| The Gorilla | |
|---|---|
 Promotional release poster | |
| Directed by | Allan Dwan |
| Written by | Rian James Sid Silvers |
| Based on | The Gorilla 1925 play byRalph Spence |
| Produced by | Harry Joe Brown |
| Starring | Al Ritz Harry Ritz Jimmy Ritz Anita Louise Patsy Kelly Lionel Atwill Bela Lugosi Joseph Calleia Edward Norris Wally Vernon |
| Cinematography | Edward Cronjager |
| Edited by | Allen McNeil |
| Music by | David Buttolph David Raksin Cyril J. Mockridge Alfred Newman |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century-Fox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 66 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $175,000[1] |
The Gorilla is a 1939 Americancomedy horror film starring theRitz Brothers,Anita Louise, Art Miles,Lionel Atwill,Bela Lugosi, andPatsy Kelly. It was based on the 1925play of the same name byRalph Spence.
The film is in thepublic domain.[2]
In the film, investigators are hired to protect a wealthy man from agorilla-themed killer. But they instead encounter an actual gorilla.
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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.
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By October 1938,20th Century-Fox bought the rights to Ralph Spence's playThe Gorilla. Fox wanted production on the film to start in January, which would be whenThe Ritz Brothers finished their tour. The studio wantedKane Richmond to play a part in the film, but Richmond was replaced byEdward Norris after Richmond signed on for the filmCharlie Chan in Reno. Fox signed onBela Lugosi for the film as the butler. This character was originally meant forPeter Lorre.[4]
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]
The Gorilla premiered on May 26, 1939.[citation needed] A negative review of the film was written inThe 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 theRitz Brothers performance in the film as "perhaps best appreciated by those who find the antics ofThe Three Stooges to be of too high an order of wit," critic Craig Butler wrote inAllMovie that "shameless scenery chewing fromPatsy 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 forTurner 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]
