IMDb > The Gorilla (1939)

The Gorilla (1939) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
4.7/10   459 votes
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Director:
Writers:
Ralph Spence (play)
Rian James (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Gorilla on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
26 May 1939 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
A Ritz is afraid of nothing ... but ... THIS ... IS ... SOMETHING! more
Plot:
When a wealthy man (Atwill) is threatened by a killer known as The Gorilla, he hires the Ritz Brothers to investigate... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
User Comments:
Enjoyable Enough Romp more (34 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)
Jimmy Ritz ... Ben Garrity - a Ritz Brother
Harry Ritz ... Harrigan - a Ritz Brother
Al Ritz ... Mulligan - a Ritz Brother
Anita Louise ... Norma Denby
Patsy Kelly ... Kitty - the Maid
Lionel Atwill ... Walter Stevens

Bela Lugosi ... Peters - the Butler
Joseph Calleia ... The Stranger
Edward Norris ... Jack Marsden
Wally Vernon ... Seaman
Paul Harvey ... A.P. Conway
Art Miles ... Poe the Gorilla
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
The Ritz Brothers ... The Stars Above the Title
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Additional Details

Runtime:
66 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The original play opened in New York on 28 April 1925. more
Quotes:
Kitty: The Gorilla? HIM? Oh, I'll never trust another man if I live to be a thousand! more
Movie Connections:
Featured in 100 Years of Comedy (1997) (V) more

FAQ

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6 out of 8 people found the following comment useful.
Enjoyable Enough Romp, 3 July 2006
6/10
Author: jonathon_naylor from Manitoba, Canada

This enjoyable enough romp is based on a stage play, and the film certainly has the feel of live theater. The Ritz Brothers (a comedy trio who were never as celebrated as the Three Stooges or Marx Brothers) star as hapless detectives hired to investigate a death threat made against a wealthy man. The threat is from none other than "The Gorilla," a mysterious killer the newspapers are always fretting about. Can our heroes save the day, or will this King Kong wannabe fulfill his hunger for blood?

Despite the theme and the fact it is often lumped together with low-grade schlock films, "The Gorilla" is actually an early horror-comedy, and a pretty good one at that. The story is interesting enough, and with a running time of just over an hour, there aren't many opportunities to be bored. The film isn't always fondly remembered because of its stars, who viewers today will look at as ripping off the Stooges. Are the Ritz Brothers comedy geniuses? No. Is the film laugh-out-loud funny? No again. But "The Gorilla" is fun enough to make it worth your while. Bela Lugosi is great as the butler.

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