The Gorilla
A Ritz is afraid of nothing ... but ... THIS ... IS ... SOMETHING!
1939 | 68m | English
Popularity: 0.4 (history)
| Director: | Allan Dwan |
|---|---|
| Writer: | Rian James, Sid Silvers |
| 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: | Rian James, Sid Silvers |
| Genres: | Comedy, Horror, Mystery |
| Keywords | gorilla, detective, radio, slapstick comedy, mansion, maid, ape, old dark house, disguise, heiress, private detective, ape man, screaming, death threat, comedy troupe, gothic mansion, comedy mystery, sinister butler |
| Production Companies | 20th Century Fox |
| Box Office |
Revenue: $0
Budget: $0 |
| Updates |
Updated: Jan 28, 2026 Entered: Apr 15, 2024 |
| Name | Character |
|---|---|
| Jimmy Ritz | Garrity |
| Harry Ritz | Harrigan |
| Al Ritz | Mulligan |
| Anita Louise | Norma Denby |
| Patsy Kelly | Kitty |
| Lionel Atwill | Walter Stevens |
| Bela Lugosi | Peters |
| Joseph Calleia | Stranger |
| Edward Norris | Jack Marsden |
| Wally Vernon | Seaman |
| Paul Harvey | Conway |
| Art Miles | The Gorilla |
| Name | Job |
|---|---|
| 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, Music Director |
| Gwen Wakeling | Costume Designer |
| Perc Westmore | Makeup Artist |
| Cyril J. Mockridge | Music |
| Aaron Rosenberg | Assistant Director |
| 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 |
| David Raksin | Music |
| 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 |
| 2025 | 10 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 2 |
| 2025 | 12 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| 2026 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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.