Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla dir. William Beaudine
Crooner Duke Mitchell (himself) and comedian Sammy Petrillo (himself) are on their way to a USO performance in Guam when they get lost on their way to the restroom and walk off the airplane. Good thing they were wearing parachutes! The pair land on the tropical island of Kolakola and wander around for a few days living on berries and raw fish before being discovered by the natives.
Chief’s daughter Nona (Charlita) convinces the tribe to spare their lives. She and the handsome Duke hit it off right away. Sammy is less pleased to be paired up with Nona’s plus-sized sister Saloma (Muriel Landers), who is overly forceful about her interest in him.
There is one other “white” man on the island. (The natives are mostly white actors with a little bronzing makeup.) This is Dr. Zoba (Bela Lugosi), a scientist performing evolutionary experiments in his “castle.” (An incongruous manor house.) Dr. Zoba has the hots for Nona, who works as his lab assistant, but does not reciprocate his warm feelings.
Jealous of Duke, Dr. Zoba schemes to turn him into a gorilla (Ray Corrigan). Duke is able to communicate his plight to Sammy, but will they be able to escape before Dr. Zoba convinces the natives to kill the “dangerous” gorilla?
This silly comedy is almost more interesting for its behind the scenes story than its actual movie. Sammy Petrillo had a strong physical resemblance to Jerry Lewis, and cashed in on this by doing impressions of the more famous comedian. To cash in further, he wanted to make a movie in the style of the Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis partnership, and Duke Mitchell was signed on for the Martin part. Of course, there was a much lower available budget than the movies they were imitating. Bela Lugosi’s career was in steep decline, so he was affordable, but as the most recognizable star in the movie, he was put in the title. (Allegedly suggested by a ten-year-old!)
Jerry Lewis was not flattered by this imitation and threatened to sue, but nothing came of it.
As for the movie itself? It’s actually not bad for what it is, a Poverty Row feature that’s not meant to be taken at all seriously. (This is underlined by the twist ending, which works better than The Ape Man‘s at covering the logic holes.) It’s shot competently enough, there’s a couple of nice songs, and some genuinely funny moments. Bela Lugosi’s performance is competent but not nearly at his best; he was well into his addiction to painkillers at this point.
Sammy Petrillo’s performance is the weak link. Sammy’s jokes are stale, and a Jerry Lewis impression relies heavily on you finding Jerry Lewis funny in the first place. It’s not surprising that this movie failed to spawn a follow-up, let alone a series.
Content note: forced kissing. Saloma’s being plus-sized is supposed to make her unattractive, though the twist ending mitigates this.
Overall: “Not as bad as you would have thought” isn’t a ringing endorsement. But if you are determined to watch every Bela Lugosi movie, or just happen to stumble across a copy, this is a fun time-waster.
