The Gorilla (1939)
Grade: D
Unfunny, primate-centric Ritz Brothers vehicle gets a boost from quick pacing, good production values, the always-welcome presence of Béla Lugosi, and a couple of decent one-liners, to wit:
Seaman: "Listen, what are you doing in Poe's cage?"
Kitty: "What do you think I'm doing, waiting for someone to feed me peanuts? Get me outta here!"
Seaman: "But you know Poe hates women!"
Kitty: "So does Kipling -- so what?!"
Otherwise, what's the use of a horror-comedy that yields neither chills nor laughs? Well, at least the plot takes a few clever twists and turns, offering something more than the usual "get a monster to kill the heiress" fare.
But the Ritz Brothers' schtick really hasn't aged well, and the other comic lead, Patsy Kelly, has an abrasive voice that's the rough female equivalent of Gilbert Gottfried on speed.
The rest of the cast is wasted or peripheral, other than Béla who (naturally) steals every scene he's in. Among other things, he pulls off a judo flip, proves handy with a firearm, and generally makes everyone uncomfortable.
Is his charisma enough to make this schlocky soirée worthwhile? No, we should say it's not: there are too many good murder-mysteries out there to bother with this one. Sure, there are a lot of umbrellas, but we can't be bought so easily.
But nothing with Béla in it is ever a complete waste of time.
No comments:
Post a Comment