That was an excellent one.

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Fantastic!

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Not copyright by Jack Broder Productions, Inc. U.S. release through Realart Pictures: 8 October 1952. New York opening: 4 September 1952. Never theatrically released in Australia. 74 minutes. SYNOPSIS: A good-natured spoof of jungle pictures and horror movies, starring Bela Lugosi as a mad scientist turning men into monkeys on a remote Pacific Island.NOTES: Negative cost: $50,000. Movie debut of Sammy Petrillo. His partner, Duke Mitchell had a small part in the Martin and Lewis movie, Sailor Beware (1952).COMMENT: Here's a movie, scripted and played with all tongues firmly in their cheeks by a cast headed by Bela Lugosi, the lovely Charlita (love her sarongs!) and a couple of not-so-talented Martin and Lewis imitators. Despite the short shooting schedule (two weeks) and the minimal negative cost ($50,000, the movie's production values actually look quite lush, thanks to William Beaudine's surprisingly skillful direction and Charles Van Enger's attractive and really stand-out cinematography. AVAILABLE on DVD through Alpha. Quality rating: Ten out of ten.

BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA barely qualifies as a proper film, although it is a madcap rip-off of a popular comedy series pairing up Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. This one stars the exceptionally irritating Sammy Petrillo (who looks just like Jim Carrey in DUMB AND DUMBER, except this time it's for real) and his buddy Duke Mitchell who travel to a remote Pacific island to live it up with the natives.The whole film consists of their various encounters with jungle flora and fauna, from dancing native girls to chimpanzees (a welcome cameo from Tarazan's Cheetah) and even a gorilla or two. Inevitably the action is silly and the humour even sillier, although horror fans might be interested to see Bela Lugosi here, as reliable as ever in support as a sinister mad scientist type, forever conducting weird experiments. Lugosi hams it up a treat and is really the only reason to bother sitting through such a dated and otherwise pointless film. It's no surprise director William Beaudine directed around 350 movies when they were of this calibre.

Okay, having just watched the first 6 of Martin & Lewis' films, I thought I'd take a break and see something else. Something that starred their impersonators. Something called Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla! That title was supposedly made up by the producer's kid and by giving it that name, Mr. Lugosi didn't have to worry that anyone would forget who the star is. Yeah, I'd say he's probably the main attraction, then and now, since he's the only one anyone would recognize here except, like I just said, there's two other people that look like a popular comedy team that had emerged during this era, only their names are Duke Mitchell & Sammy Petrillo. Now Duke does sing a couple of songs of which I thought the first was lame (and he really looked like he was mouthing to, I assume, his own recordings) and the second was okay though he really doesn't resemble Dean in looks or voice but his attitude is the same. And Sammy does resemble Jerry both in looks and attitude but the lines he's given were alternately a little amusing and mostly lame though I did like it when they did a bit about having seen Lugosi before. Oh, and unlike Lewis at the time, Petrillo does mention some Jewish terms. As for their leading ladies, Charlita as Nona, Dean's girl is sexy enough while Muriel Landers as Saloma (who Sammy sometimes refers as "Salami"!) has a pleasingly plump figure that doesn't completely drive Sammy away. There's also a monkey who was borrowed from the Tarzan movies that's good for some cuteness and a couple of men in gorilla suits that provide the amusingly lame climax. And Lugosi himself, despite being reduced to appearing in many of these low-budget productions late in his career, still provides some moments worth watching especially when he parodies his career reputation with Duke & Sammy. So on that note, Bela Lugosi Meets a Broklyn Gorilla is worth a look for anyone curious about this one-shot chance with these Martin & Lewis impersonators. P.S. I have to note that Ms. Landers was another performer from my birthtown of Chicago, Ill.

This is actually a much better movie than its reputation. The shorthand is that it's a cheap movie with a couple of Martin and Lewis imitators. This is true, Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo attempted to cash in by doing a imitation of Dean and Jerry, (and were sandbagged by Lewis who didn't like the competition). Combine that with a director notorious for never shooting second takes, and Bela Lugosi in his downward spiral of his career, and it should be a complete disaster. However, it is well shot, and the performances are tolerable.Lugosi plays his stock character of a mad scientist doing some weird experiment with apes and evolution, with an unhealthy crush on a native girl who looks way too white. When Mitchell charms her, Bela decides to make him the subject of his new serum that turns people into apes.How often did Bela have to do movies with guys in Ape Suits? And why was that such a cool thing in the 30's and 40's? It's watchable. The most grating part is Petrillo's imitation of Jerry Lewis, but then again, the real Jerry Lewis was equally annoying.