The Gorilla
A Ritz is afraid of nothing ... but ... THIS ... IS ... SOMETHING!
1939 | 68m | English
Popularity: 1 (history)
| Director: | Allan Dwan |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Sid Silvers, Rian James |
| Staring: |
| When an escaped circus gorilla appears to have gone on a murderous rampage, a threatened attorney calls on the detective trio of Garrity, Harrigan and Mullivan to act as bodyguards. In short order, we discover that there is more to the attorney than meets the eye, and the ape may be innocent after all. When a pretty young heiress faces peril, it's up to our heroic trio to save the day. | |
| Release Date: | May 26, 1939 |
|---|---|
| Director: | Allan Dwan |
| Writer: | Sid Silvers, Rian James |
| Genres: | Comedy, Crime, Mystery |
| Keywords | gorilla, detective, slapstick comedy, mansion, ape, private detective, ape man, comedy troupe |
| Production Companies | 20th Century Fox |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Aug 03, 2024 (Update) Entered: Apr 15, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Jimmy Ritz | Garrity - a Ritz Brother |
| Harry Ritz | Harrigan - a Ritz Brother |
| Al Ritz | Mulligan - a Ritz Brother |
| Anita Louise | Norma Denby |
| Patsy Kelly | Kitty - the Maid |
| Lionel Atwill | Walter Stevens |
| Bela Lugosi | Peters - the Butler |
| Joseph Calleia | Stranger |
| Edward Norris | Jack Marsden |
| Wally Vernon | Seaman |
| Paul Harvey | A.P. Conway |
| Art Miles | Poe the Gorilla |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| Allan Dwan | Director |
| Sid Silvers | Screenplay |
| Darryl F. Zanuck | Executive In Charge Of Production |
| Edward Cronjager | Director of Photography |
| Allen McNeil | Editor |
| Alfred Newman | Music |
| Ralph Spence | Theatre Play |
| Rian James | Screenplay |
| Richard Day | Art Direction |
| Lewis H. Creber | Art Direction |
| Thomas Little | Set Decoration |
| George Leverett | Sound |
| Roger Heman Sr. | Sound |
| David Buttolph | Music Director, Music |
| Gwen Wakeling | Costume Designer |
| Perc Westmore | Makeup Artist |
| Cyril J. Mockridge | Music |
| David Raksin | Music |
| Aaron Rosenberg | Assistant Director |
| Name | Title |
|---|---|
| Harry Joe Brown | Associate Producer |
| Organization | Category | Person |
|---|
Popularity History
| Year | Month | Avg | Max | Min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 4 | 6 | 11 | 3 |
| 2024 | 5 | 8 | 20 | 3 |
| 2024 | 6 | 5 | 12 | 1 |
| 2024 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 2 |
| 2024 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 3 |
| 2024 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 2 |
| 2024 | 10 | 5 | 13 | 2 |
| 2024 | 11 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| 2024 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 | 4 | 10 | 2 |
| 2025 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 1 |
| 2025 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| 2025 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Trending Position
Lionel Atwill is the wealthy "Walter Stephens" whose life has been threatened by the sinister "Gorilla". To thwart this, he engages the services of the "Defective Detectives" (Jimmy, Harry & Al Ritz) and what ensues is a slapstick horror movie with a man in a gorilla suit (or, could it be an actual ... ape?) and some pretty corny set piece comedy sketches strung together around Atwill and a rather under-used Bela Lugosi ("Peters"). Much of the plot is just gibberish, but the detectives have a good time, and that brings a limited amount of charm as they haplessly go about their deducing - and it isn't horrible to watch, but it's pretty cringe-making at times and 80 years after it was made is nigh on unwatchable for anything other than a kindly nod to pre-war comic cinema.