Bedtime for Bonzo (1951)

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.

Director:

Frederick De Cordova

Writers:

Ted Berkman (story), Raphael Blau (story),

Stars:

Ronald Reagan, Diana Lynn, Walter Slezak

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ronald Reagan	...	Prof. Peter Boyd
Diana Lynn	...	Jane Linden
Walter Slezak	...	Prof. Hans Neumann
Lucille Barkley	...	Dr. Valerie Tillinghast
Jesse White	...	Babcock
Herbert Heyes	...	Dean Tillinghast
Herb Vigran	...	Police Lt. Daggett (as Herburt 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 (as Elizabeth Flourney)
Howard Banks	...	Policeman
Perc Launders	...	Fireman

Storyline

Professor Peter Boyd's engagement to the Dean's daughter is upset by the revelation that his father was a habitual convict. To prove the Dean's genetic theory of inherited traits as wrong, Boyd starts a 'secret' experiment. He borrows the science department's chimpanzee with the goal of showing that it is one's environment that affects your reaction to right and wrong.

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Plot Keywords:

dean | environment | engagement | heredity | genetics | 

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Taglines:

The funniest new idea on film since "FRANCIS!"

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 September 1951 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Apan August på äventyr

Filming Locations:

Colonial Street, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Often used by Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show when Ronald Reagan was president partly because the former president was directed by Frederick De Cordova who was also the director of The Tonight Show.

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Goofs

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

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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.

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Connections

Featured in Harry and the Hendersons (1987)

User Reviews

An underappreciated movie

Sure, it's a bit corny and "preachy" by today's standards, but when I watched it for the first time, I was somewhat impressed. When taken in the context of it's time (the early fifties), it stands up fairly well. Ronald Reagan was a better actor than he is given credit for by many people.