Product Details

• Actors: Bela Lugosi
• Directors: Unkn
• Format: Full Screen, NTSC
• Region: All Regions
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: Digiview Productions
• DVD Release Date: April 4, 2004
• Run Time: 74 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0006JLPNG
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #181,005 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Bela Lugosi meets Martin and Lewis, sort of., October 29, 2003

By 

Robert S. Clay Jr. (St. Louis, MO., USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (DVD)

This little movie isn't as bad as the title and cast might suggest. Duke Mitchell is no Dean Martin, but Sammy Petrillo does a credible imitation of a young Jerry Lewis. Whether Petrillo's performance is satire or just a blatant rip-off is up to the viewer. The humor is simple-minded, but occasionally hilarious. Charlita (as if anyone recognizes the name) does a passable imitation of Dorothy Lamour in revealing (for 1952) South Sea togs. Bela Lugosi with a twinkle in his eye spoofs his own horror movie character as Dr. Zabor. This flick was made a year or so before Bela fell into the clutches of the infamous Ed Wood. Sadly, it emphasizes Bela's troubled downward spiral career path. Veteran low budget director William Beaudine competently puts the cast through the paces. Artistically (to use an unlikely term), the flick is on the same level as Beaudine's Bowery Boys movies. Filmed in glorious B&W, the low cost DVD edition features a clear transfer and acceptable audio. It's harmless "G" rated fun. From here on, you are on your own. ;-)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars *** 5 STARS FOR CHEETA!!!! ***, March 29, 2005

By 

boomerhead "a reviewer" (East Coast, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (DVD)

My friend brought this DVD over for me to watch, saying it was a hoot. He was right. But beyond the pale specters of Martin & Lewis imitators and Bela, we both noticed something else that really stood out.

"That chimp is the best actor in the flick!"

The chimp performed complex comic actions, room-to-room walkthrus, and used perfect timing. Much of it in long, uncut sequences. The chimp never missed a beat and always "hit his mark.' Let me tell you, I almost thought it was an human in a suit, if not an inserted, contemporary CGI character.

But nope, it was a real chimp - none other than CHEETA, of Tarzan movie fame (portraying "in drag" as "Ramona" - like Lassie did, I guess, and billed with a screen alias - maybe it was a legal thing).

And get this - Cheeta is ALIVE and turns 74 this year. He's the oldest chimp on record and mentioned for it in Guinesses. Moveover, he's happily living in Palm Springs at the Cheeta Primate Sanctuary, Inc, with the nephew of his original trainer! He watches TV, looks thru National Geographic and paints pictures (not a bad retirement at all)! So, if you enjoyed watching this primate star over the years as much as I have, visit him and the retired primate santuary at www.cheetathechimp.com - consider sending a donation to a worthy cause!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3 stars for B-movie fans, otherwise 2 stars. (The print gets 5 stars!), June 24, 2005

By 

Scott MacGillivray (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bela Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla [Slim Case] (DVD)

Don't be fooled by the stupid title. This is an amusing, efficient B comedy of 1952 starring the young nightclub comedians Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo. If you like Martin & Lewis, The Bowery Boys, or Abbott & Costello, you've come to the right place, because the stars impersonate Martin & Lewis; the director, writers, and leading lady were moonlighting from the Bowery Boys series; and the cameraman and editor worked on Abbott & Costello pictures. This silly jungle comedy is no worse (and sometimes better) than a 1950s effort from those higher-budgeted comedians.

The 69-year-old Bela Lugosi is an excellent comic foil, and even plays romantic scenes persuasively. The playful Petrillo improvises to confound Lugosi, but Lugosi -- ever the professional -- never loses command of the scene. The crew gets the maximum value from the budget, with good photography and musical score, and here's a small mark of authenticity, as jungle movies go: "Ramona the Chimp" is really Cheetah of the Tarzan series.

This DVD edition is an extraordinary value for the dollar (literally). Picture and sound quality compare favorably to the premium laserdisc editions; the Realart logo is missing from this disc, but everything else is here.