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| Bride of the Gorilla (1951) | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 9 2009, 07:59 AM (591 Views) | |
| Laughing Gravy | May 9 2009, 07:59 AM Post #1 |
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![]() Bride of the Gorilla (1951) Written & Directed by Curt Siodmak ITB Shock Theatre #161 Raymond Burr and Barbara Payton have the hots for each other; he's a plantation manager somewhere in Central America (or South America or New Jersey or someplace, they don't say) and she's the wife of the plantation owner, so Raymond kills the old fart by tossing him on a snake. Burr is seen by a creepy old plantation witch (Gisela Werbisek, who seems to be about 200 years old and is trying very hard to be Maria Ouspenskaya) who uses a witch plant to curse him and make him think he's a gorilla. So no sooner does he marry th' widow Payton than he's spending his wedding night cruising the jungle eating goats while local Latino(!) police commissioner Lon Chaney, Jr. wanders around talking about mythical jungle demons. This film was written and directed by Curt Siodmak, who wrote The Wolf Man and who thought he was writing The Wolf Man again, only duller. Sadly, for all the daffy dialog and ridiculous situations and the film's 65-minute brevity, it still crawls by. Fave moments: Chaney constantly refers to the Mexican peasants as "my people" but the one time he tries to speak Spanish he sounds as if he'd never heard the language aloud before. Million-dollar Dialog: Babs to her hubby and her boyfriend: "Don't fight before dinner." Raymond to Babs: "Life runs away too fast if you don’t hold onto it with both hands!” Raymond, ruminating on life as a gorilla: "I could climb as if I had wings! I can smell a thousand smells!" Make it a thousand and one, there, Raymond. Actually, it's a competent enough monster movie. And do you realize that it's been THREE WHOLE YEARS since a REAL monster movie that didn't have SLAPSTICK COMEDIANS in it? (By my count, the previous one was, well, this thing.) Granted, there'd been some science-fiction scares - The Thing had been released earlier that year, and that's CERTAINLY a monster picture - but we're talkin' gothic-type horrors here. It's unfortunate that Siodmak decided to go the Cat People way (is he or ain't he a monster?) rather than the full-on Wolf Man treatment, though. P.S. I forgot to mention Tom Conway embarrasses himself by playing the jungle doctor who also has the hots for Barbara. Edited by Laughing Gravy, Mar 31 2016, 06:40 AM.
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| "I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley | |
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| AndyFish | Apr 14 2010, 05:27 PM Post #2 |
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Movie Watcha Foist Class
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This is one of those movies that makes me feel like I have a heavy fever and I'm getting delirious as I'm trying to follow the plot. Too bad too, it's no White Gorilla but definitely a missed chance here. |
| www.andytfish.com | |
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| Laughing Gravy | Mar 30 2016, 08:52 PM Post #3 |
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Yes, time, believe it or not, to revive THIS little gem for Shock Theatre. Enjoy, Balconeers! |
| "I'm glad that this question came up, because there are so many ways to answer it that one of them is bound to be right." - Robert Benchley | |
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| rodney | Mar 31 2016, 04:02 AM Post #4 |
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Charter Member
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As I recall, Payton actually turned down Mighty Joe Young because she didn't want to appear in a movie with a gorilla. In two short years, obviously needing money for booze (and whatever else), she got together with a couple of other drunks and made this thing. |
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| The Batman | Mar 31 2016, 06:38 AM Post #5 |
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Charter Member
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Another in a long line of smart career choices for Ms. Payton. |
| Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman! | |
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| Stony Brooke da Mesquiteer | Mar 31 2016, 08:36 AM Post #6 |
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Sapient Balconeer
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I own this and I've watched it and can't recall a damn thing about it (no, I don't drink when I watch movies) so it left no impression whatsoever. |
| It's like Rodney King used to say, "Can't we all get a bong." | |
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| The Batman | Mar 31 2016, 10:15 AM Post #7 |
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Charter Member
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I own it and have watched it, too. I don't recall much, but according to my IMDb rating, I gave it a 6/10. So I must have been drinking when I watched it. |
| Always be yourself! Unless you can be Batman...then always be Batman! | |
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