Horror Classic 41 of 50: THE GORILLA
I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Hey! Hold the phone for one cotton-picking minute! Hasn't this clown already watched a silly movie called The Gorilla?" And the answer is: Nope. Several weeks ago I watched The Ape, which is completely different from 1939's The Gorilla.For one thing, The Gorilla stars the Ritz Brothers, a film comedy team from the 1930s. As a guy who's perhaps more interested than most of my peers in movies made before my parents were born, I've long been vaguely aware of the Ritz Brothers, but I'd never seen any of their films, and they seem to have faded into obscurity. I was looking forward to this movie because I was curious about the Ritzes: Do they deserve to stand alongside the Marx Brothers, Laurel & Hardy, and other greats of their era, or is their "forgotten" status deserved?
Synopsis
Newspaper headlines scream the top story of the day: A crazed killer called the Gorilla is on the loose! He always warns his victims shortly before he kills them. But is he an actual gorilla, a guy in a costume, or an evil primate-and-his-trainer team? It's unclear.
The skittish Kitty, maid for the rich Mr. Stevens, is minding her own business and reading Shakespeare when a furry paw reaches in the window and pins a note on her: The gorilla is coming for Mr. Stevens! Kitty freaks out, very entertainingly. On hearing the news, Mr. Stevens remains calm, but he soon makes a pretty suspicious phone to tell somebody that he'll have the money for them soon. Oh, and guess who else works for Mr. Stevens? Peters, the butler, played by our old friend Bela Lugosi! Good to see you again, Bela.
The next day, some more characters arrive. First there's Stevens' niece Norma Denby and her fiancé Jack, and then there are private detectives Harrigan, Mulligan, and Garrity, played by the Ritz Brothers. They take the case despite being completely terrified of everything that's going on in the house. They do a lot twitching and starting at every little thing, especially Harrigan. In fact, I'm not sure which Ritz Brother played Harrigan, but I'd say twitching was his number one acting tool.
The detectives begin questioning everyone in the house, and they're not ready to trust anyone, especially Peters. The single greatest moment in the film comes when the detectives are interrogating Peters, and one of them gets too close, and then Bela Lugosi GRABS ONE OF THE RITZ BROTHERS BY THE ARM AND FLIPS HIM OVER. It was startling and funny.
Soon after, a rock comes crashing through a window with a note on it: "AT MIDNIGHT," it says, which means that Stevens now has two things to worry about: 1. He's going to be killed very soon, and 2. He has to fix that window. Soon, we see (but the characters don't see) a gorilla in the basement, sneaking out of its cage. Is this the Gorilla, or just some other gorilla?
Everyone is gathered in the den when the lights suddenly go out. When they come on again, Stevens is missing! The detectives stage a series of reenactments of this moment, with Garrity, then Mulligan, then Harrigan taking the role of Stevens. Perhaps unsurprisingly, these experiments result in all three Ritz brothers vanishing just as Stevens did. Will those wacky guys ever learn?
Next, a man with a moustache sneaks in the side door of the house and finds a freaked-out Harrigan locked in the closet. Who is this mustachioed stranger? He claims to just be there to use the phone, but if you believe that you obviously haven't been paying attention to these "horror classic" reviews.
And then some other stuff happens, and everyone suspects Bela Lugosi's character Peters as being the cause of all the mayhem, and in the end it turns out there might be as many as three different parties acting as "the Gorilla." Also, the Ritz Brothers make a lot of funny faces when confronted with the actual gorilla, and Kitty does some more entertaining freak-outs.
Is It Scary?
It's not really meant to be. There are some suspenseful elements, but it's more of a mystery than a horror movie.
Lessons I Learned
- Gorillas hate women.
- Gorillas can't write.
- The Ritz Brothers are hard to tell apart.
- Peters: "I wouldn't be frightened like that if I were you."
Kitty: "You be frightened any way you want... This is my way!" - Harrigan: "Where do you think you're going?"
Kitty: "I'm gettin' outta here!"
Harrigan: "There's no door there!"
Kitty: "That's all right, I'll make one!" - Norma: "Kitty! Go get a basin of water!"
Kitty: "Do you mind if I go out of town to get it?" - Harrigan: "If there's anything screwy about this... it's ME!"
- Jack: "Have you men been drinking?"
Harrigan: "No, but it's a good idea!"
Hmm. I don't think anyone actually died. Maybe gorillas aren't so dangerous after all.
Comments
• So, the Ritz Brothers weren't that funny in this film. Maybe they were never very funny, although as my buddy and fellow film aficianado Anthony pointed out, if the only Marx Brothers film I ever saw was Go West, I wouldn't think very highly of them either, so I shouldn't be too quick to blow them off.
But... for one thing, they were practically indistinguishable. This film was based on a play, and I'm pretty sure the three brothers were playing a role originally written for just one actor, so that may have something to do with it. Also, their shtick consisted mostly of acting like scaredy cats the whole time... Bob Hope managed to pull that off in a film or two, but he had genuinely clever jokes to go along with it.
• On the other hand, Patsy Kelly, who played the role of Kitty, was a delight. I laughed more at her than I did at all three Ritzes combined.
• Bela Lugosi looks spooky most of the time, but on those rare occasions when he doesn't, his default expression is smugness.
• I've noticed that people in the earlier part of the 20th century used to call monkeys "monks" for short. What's up with that?
• This film included a fake gorilla-arm sleeve... just like The Monster Walks, which I watched about two weeks ago!
Letter grade for The Gorilla: B-
Next film in the 50-movie set: A Shriek in the Night. Featuring Ginger Rogers! Do you think she'll dance?
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