Marx Brothers Circus

 

 (imdb)

AT THE CIRCUS-1939-Jeff Wilson (Kenny Baker),owns a circus where his girlfriend Julie (Florence Rice) does a musical number with a horse. He owes a guy named Carter (James Burke) 10 thousand dollars but he plans on paying off. His assistant/buddy Tony (Chico Marx) thinks Jeff's in trouble, so he sends for lawyer J. Cheever Loophole (Guess Who?). Carter conspires with trapeze artist Peerless Pauline (Eve Arden) to ruin Jeff. Carter sends strongman Goliath (Nat Pendelton; also in HORSE FEATHERS) and midget, the professor (Jerry Maren) to steal Jeff's money. Tony and the strongman's former assistant Punchy (Harpo Marx) investigate. Groucho sings “Lydia,The Tattooed Lady”. Loophole goes to Newport to romance the wealthy Mrs. Dukesbury (Margaret Dumont), Jeff's aunt. Later, Loophole plots to have Jeff's circus replace an orchestra lead by famous French conductor Jardinet (Fritz Feld).

 (imdb)

 

The wild finale includes an escaped gorilla (Charles Gemora), Dukesbury shot from a cannon and half the cast on a trapeze! Director Edward Buzzell does a fairly good job and would direct the brothers' next feature GO WEST.

Thanks for reading!

Gorilla Love

 

 (imdb)

BRIDE OF THE GORILLA-1951-Somewhere along the Amazon, Klaas Van Gilder (Paul Cavanaugh) and his unhappy wife Dina (Barbara Payton) are having troubles. Their doctor Viet (Tom Conway) tries to help but foreman Barney Chavez (pre-Godzilla & Perry Mason Raymond Burr) lusts after Dina. After Barney is fired, he kills Van Gilder by having a snake bite him. With hubby out of the way, Barney and Dina plan to run away. Law officer Taro (Lon Chaney) investigates. After Barney is exonerated of the murder, he and Dina get married but Van Gilder's servant Al-Long (Gisela Werbisek) puts a curse on him and he turns into a gorilla. Woody Strode is a policeman.

 It's pretty bad with a lot of talk. One of 9 movies directed by Curt Siodmak, better known as a writer and novelist (Donovan's Brain). He and Chaney would work again on the TV series 13 Demon Street (and the movie made from it, THE DEVIL'S MESSENGER). Star Payton had several scandals connected to her and later had several brushes with the law. She died in 1967 at the age of 39.

Thanks for reading!

The Bowery Boys

 

 (imdb)

SPOOK BUSTERS-1946-In the fourth installment of "The Bowery Boys" series, Slip (Leo Gorcey), Sach (Huntz Hall) and the rest of the boys (Bobby Jordan,Bill Bendict and David Gorcey) are exterminators who get a job in a haunted house. They are joined by their old pal Gabe (Gabriel Dell) just out of the navy, and his fiance Minon (Tanis Chandler). The house is actually being used by mad doctor Coslow (Douglas Dumbrille), his assistant Stiles (Charles Middleton) and a muscle head (Richard Alexander).

 He also has a Dr. Bender (Maurice Cass) as his assistant/captive. Coslow must really be mad 'cos he wants to put part of Sach's brain into that of a gorilla. There's a slow-motion fight and the gorilla (Art Miles) gets loose. Bernard Gorcey is Louie. 

Producer Jan Grippo was Leo Gorcey's agent while they made the series at Monogram. Busy William Beaudine must have taken a vacation in 1946 because he only director 5 movies! (Although he may have worked on 3 more...)

Thanks for reading!

Defective Detectives

 

 (imdb)

THE GORILLA-1939-A series of murders committed by “the gorilla” plague the city. Walter Stevens (Lionel Atwill) believes he is the next victim. His niece Norma (Anita Louise) comes to visit him with her husband Jack (Edward Morris). Stevens has a suspicious looking butler (Bela Lugosi) and a loud maid (Patsy Kelly). He hires detectives Harrigan, Mulligan and Garrity (The Ritz Brothers) for protection. Stevens owes money to someone and explains how he and Norma are the sole heirs to her father's fortune. Meanwhile a mysterious figure (Joseph Calliea) prowls around the house in the rain. The brothers shout a lot, spout one-line insults at each other and fall down. A real gorilla (Art Miles) shows up (it escaped from its trainer) and Bela saves the day. 

The Ritz Brothers were kind of a combo of the 3 Stooges and The Marx Brothers. Atwill and Lugosi were in SON OF FRANKENSTEIN same year as this mildly amusing comedy was made. Prolific director Allan Dwan also made a version of THE THREE MUSKETEERS which also featured The Ritz Brothers and Atwill. THE GORILLA is based on a play by Ralph Spence.

Thanks for reading!

Gorilla Brains

 

 (wikipedia)

THE MONSTER AND THE GIRL-1941-The first half of this horror/sci-fi story is told in flashbacks. During a trial it shows how Scott Webster (Phillip Terry) was convicted for the murder of a guy named Stanton. He was actually framed by a bunch of gangsters lead by Mr. Bruhl (Paul Lukas). Webber's sister Susan (Ellen Drew who also narrates) tells a story about how she unknowingly married gangster Larry Reed (Robert Paige). At a surprise party everyone gets drunk and Reed disappears but it's all a scam to make Susan a call girl. Webber is sentenced to death but at “the big house” he's visited by Dr. Carey (George Zucco), a scientist who wants Webber's brain after he's dead. Meanwhile Sam Daniels (Ron Cameron), a reporter, tries to help Susan. In his rather large lab Carey transplants Webber's brain into that of a gorilla. The operation is a success but the gorilla (George Barrows) has revenge on his mind and breaks out and kills the DA (Onslow Stevens) who convicted Webber. Every bone in his is broken. Web-grilla visits Susan at night and kills another gang member (Gerald Mohr). When the gang boss Deacon (Joseph Calleia) goes to kill an unreliable thug (Marc Lawrence), it's two for the price of one gorilla killing! Carey tips off a policeman that the gorilla has a human brain but the cop doesn't believe him. Webber/ape kills the last two gang members but is shot and killed by the police while sis watches. 

This kind of crazy Paramount release came under fire from many censor boards and was eventually pulled from release. Director Stuart Heisler also made the seldom scene AMONG THE LIVING the same year. He later directed Gary Cooper in ALONG CAME JONES, Bogart in two features TOKYO JOE and CHAINED LIGHTENING and made I DIED A THOUSAND TIMES, a remake of HIGH SIERRA with Jack Palance and Lon Chaney.

(imdb)

Thanks for reading!

Early Monogram Horror

 

HOUSE OF MYSTERY-1934-Asia 1913-An unscrupulous archaeologist John Prendergast (Clay Clement) kills a monkey at a sacred temple. The head honcho puts a curse on him but he mocks them and uses a whip on the head guy, who summons a gorilla to kill Prendegast. However with the help of a "Hidi" dancing girl Chandra (Laya Joy aka Joyzelle Joyner; also in JUST IMAGINE) he escapes and flees with some treasures and the girl. 

20 years later The Potters, an absent minded professor (Harry C. Bradley) and shrewish wife (Mary Foy) who backed the expedition Prendegast headed, hire Jack Armstrong (Ed Lowry in his only feature film) to get the treasure back when they suspect Prendegast is living in a mansion in the suburbs. Prendergast agrees to meet the backers at his house to discuss a settlement. He's now a dying cripple because of the curse but agrees to give everyone their share if they agree to live with him for one week in his house. After they hold a seance people start dying at the hands of a gorilla prowling around the house. Prendegast says it's all because of the curse. A cloddish police chief (Irving Bacon) thinks otherwise. This old haunted house horror comedy/mystery (with unintentional humor) is unexciting but I liked the twist with the character of the dumb plumber. George “Gabby” Hayes is also in it. 

Director William Nigh had been an actor in silent films and producer who directed over a 100 films but is most remembered today for making the 5 “Mr. Wong” Monogram series of films with Boris Karloff. He also directed Karloff in a 5^th Monogram movie THE APE which along with HOUSE OF MYSTERY are credited as being based on the same play, “The Ape” by Adam Shirk. Nigh also made BLACK DRAGONS with Bela Lugosi in 1942.

Thanks for reading!

Still In Larryland

MISTRESS OF THE APES-1979-Redneck conspiracy theorist Larry Buchanan apparently took a dim view of NYC when he made this cheap laughable film which begins in “a jungle on the Eastern seaboard” where three black druggies (I guess Buchanan must have read all druggies are black) just walk into a hospital to steal drugs. Not content with that they cut the power then interrupt an operation. Two pot smoking cops in the US murder capital (according to this movie it's Central Park) respond and are both shot by one of the thugs. Next day all is forgotten and scientist Susan (Jenny Neuman) is visited by her doctor and a guy named David (Walt Robin) after she loses her baby. They talk about her missing husband Jameson in The Congo. Later she and another egghead Paul (Garth Pillsbury) visit David. They show her some slides from the jungle. He believes the natives there are homo habilis, the missing link. The trio plus David's wife Laura (Barbara Leigh) go off to Nairobi to find Susan's hubby where we learn David is in cahoots with local trader Matthews (Mark Rhudy) who he hired to kill Jameson. 

The foursome with three Nairobi “maidens” as porters walk around aimlessly while being tracked by Matthews and his partner Brady (Stuart Anderson). After an encounter with the “near men”, a near woman is shot and killed by David. That night one of their female porters is killed. After Susan has a nightmare, she and Paul go out alone to explore. David lets the two killers rape Laura. Meanwhile Susan approaches the near men (with terrible makeup) by doing a monkey imitation while some stupid theme song plays. They are basically primitive clowns. It takes 4 or 5 of them to kill one rabbit. Paul and Laura are held captive but they kill one of the killers and escape. They meet up with Susan and Paul gives everyone a useless recap on what's been happening. Susan goes back to the cave peeps and at night encounters a gorilla which one of the cave guys saves her from. This scene is very dark. 

While the boys gather round the fire, Susan bathes topless which arouses at least one of them to go to Susan’s cave and do the nasty. Not a good idea as an angry cave friend beats lover boy to death. Susan leads the near men on a hunt and kill David and the last bad guy. Paul and Laura leave intending on keeping the tribe a secret. Susan stays to be their leader (“They need me”) and presumably their baby making machine. 

This stupid movie is chock full of bad acting, bad dialogue and inept directing. Co-star Leigh was once a girlfriend of Steve McQueen and was the first human version of Vampirella.

Thanks for reading!

 

Clyde Comeback

PERILS OF THE JUNGLE-1953-Clyde Beatty (playing himself) and his friend Grant (Stanley Farrar) go to the Belgian Congo to find wild animals and stumble across a kind of menagerie run by Jo (Phyllis Coates), which she inherited from her father. No sooner are the guys welcomed when there's a fire (started by a foolish native would found a lighter). Clyde handles the 2 escaped lions and saves a worker but the fire wipes out Jo’s business. Enter Gorman (John Doucette), her father's nasty ex-partner who wants to buy her land. She refuses. Clyde decides to help Jo capture a gorilla. They go into the jungle with Gorman in hot pursuit. They do manage to capture a gorilla but a second one manhandles Gorman who's saved when Clyde shoots the hairy attacker. The duo leaves Jo and almost immediately head to Southern Rhodesia where the commissioner (Tudor Owen) grants them permits to hunt black maned lions (they got a tip from Gorman). With their guide Ken (Joe Fluellen) leading the safari they go into the jungle and Clyde kills a lion. Later Grant contracts “sleeping sickness” and they take a chance going through hostile restless natives country.

They meet an old white guy named Grubbs (Leonard Mudie) who says the tribe is holding him against his will but Clyde has his suspicions and he’s right! Grubbs is a thief who’s been stealing the tribe's treasure and he sends the natives after them. When they're captured Beaty gets a knife and holds the king (he’s just a boy) hostage and the group makes its get away, taking Grubbs with them. The scary witch doctor sends out the tribe. Grubbs is speared in the back and the boy-king is set free. It ends with Beaty and Grant going off to hunt black panthers for his circus. 

This slow moving cheapie is put together like two episodes from a TV show and the director George Blair was doing a lot of TV at the time (He'd start directing episodes of THE ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN the next year).

Thanks for reading!

What Is The Law?

LAW OF THE JUNGLE-1942-Nona Brooks (Arline Judge), an American singer is stranded in African and sings at a sleazy cafe for creepy owner Simmons (Arthur O'Connell). 

She meets American paleontologist Larry Mason (John “Dusty” King) who she hopes will help her but Simmons convinces Mason she's a con artist. When a guy is killed in the cafe, she wanders into the jungle to get away! To appease his native safari Mason agrees to re-bury some bones he dug up but the job falls to his assistant Jeff (Mantan Moreland) who hears Nona but thinks she’s a ghost. Mason takes her in but insists she return to the town. Meanwhile 2 German spies want some secret papers accidentally given to Nona. They kill Simmons and hunt for Nona in the jungle. They get another tribe (with rifles) to go after Mason's group. Mason, Nona & Jeff wind up hiding in a dark cave. After an encounter with a gorilla they are captured but things take a comic turn when a native female takes a liking to Jeff and the tribal chief (Lawrence Criner) is Oxford educated and speaks English. 

Criner was also in THE GANG'S ALL HERE and FRECKLES COMES HOME both made by LAW OF THE JUNGLE'S director Jean Yarbrough for Monogram Pictures.

Thanks for reading!

Nabonga!

NABONGA-1944-A crook named Stockton (Herbert Rawlinston) is fleeing the police with his young daughter Doreen (Jackie Newfield). During a storm they crash land in the jungle. Stockwell kills the pilot and Doreen finds a wounded gorilla (it was shot by the search party). Later in a jungle village, a mysterious guy named Ray Gorman (Buster Crabbe) is looking for a “white witch” said to live in some forbidden mountains. He and a local named Tobo (Prince Modupe) go off to find her. 

Meanwhile bad guy Karl (Barton McLane) and his moll Maria (Fifi D'Orsay) lead their own safari to find her. Of course the witch is the now grown up Doreen (Julie London) who has a gorilla (named Samson played by Crash Corrigan) for her protector and Gorman is looking for the money Stockton stole from his father's company causing his old man to commit suicide. Unfortunately when the duo find the plane, the gorilla kills Tobo and later traps Gorman in a cave but Doreen saves him. Despite the presence of the killer 'rilla the dialogue between Doreen and Gorman is intentionally humorous. Maria arrives on the scene making Doreen jealous and helping Gorman build a trap to cage Samson. When it works Gorman combs Doreen’s cave looking for the loot and Maria gets Karl. Later Karl gets his paws on the loot and leaves Gorman for dead (after they have a sped up fist fight). He dumps Maria when he meets Doreen. Dumb cluck Maria releases Samson from the trap and it kills her. It's then shot and killed by Karl but not before Samson kills him. This PRC production is very slow going and not much happens. 

Director Sam Newfield also made THE MONSTER MAKER and I ACCUSE MY PARENTS the same year (along with with 9 other features!). It's his young daughter who plays Doreen as a child. As was usual his brother Sigmund Neufeld was the producer.

Thanks for reading!

More Jungle Bungle

THE BEAST OF BORNEO-1934-On an expedition in Borneo to find the elusive “orang-utan”, explorer Bob Ward (John Preston) finds and adopts a baby ape. Back in London, “celebrated Anglo Russian” scientist Dr. Boris Borodoff (Eugene Sigaloff) needs an orange ape for an experiment. When he learns the expedition can't secure one, he goes himself with assistant Alma Thorne (Mae Stuart). In Borneo Borodoff meets Ward and wants to hire him to catch an “orang” but Ward refuses (he doesn't capture animals for science). Somehow he changes his mind and the three venture into hostile territory with a bunch of natives. Borndoff professes his love for Alma and is jealous when she and Ward become close.

 After 3 weeks they trap a huge orang in a tree. They lure him out with fruit spiked with Gordon's Gin (the label is prominently displayed). But one of the crew is killed and the natives desert the white people. When Ward learns the professor wants to cut open the ape’s brain (although he promised not to) he decides to free it so Borondoff knocks him out. The orang escapes and takes Ward. Borondoff tells Alma Ward is dead but she doesn't believe him. Her efforts to find him fail and she and her boss prepare to leave. But then Borondoff decides to do his operation on Ward's baby monkey Joe which Alma will have none of. She flees into the jungle, finds Ward alive and the evil professor is mauled to death by the adult orang. 

Later jungle drums say a rescue party is coming for the survivors. This thing moves at a snail's pace, could be missing a scene or two and the acting is pretty stiff. Especially annoying is actor Sigloff's heavy accent. Stock footage was left over from EAST OF BORNEO. The orang makes some weird noises. Director Harry Garson made many films in the silent era and continued into sound but developed heart trouble and died in 1938 making only one more film after THE BEAST OF BORNEO.

Thanks for reading!

RX

THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. RX-1942-Universal quickie with private investigator Jerry Church (Patric Knowles) getting involved in a rash of murders by a mysterious killer known only RX. He just wants to move to Boston and work in the family business but a famous attorney (Samuel S. Hinds) hires him to investigate the murders since all 5 victims were clients of his. Church also agrees to help a police captain (Edmund MacDonald) who's dopey assistant is played by Shemp Howard! Add in Church's man servant played by the great Mantan Moreland and you have at least two reasons to watch this minor whodunit. Need another? The equally great Lionel Atwill hangs around wearing thick glasses but only gets to show his stuff at the climax. Church's ex-flame Kit Logan (Anne Gwynne) is also a reporter who marries Church half way through the story. Near the end the masked killer uses a gorilla and the threat of a brain transplant to intimidate his victims. There's also a brief reflection of studio lights in a windshield. 

This seldom seen quickie was one of seven low budget films directed by the fast but competent William Nigh who also made BLACK DRAGONS with Lugosi the same year.

Thanks for reading!

Country Western Horror Comedy

HILLBILLYS IN A HAUNTED HOUSE-1967-On their way to Nashville, country and western singers Woody (Ferlin Husky), Boots (Joi Lansing) and Jeepers (Don Bowman) spend the night in a haunted house, actually the hideout of some spies lead by Madame Wong (Linda Ho) with her bodyguard Max (Lon Chaney also in the much more enjoyable SPIDER BABY the same year), Gregor (Basil Rathbone) and Dr. Himmil (John Carradine). After Sonny James and his band visit and sing two songs, the group meets Wong and Max. She lets them spend the night and Merle Haggard shows up on their TV set to do a song (Max also makes a appearance). The spies think the yokels are from an organization called MOTHER and use their pet gorilla Anatole (George Barrows; the veteran man in an ape suit who'd “starred” in ROBOT MONSTER) to frighten them. Mother Agent #30 (Richard Webb) shows up and kills Anatole and Carradine. He and Max scuffle. They are all saved by the ghost of a Confederate war general. 

This crazy nonsense is a sequel to the previous year's LAS VEGAS HILLBILLIES which also featured Husky as Woody but has Mamie Van Doren in the Boots role and Jayne Mansefield. Veteran director Jean Yarbrough who had worked with Abbott and Costello and The Bowery Boys was directing episodes of TV's “Petticoat Junction” at the time.

Thanks for reading!

How Could I Forget This One!

THE BOWERY BOYS MEET THE MONSTERS-1954-The (over-aged) Boys (in their 34^th outing!) want to get a nice place for local kids to play baseball. Slip (Leo Gorcey) and Sach (Huntz Hall) contact a Dr. Gravesend (John Dehner) who owns the lot. Of course Gravesend is actually a mad scientist with a sister Amelia (Ellen Corby) who keeps a man eating plant, a wacky scientist brother Anton (Lloyd Corrigan) and a niece Francine (Laura mason) who's a vampire. Their butler Grissom (Paul Wexler; later the scary Indian head hunter in THE FOUR SKULLS OF JONATHAN DRAKE) sometimes becomes a hairy fanged monster. Gravesend wants Sach's pea brain for his gorilla and the brother wants Slip's brain for his robot. After terrorizing Sach, the robot has a fight with the gorilla and Sach turns into a rather scary monster who almost kills Slip.

It's pretty dumb but it's probably the one entry in this series that stands out the most because of the horror setting (at least it did when I was kid!). Yet somehow I forgot to review it when I did a whole bunch of Bowery Boys movies a few years ago!The other regular “boys” Chuck (David Gorcey) and Butch (Bennie Barlett) are there as well as Bernard Gorcey as Louie. Director Edward Bernds (who made JUNGLE GENTS with the team the same year) co-wrote it with usual BB scribe Elwood Ullman.

Thanks for reading!

Acquanetta

CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN-1943-A Clive Beatty like animal trainer Fred Mason (Milburn Stone) comes back from Africa with a load of wild animals. After he re-captures a loose tiger his girlfriend Beth (Evelyn Ankers) relates a flashback wherein she takes her ailing sister Dorothy (Martha Vickers) to a sanitarium run by a suave and famous doctor Sigmund Walters (John Carradine) because she has “glandular troubles”. Later Walters takes a shine to Mason's pet gorilla Cheela (Crash Corrigan) and has a recently fired handler (Paul Fix) steal the ape so the doctor can use it in an experiment. Using glandular fluid from Dorothy and his nurse (Fay Helm) he transforms Cheela into the beautiful Paula Dupree (Acquanetta) who arrives at the circus just in time to save Mason from a lion as she seems to have some power over the animals. The circus boss (Lloyd Corrigan) hires her to keep an eye on the lions and tigers while Mason performs with them. Everything is fine until Paula sees Mason kiss Beth. Obviously jealous she begins to turn back into her old simian self and tries to kill Beth. Later Walters plans another experiment using both sisters but Paula/Cheela kills him and heads for the circus arriving just in time to save Mason when a lightening storm wrecks the place. She's shot and dies....or does she?

This little horror film may seem like just another Universal quickie but 2 sequels followed. It's been said that the only reason Milburn Stone (later “Doc” on the long running TV western GUNSMOKE) got the lead is because of his resemblance to the real Clive Beatty who is actually working with the animals in the long shots. Director Edward Dmytryk does a good job of matching them together but the strange flashback almost makes it seem as though the movie was re-edited before it's release. Carradine is his usual cool collected self as the mad but total rational doctor but it's the exotic Acquanetta who steals the show, although some may be disappointed by her brief turn as a hairy ape woman.

In real life Acquanetta's origins are a bit of a mystery though born in Wyoming many  biographies list her real name as Mildred Davenport while the actress herself claimed a different moniker. She co-starred in several other Universal movies and returned for  a "Captive" sequel.

Thanks for reading! 

Bela In The Rue Morgue

MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE-1932-Universal Pictures first horror film (based on a Edgar Allan Poe story) made after the hits FRANKENSTEIN and DRACULA! Set in Paris in 1845, Bela Lugosi portrays Dr. Mirakle, a slightly demented guy with a killer ape named Erik. The doctor can even "speak ape" to him. When not giving lectures on apes and humans being related he prowls the foggy streets looking for female victims to experiment on. He's assisted by Janos, (Noble Johnson). Mirakle takes a liking to Camille (the ill fated Sidney Fox who has top billing) after Erik steals her bonnet. She describes Mirakle as "a funny old man". Her boyfriend is medical student Pierre Dupin (Leon Waycoff, who later changed his surname to Ames) investigates the recent murders of 3 "women of the streets" and discovers they all died because ape blood was injected into them. A scene of Mirakle "experimenting" on a prostitute (future celebrity talk show panelist Arlene Francis) seems pretty shocking for 1932. Unable to convince Camille to come to him, Mirakle dispatches Erik to kidnap her. Fortunately Erik rebels and kills his master before any blood injecting can begin. Unfortunately Erik carries Camille over the rooftops of Paris with an angry mob in hot pursuit. Dupin arrives just in time to save his love.

Some comic interrogations where no one can agree on what language MIrakle and Erik are talking aren't that funny and seem to be thrown in to waste time. And since Erik is actually gorilla suited veteran Charles Gemora the close-ups of a an angry ape edited in are out of place.

Of course director Florey and star Lugosi were the original choices for the Universal production of FRANKENSTEIN but that was eventually changed. MURDERS has a smaller budget but is gruesome and eerie. It goes along well, until the end which seems rushed. The idea of Mirakle talking "ape" to his "pet" was used in a later Bela vehicle THE APE MAN.

Lugosi was in WHITE ZOMBIE and ISLAND OF LOST SOULS the same year. Florey, who co-wrote FRANKENSTEIN but was cheated out of screen credit by James Whale, co-wrote this and it's said John Huston also contributed some dialogue. MURDERS uses Tchiakovsky's Swan Lake over the opening credits (as did DRACULA and THE MUMMY). Herman Bing, Iron Eyes Cody and Charlotte Henry all have small roles.  

Thanks for reading!

Color Remake

PHANTOM OF THE RUE MORGUE-1954-Color/3-D remake of Edgar Allen Poe's MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE (brilliantly executed by Robert Florey and Bela Lugosi in 1932).

 After several grisly murders of women, Ivan (Paul Richard), a knife thrower is accused of killing the latest victim. A police inspector (Claude Dauphin) thinks Ivan has the ears of a killer (?) but has to let him go. He interviews folks at The Sorbonne where he meets Prof. Daupin (Steve Forrest), a psychologist who profiles the killer for the inspector. Daupin also introduces Dr. Morais (Karl Malden), a zoologist with a red herring servant (Anthony Caruso), a belligerent eye patch wearing goon. Daupin becomes a suspect when his (stolen) brooch is found on a victim. Later another detective arrests him after a victim is stuffed up his chimney. The inspector goes out of his way to proof (frame?) Daupin even though it's obvious he couldn't be the murderer. Jeannet (Patricia Medina), Daupin's assistant/fiance tries to help. Of course Morais is the actual villain who's pet gorilla (Charles Gemora) is doing all the murders. He framed Daupin because he's sweet on Jeannet and his wife committed suicide. But mostly he's plain crazy. The ape is attracted to bells on a bracelet each victim wore. Unfortunately after Moray whips the hairy killer, it goes ape (no pun intended!) and kills again. Witnesses see Morais and his pal so it exonerates Daupin. When the police come to get Moray he sets a lion loose. The ape climbs a tree with Jeannet in tow. Before its death by shooting it kills its master.

Director Roy Del Ruth started his career with Max Sennett and later directed the original version of THE MALTESE FALCON in 1931. He made TOPPER RETURNS, THE BABE RUTH STORY and many other mid and low budget programmers. One of his last was THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE (1959).

Thanks for reading!

Little People, Big Hero

PYGMY ISLAND-1950-Some army officers (one of them is Selmer Jackson)  in DC discuss a jungle plant that could replace rope while newspaper headlines report the disappearance of Capt. Kingsley who was looking for the source of the plant. A flashback then tells us that this is another Jungle Jim adventure as Jim (Johnny Weissmuller) finds the captain's missing dog tags. No sooner does the real story start then Jim is in the water fighting an alligator! While investigating the death of a pygmy Jim discovers the plant is fireproof. The flashback ends and the US army (with THE MAD GHOUL's David Bruce) shows up in Bugandi (?) to check out a group of white Pygmy people and find the missing captain who we also learn is a woman (Ann Savage). She's hiding out with them. Meanwhile a tribe of "bush devils" threatens the little people. A local trader named Marco (Steven Geray) is also after the plant. The bush devils start an elephant stampede and of course it turns out "the devils" are actually foreign agents (lead by Tris Coffin). A gorilla (probably the same one from MARK OF THE GORILLA) attacks Jim and destroys a bridge (with Jim on it!). Billy Curtis leads the little natives (who include Billy Barty & Angelo Rossitto) who save the day when Jim is taken captive. William Tannen and Tommy Farrell are also in it. This is one of the few JJ movies that contains non-jungle scenes. 

Director William Berke was a veteran of low budget movies (and later TV) since 1934. His last work was on 1958's THE LOST MISSILE.

Thanks for reading!

Jungle Jim

MARK OF THE GORILLA-1950-Johnny Weissmuller as Jungle Jim returns! After a narrator (un-billed Holmes Herbert) tells us about a jungle preserve, a gorilla kills a messenger carrying an important letter. Fortunately Jim's faithful crow retrieves the letter. It turns out a million dollars is buried on the preserve and some unscrupulous bad guys led by Onslow Stevens (HOUSE OF DRACULA) as Brandt want it so two of them disguise themselves as apes. It's a switcheroo! This time it really is suppose to be a man in a gorilla suit! A princess (Trudy Marshall) also gets involved looking for the lost treasure of her people. Jim gets to fight a lion, leopard and has a underwater fight with a giant snake. The princess is taken prisoner by the phony gorilla men but Jim saves her by donning his own gorilla suit! 

Much of this Sam Katzman production was filmed at the famous Bronson Canyon in LA. Director William Berke would do several more in the series.

Thanks for reading!

Pongo!

WHITE PONGO-1945-In the unexplored swamps of East Africa, a white guy is tied up while natives dance around a fire. A white gorilla (Crash Corrigan) watches the festivities and gets angry when he sees the chief's wife with a  (real) pet chimp on a lease. The captive guy escapes (with the help of an older white guy who also seems to be a prisoner) but sticks around long enough to see the gorilla trample the chief and rescue the chimp.  The captive guy is rescued but dying of jungle fever. British explorer Sir Henry (Gordon Richards) and his daughter Pamela (Maris Wrixton from THE APE) arrive just in time to hear the last of his rantings. They deduce that the gorilla is White Pongo, the legendary missing link! They set out on an expedition. Although one of the white hunters is Clive (Michael Dyne), a "suitor" of Pamela's, she prefers their hired hunter/guide, the mysterious hard nosed Bishop (Richard Fraser). Also along is Baxter (George Lloyd from I ACCUSE MY PARENTS also by PONGO's director) talking in an exaggerated English accent. The group sets a trap for Pongo then stands around talking, waiting for something to happen. Bishop gets into hot water when he's caught kissing Pamela. It turns out that their German guide Kroegert (Al Eben who had a small role in CITIZEN KANE) is actually after gold and he and Clive team up to betray the rest but Bishop is actually working for the US secret service and is on to the German's shenanigans. After Kroegert kills Clive and threatens Pamela he's killed by Pongo who takes a shine to Pam and takes her back to his lair. He scares a lion away and fights a regular (man in a suit) gorilla in defense of his fur-less love. At the end the group captures Pongo, puts him in a bamboo cage and takes him back to the US!

WHITE PONGO resembles another PRC production from the same year THE WHITE GORILLA (also with Corrigan in the simian lead) which is even more cheaply assembled. Most of it is silent movie footage!

Speedy Sam Newfield made 12 other features in 1945. I wonder if he stopped for lunch?

Thanks for reading!