Now and then a badly made film is so incredibly inept that it becomes hilariously funny and attains cult movie status. But for the most part, badly made films are just bad plain and simple, and BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA is a case in point.
The story line is similar to the Crosby-Hope films of the 1940s. Two entertainers accidentally walk out of an airplane in flight and find themselves on a strange tropical island. How strange is it? Well, it's so strange that Bela Lugosi lives there, and he's trying to find a way to turn men into monkeys. One of the native girls is the banana of Lugosi's eye, and when she takes a fancy to one of the stranded song-and-dance men you can pretty much bet the guy is about to become a laboratory experiment.
The problem with the movie isn't so much the story as it is the actual script, which is dreadful, and the cast, which is worse. The lines are dumb rather than funny and the cast--most notably Sammy Petrillo in his tooth-gritting Jerry Lewis imitation--is abrasive rather than funny. Petrillo's partner in this crime is actor Duke Mitchell, who is equally tiresome as a low-rent imitation of Dean Martin. As for Bela Lugosi, he may get title billing, but there's not much to the role, and that may actually be for the best.
There are several DVD releases of this film, some with bonuses, some without, some good quality prints, some lousy. But to my mind it doesn't matter: no matter how you look at this thing, it's worth paying money so you DON'T have to watch it. A cult favorite? I don't know who gives it that accolade, but believe me when I say they can have it.
Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer
The story line is similar to the Crosby-Hope films of the 1940s. Two entertainers accidentally walk out of an airplane in flight and find themselves on a strange tropical island. How strange is it? Well, it's so strange that Bela Lugosi lives there, and he's trying to find a way to turn men into monkeys. One of the native girls is the banana of Lugosi's eye, and when she takes a fancy to one of the stranded song-and-dance men you can pretty much bet the guy is about to become a laboratory experiment.
The problem with the movie isn't so much the story as it is the actual script, which is dreadful, and the cast, which is worse. The lines are dumb rather than funny and the cast--most notably Sammy Petrillo in his tooth-gritting Jerry Lewis imitation--is abrasive rather than funny. Petrillo's partner in this crime is actor Duke Mitchell, who is equally tiresome as a low-rent imitation of Dean Martin. As for Bela Lugosi, he may get title billing, but there's not much to the role, and that may actually be for the best.
There are several DVD releases of this film, some with bonuses, some without, some good quality prints, some lousy. But to my mind it doesn't matter: no matter how you look at this thing, it's worth paying money so you DON'T have to watch it. A cult favorite? I don't know who gives it that accolade, but believe me when I say they can have it.
Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer