Product Details

• Actors: Ronald Reagan, Diana Lynn, Walter Slezak, Lucille Barkley, Jesse White
• Format: Black & White, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Universal Studios
• DVD Release Date: May 31, 2005
• Run Time: 83 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0007QJ1RU
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,603 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Bedtime for Bonzo" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available.
Genre: Feature Film-Comedy
Rating: NR
Release Date: 31-MAY-2005
Media Type: DVD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Monkey Love, October 27, 2003

By 

A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com "What should ... (Glen Ellyn, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Bedtime for Bonzo [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"Bedtime for Bonzo" is more than a B-movie built on schemes and pratfalls.

In a movie masked as a question of environment versus genetics, we are treated to a love story as gentle as a Disney flick, as innocent as "Leave It to Beaver" and as silly as a Martin and Lewis comedy.

The havoc is huge that Bonzo causes as he tramps across the screen, as Peter, a psychology professor (famously played by Ronald Reagan) follows in pursuit. The star chimpanzee leads Peter into chaos with Valerie. Peter thinks he intends to marry Valerie, and uses Bonzo to help prove his valor to her father.

In the process of convoluting a scheme to win the approval of Valerie's father, Peter hires a nanny to help with good Bonzo's parenting. Jane, the nanny, is willing but na've, and her childlike manner unexpectedly endears Peter who becomes confused about his commitment to Valerie.

Bonzo longs to please his neo-mother Jane, and swipes a hard-to-steal necklace from a jewelry store. This plants Peter in a pound of trouble, and furthers Valerie's father's ill-founded belief that his daughter's boyfriend is a ne'er-do-well professorial thug.

Will Peter's honesty and goodness shine through? Can he convince a non-human primate to make the right decision and return the stolen necklace? Will Valerie's father realize the error of his ideas? What about Peter and his confused heart?

The ending comes about predictably, but satisfyingly.

I fully recommend "Bedtime for Bonzo."

Anthony Trendl
editor, HungarianBookstore.com

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A B-Movie classic starring Ronald Reagan as well as Bonzo, June 5, 2001

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Bedtime for Bonzo [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Political opponents of Ronald Reagan always liked to refer to "Bedtime for Bonzo" as some sort of joke film, but it really is a solid B-movie. Reagan plays Peter Boyd, a professor of psychology whose father was a thief. To impress Dean Tillinghast (Herbert Heyes), not to mention the dean's daughter, Valerie (Lucille Barkley), Peter sets out to prove that environment is a more important factor than heredity. Towards this end he borrows Bonzo from a zoology professor (Walter Slezak) and takes the chimp home to raise him like a human. Peter even hires a nurse named Jane (Diana Lynn) to become Bonzo's "mother," and everything proceeds well for a while. Of course the dean's daughter gets jealous and Bonzo senses things are not going well for his happy home. Fascinated with pretty jewelry, Bonzo steals a valuable necklace from a store. Peter is accused of having trained the chimp to steal (heredity wills out as it were) and is jailed. Fortunately Jane and Bonzo are pretty much smarter than the rest of this crew put together and we have a happy ending.

Reagan's performance in this movie is solid, with just the right touch of conviction and exasperation as he deals with the upstaging chimp in scene after scene. Think about how hard it is to act with a chimp: look what Cheetah did to Johnny Weismueller. Walter Slezak as Professor Neumann is a great second banana in this film, but Reagan makes "Bedtime for Bonzo" work. He makes this whole crazy story believable and that is what you need in this type of film. Just think of all the people over the years who have watched this film to ridicule Reagan and who had to end up admitting this is an entertaining little film that deserves to be remembered no matter what happened to its leading actor (no, I am not talking about the chimp in "Bonzo Goes to College").

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Don't be misguided, this is a great little film !, April 29, 2007

By 

Chase Leon (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bedtime for Bonzo (DVD)

I have yet to play this film for any child who didn't thoroughly love it. (and most adults seem to fall for its charm as well)
The most ridiculous and unfair criticism seems to be "what's a US president doing in a film with a chimp ?"
Well, Ronald Reagan was an actor first...and Bedtime for Bonzo is truly one of his most endearing films. It's an utterly charming tale that makes for great family viewing. It's also one of those movies that they absolutely, positively CAN NOT make anymore. Today's family oriented films come across as so PC and sickly sweet, that they quickly become unwatchable.
Bedtime for Bonzo is not only highly watchable, it's extremely entertaining on every level it was intended to be. Reagan is perfect in the lead role, and he is greatly supported by a superb cast, including Diana Lynn and Walter Slezak. Of course, the true star of the film is Bonzo, and I must admit, he was wonderful.
If you are looking for a great family film that's entertaining for all, then I would highly suggest this one. To me, it's much better than practically anything Disney ever put out. Give it a try, and I'm certain you'll agree.