawrence and Allan Weiss. The screenplay was nominated for a Writers Guild of America award for best written American musical although Roustabout received a lukewarm review in Variety. The film's soundtrack album was one of Elvis Presley's most successful, reaching no. 1 on the Billboard Album Chart. It was filmed in Techniscope at Paramount Studios, with carnival sequences shot in Thousand Oaks, California. Filming began in March 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johnny Crawford</span> American actor and singer (1946–2021)

John Ernest Crawford was an American actor, singer, and musician. He first performed before a national audience as a Mouseketeer. At age 12, Crawford rose to prominence playing Mark McCain in the series The Rifleman, for which he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Emmy Award at age 13.

<i>Our Dancing Daughters</i> 1928 film

Our Dancing Daughters is a 1928 American synchronized sound drama film starring Joan Crawford and John Mack Brown about the "loosening of youth morals" that took place during the 1920s. The film was directed by Harry Beaumont and produced by Hunt Stromberg. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using both the sound-on-disc and sound-on-film process.

<i>The Damned Dont Cry</i> 1950 film by Vincent Sherman

The Damned Don't Cry is a 1950 American film noir crime-drama directed by Vincent Sherman and featuring Joan Crawford, David Brian, and Steve Cochran. It tells of a woman's involvement with an organized crime boss and his subordinates. The screenplay by Harold Medford and Jerome Weidman was based on the story "Case History" by Gertrude Walker. The plot is loosely based on the relationship of Bugsy Siegel and Virginia Hill. The film was directed by Vincent Sherman and produced by Jerry Wald. The Damned Don't Cry is the first of three cinematic collaborations between Sherman and Crawford, the others being Harriet Craig (1950) and Goodbye, My Fancy (1951).

<i>The Naked Ape</i> Book by Desmond Morris

The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal is a 1967 book by English zoologist and ethologist Desmond Morris that looks at humans as a species and compares them to other animals. The Human Zoo, a follow-up book by Morris that examined the behaviour of people in cities, was published in 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norm Grabowski</span> American hot rod builder and actor

Norman "Norm" Grabowski was a Polish- American hot rod builder and actor. The heavy-set crew cut-wearing Grabowski appeared in minor roles in many films produced by Albert Zugsmith and Walt Disney.

John Scott, also known as Johnny Scott and Patrick John Scott, is an English film composer and music conductor. Scott has collaborated with well-known directors and producers, including Mark Damon, Richard Donner, Charlton Heston, Mike Hodges, Hugh Hudson, Norman Jewison, Irvin Kershner, Ilaiyaraaja, Daniel Petrie, Roger Spottiswoode, and Norman J. Warren.

<i>Portrait in Black</i> 1960 film by Michael Gordon

Portrait in Black is a 1960 American neo-noir melodrama film directed by Michael Gordon, and starring Lana Turner and Anthony Quinn. Produced by Ross Hunter, the film was based on the play of the same by name by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts, who also wrote the screenplay. The film was distributed by Universal-International. This was the final film appearance by actress Anna May Wong.

"Here's That Rainy Day" is a popular song with music by Jimmy Van Heusen and lyrics by Johnny Burke that was published in 1953. It was introduced by Dolores Gray in the Broadway musical Carnival in Flanders.

Naked Ape may refer to:

Desmond is a given name and a surname, derived from the Irish place-name Desmond, an anglicization of the Irish Deas-Mhumhna. The Irish peerages of Ormonde, Desmond, and Thomond represented the old sub-kingdoms of East, South, and North Munster, respectively. South Munster existed as an independent territory between 1118 and 1543. The title of Earl of Desmond in the Peerage of Ireland originates in 1628; it is currently held by Alexander Feilding, 12th Earl of Denbigh.

<i>Hotel Transylvania 2</i> 2015 American film by Genndy Tartakovsky

Hotel Transylvania 2 is a 2015 American animated monster comedy-drama film produced by Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation in association with LStar Capital, animated by Sony Pictures Imageworks, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky and written by Robert Smigel and Adam Sandler, it is the second installment in the Hotel Transylvania franchise, serving as the sequel to Hotel Transylvania (2012).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wes Ball</span> American film director

Wes Ball is an American film director and producer. He is best known for directing the Maze Runner film trilogy (2014–2018), based on James Dashner's series of novels of the same name. He is also directing the upcoming film Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024), the fourth installment in the Planet of the Apes reboot series.

<i>Sing</i> (2016 American film) Illumination film

Sing is a 2016 American animated jukebox musical comedy film produced by Illumination Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. It was written and directed by Garth Jennings, co-directed by Christophe Lourdelet, and produced by Chris Meledandri and Janet Healy. Set in a world inhabited by anthropomorphic animals, the film focuses on a struggling theater owner who stages a singing competition in an effort to prevent his theater from entering foreclosure, as well as how the competition interferes with the personal lives of its contestants.

<i>Intimate Games</i> 1976 British film by Tudor Gates

Intimate Games is a 1976 British sex comedy directed by Tudor Gates and Martin Campbell and starring George Baker, Anna Bergman and Ian Hendry.

References

  1. Sandra Brennan (2015). "The-Naked-Ape - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times . Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  2. "Naked Ape, The (1973) – Overview". TCM.com. 2013-02-23. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  3. "The Naked Ape". Afi.com. Archived from the original on 2014-04-03. Retrieved 2015-12-17.
  4. Jeff Jarvis. "Darling of Dallas". People.com. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  5. "VICTORIA PRINCIPAL: Acting on Her Own". Los Angeles Times . 7 April 1991.