Bedtime for Bonzo (1951)

Director:

Frederick De Cordova

Writers:

Ted Berkman (story)
Raphael Blau (story)

Release Date:

28 September 1951 (Finland)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Romance

Plot:

College prof Peter Boyd tries to salvage his professional and personal reputation by using a lab chimp to prove that environment trumps heredity in behavioral development.

Plot Keywords:

Fire Department | Baby Food | Environment Vs. Heredity | Classroom | Cell Mate

Cast

Ronald Reagan	...	Prof. Peter Boyd
Diana Lynn	...	Jane Linden
Walter Slezak	...	Prof. Hans Neumann
Lucille Barkley	...	Valerie Tillinghast
Jesse White	...	Babcock
Herbert Heyes	...	Dean Tillinghast
Herb Vigran	...	Lt. Daggett (as Herbert Vigran)
Harry Tyler	...	Knucksy Breckenridge
Edward Clark	...	Professor Fosdick (as Ed Clark)
Edward Gargan	...	Policeman Bill (as Ed Gargan)
Joel Friedkin	...	Mr. DeWitt
Brad Browne	...	Chief of Police
Elizabeth Flournoy	...	Miss Swithen
Howard Banks	...	Policeman
Perc Launders	...	Fireman

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Goofs:

Continuity: When Bonzo is passed through the window, he has a skirt on that soon disappears.

Quotes:

Peter Boyd: I'm going to make that old man change his attitude if it takes till I'm 90.
Hans Neumann: Good, Peter. Good, good.
Peter Boyd: Of course, Valerie probably won't be interested in me when I'm 90.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Article 99 (1992)

Pure Monkey Business.

College professor Ronald Reagan (yes, our 40th U.S. President) wants to marry his sweetheart Diana Lynn, but her father (the dean of the university) is not sure he wants his daughter with Reagan. The reason for this is the fact that Reagan's father is a life-long felon who has been in and out of correctional facilities throughout his life. Thus Reagan hatches an elaborate scheme to show that environment is the reason why beings do what they do and not genetics. He kidnaps the titled character (a chimpanzee) in the hopes of the animal being able to distinguish between right and wrong at Reagan's house. The film is pure slap-stick and works mainly due to the animal more than anything else. Reagan is adequate as he was throughout his ho-hum Hollywood career. His experience with "Bedtime for Bonzo" made him perfect for the chaotic world of politics. 2.5 out of 5 stars.