Customer Reviews

Bedtime for Bonzo

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4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"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

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").

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.

Bedtime for Bonzo is one of Ronald Reagan's best- known films. Originally released in 1951, Regan was only 39 years old when this film was shot. Reagan is the main star of the show, but part of the credit for the film's success also belongs to Bonzo, the chimpanzee that Reagan takes under his wing; adopting him temporarily for a psychology experiment and attempting to teach him the difference between good and bad.

Reagan's character in this film is a Psychology professor and the reason he raises Bonzo is to prove a point to the man who would later become his father in law. The man is Dean Tillinghast, and he is an associate professor at the same school. He discovers one day that Reagan's father was a convicted felon and he doesn't want the son of a criminal marrying his daughter because he is afraid the "bad" genes have been passed on and that Reagan will end up the same way. Reagan decides to conduct this experiment with Bonzo to prove a point that one's environment is the key to behavioral formation. He and actress Diane Lynn proceed to raise Bonzo and teach him right from wrong.

The plot of this film is a little bit cheesy and some of it is very far- fetched. Even if the experiment succeeds, why would a fellow professor accept the behavior pattern of a chimp as proof that it also applies to humans? Of course, one has to keep in mind that this film is meant to be primarily a comedy, so the director likely made it a little bit unreal on purpose, just to make it funnier.

Reagan, Herbert Heyes, and Walter Slezak are all pretty good in their respective roles. They seem at least believable in their personifications of the different characters. But the women in the movie seem a little bit too much like actresses. That is, they seem like people on a stage trying their best to act like normal people but not succeeding very well. They talk a little too fast and respond too quickly to questions, like they are being cued by a director.

Overall, this movie is ok, but it isn't very memorable for its story or acting. The main thing that makes this movie memorable is Ronald Reagan himself. Watching the future president of the United States playing surrogate father to a chimp is funny and ironic, and it makes "Bedtime for Bonzo" worth a look.

This is a great movie that the whole family can watch! I haven't laughed so much since....well, I can't remember when!
Reagan's performance is solid and all the acting is good including Bonzo's! Wouldn't it be great if all the movies coming out today were at least half as good as this one? No nudity, no profanity, just good, clean fun! I wholeheartedley recommend this one and you and your family will too! Enjoy!

Professor Peter Boyd (Ronald Reagan) is all set to marry the Dean's daughter until the Dean discovers that there is a history of crime in Boyd's family. Backed by the arguement that environment shapes behavior, Boyd argues for the hand of the woman he loves, but the Dean insists on proof. Boyd then borrows the University chimp named Bonzo and sets out to teach him to behave like a human, thus proving that behavior is learned. He hires a young girl (Diana Lynn) to behave as the "Mama" of the family unit and to coach Bonzo. Will the experiment work?

A cute and breezy comedy, Bedtime For Bonzo is best known for Reagan's appearance. He isn't a great actor, but he is adequate in his role and has some truly funny moments with the chimp. The script is rather trite; we know what will happen when it happens, but it is charming just the same. This is a great film to show kids to introduce them to black and white movies too because it lacks smut.

I believe I saw this movie many years ago when it wasfirst shown in theatres, but never again until July, 2005. If only to see the very intelligent antics of Bonzo, would have been wellworth buying the video, but to see one of President Ronald Reagan's movies and to enjoy the acting once again of Diana Lynn, whom I (along with many other mothers of the 1950's) named my daughter after, was a joy. I never missed a soap she was in when we got our first television when we got married in 1952.

When he was president, he was mocked for making this movie. Easy to do because the title sounds so ridiculous. Those who mocked him probably never viewed the film or viewed it objectively. Anyone other than Reagan, and it would not be the object of such criticism.

It takes skill for an actor to work with an animal in a film, especially one who steals a scene as easily as Bonzo. Ronald Reagan was very professional in tackling that difficult assignment, and gives a very believable performance. I would rate it in his top ten films.

A very good example of a successful "B" movie, the lower budget money-makers that studios thrived on before television killed that part of the industry.

This is a hilarious classic film! My wife and I almost fell off of the couch laughing at this movie! If you want to watch a great family movie (getting harder and harder to find), this is it!

Bedtime for Bonzo, 1951 film

The story begins with a fire truck going to Sheridan College. (Anyone recognize the building?) Can a psychologist rescue the threatened jumper? Will he be saved? Will Gestalt therapy work? We learn about Professor Peter Boyd's past. Does an environment affect a person's future? Or is it heredity? [Does this refute Darwinian theory?] Boyd tells the Dean what he can do with his theory! Can Bonzo be fed? What about his environment at home? A housekeeper applies for the job, she has experience. There is comedy in the dialogue. Boyd wants to prove environment is more important than heredity. He tells a story to his fiancé. And another in a grocery store! We see Bonzo's table manners. And so life goes on. Bonzo can open a door. Will he be a good boy? He plays with a vacuum cleaner.

Bonzo knows how to climb a tree. His activity attracts attention. "There is a very simple explanation for this." More comic situations follow. Will the experiment be over now? Sacrifices for science? Sheridan College plans to sell Bonzo to Yale for "medical research". [What about emotional bonds?] Bonzo the Cowboy has a toy pistol. Peter Boyd plans to give a three-month bonus to Jane. [What will he do to airline controllers?] Bonzo rides his tricycle into town. Can he climb tall buildings? Will he cause trouble? Can Jane help? "Going somewhere?" Boyd is in big trouble now! "That's the truth too." The D.A. has an explanation for this. Jane returns to help solve the problem. "I feel sorry for you." The D.A. questions the three. Will Bonzo return the shiny item to solve the crime and clear Professor Boyd? Bonzo acted to help those who loved him. This experiment makes Sheridan College famous. There is a happy ending for all. [Was this story a parody of "Tarzan"?]

This comedy asks a philosophical question about heredity versus environment. Heredity usually involves environment or shared background. Who you know can be more important than what you know. Can someone from a background of poverty become successful? Yes, and those from a wealthy background are often exposed as swindlers. The Pecora Investigation revealed how upper-class bankers swindled millions of Americans and caused the Great Depression. New Deal financial reforms were passed to prevent this. Starting around 1978 these laws were slowly demolished. The 1986 Income Tax Law created a flatter tax that was less progressive. The unchaining of Wall Street Gangsters led to the High-Tech Stock swindles of the late 1990s and then the Collateralized Mortgage Obligations that swindled millions more in 2000s. This created a new Great Depression that now plagues our country and the world. Where is a Popular Democratic party to act for the average people of America? Divided we fall.