Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla

Rating:
Summary: Bela Lugosi meets Martin and Lewis, sort of.
Review: This little movie isn't as bad as the title and cast might suggest. Duke Mitchell is no Dean Martin, but Sammy Petrillo does a credible imitation of a young Jerry Lewis. Whether Petrillo's performance is satire or just a blatant rip-off is up to the viewer. The humor is simple-minded, but occasionally hilarious. Charlita (as if anyone recognizes the name) does a passable imitation of Dorothy Lamour in revealing (for 1952) South Sea togs. Bela Lugosi with a twinkle in his eye spoofs his own horror movie character as Dr. Zabor. This flick was made a year or so before Bela fell into the clutches of the infamous Ed Wood. Sadly, it emphasizes Bela's troubled downward spiral career path. Veteran low budget director William Beaudine competently puts the cast through the paces. Artistically (to use an unlikely term), the flick is on the same level as Beaudine's Bowery Boys movies. Filmed in glorious B&W, the low cost DVD edition features a clear transfer and acceptable audio. It's harmless "G" rated fun. From here on, you are on your own. ;-)

Rating:
Summary: Imitation Isn't Always Flattering...
Review: This movie could have been a classic IF... #1- Bela Lugosi had been awake. #2- The real Dean Martin / Jerry Lewis had actually been involved in any way, instead of the stagehands who apparently stood in for them. Unfortunately, the artificial Martin sings (Like a hinge) and the synthetic Lewis acts like an imbecile throughout. All without being funny. #3- It had been directed by anyone other than William Beaudine (Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter), even Jethro Beaudine! As it stands, BROOKLYN GORILLA has very little charm or appeal. However, the kids (toddlers) might get a kick out of it. I mean, there is a guy in a gorilla suit and there are goofy natives running around! Enjoy, if you can...

Rating:
Summary: just a review
Review: Well I happen to like this film. For thoes of you who know film very well it's kind of like the Lemmon Drop Kids by Ray Dennis Steckler (of Rat Fink and boo boo fame) here is a really silly comedy that by all means was a knock off film. but where Dean and Jerry had to not OVER due it in their films.
Sammy and Duke are more or less a warner brothers cartoon send up of them. So they wend as silly and crazy as they could go in one film. I think that they had an energy that was missing from martin and Lewis. I will admit it is a dumb plot and will not go down in time as one of the greatest films ever made.
But I definetly tell you to give it a chance.
thanks for your time
Mike

Rating:
Summary: Oh how the mighty had fallen!
Review: When you see this insanity, you want to say "Oh how the mighty have fallen" when you see Bela Lugosi in this mess! What a comedown! Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis on welfare! Here, Lugosi is a mad scientist who turns the Dean Martin copycat into a gorilla so that he (Lugosi) could have the beautiful heroine all to himself. The faux Jerry Lewis does an extremely weak imitation of the "master." Folks, ths must be seen (if you can stomach it) to believed! This film is as outrageous as it's title and makes "Gilligan's Island" look like "Gone With the Wind." YUCK!

Rating:
Summary: A "highly prized cult classic"? I think not!
Review: Yes, this dismal flop is actually described as a "highly prized cult classic" on the dvd cover!!! Not that I was expecting a masterpiece, but come on! I only paid a dollar for this and so I feel I got my money's worth of entertainment, which is slim to mild. I'm a big-time Bela Lugosi fan, but this is a movie he would want you to forget, and fast.

What makes this even worse is that he is not the star. The two stars (Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo) are nothing more than a cheap, annoying rip-off of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, as other reviewers have already pointed out. They play two idiotic entertainers (very convincingly, too!) who end up stranded on the Pacific island of "Coca-Cola", inhabited by a native tribe and the old mad scientist Dr. Zabor (Bela Lugosi).

In no time at all Mitchell is seducing the native chief's beautiful daughter (almost a Dorothy Lamour look-alike!), who is also loved by Dr. Zabor. When the crazy Zabor discovers that the chief's daughter has fallen in love with Mitchell, he quickly makes plans to get rid of him. After capturing Mitchell he turns him into a gorilla. Petrillo finds Mitchell the "Brooklyn gorilla" and they both try to escape, but there's a surprise twist at the end that changes everything.

Lugosi seems too old to care about his career in this movie and obviously that's why he accepted the role. He does the best he can with the awful script, but what kills this plot is the annoying Duke Mitchell and Sammy Patrillo. I'd have to say that the most impressive member of the cast was Dr. Zabor's lab monkey who befriends Sammy Patrillo.

I have no complaints with the dvd itself, though. Even the very inexpensive edition I bought had a perfectly clear picture quality as well as nice sound quality. No special features worth mentioning, but at the price I paid I can't complain. This movie is about as fun as scraping the bottom of your feet with a razor and then walking on burning hot coal. If you're looking for a classic Bela Lugosi film, look elsewhere! If you enjoy bad movies, though, you might want to give this one a try.