In 1939, when monsters lurked in every shadow, three brothers in gorilla suits turned fear into farce, birthing a subgenre that still tickles the spine.

 

Long before Scream or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, horror comedy found its chaotic footing in The Gorilla (1939), a riotous romp that mashes slapstick with suspense. Directed by the versatile Allan Dwan for 20th Century Fox, this 66-minute gem adapts a 1920s stage play into a whirlwind of mistaken identities, lurking primates, and Bela Lugosi’s patented glare. Starring the irrepressible Ritz Brothers alongside horror luminaries like Lionel Atwill and Patsy Kelly, the film captures a pivotal moment when Hollywood experimented with blending terror and laughs to lure Depression-era audiences.

 

  • The Ritz Brothers’ anarchic energy transforms a creaky murder mystery into a benchmark for horror-comedy hybrids, influencing decades of genre mash-ups.
  • Bela Lugosi and Lionel Atwill deliver straight-faced villainy that amplifies the comedic absurdity, showcasing the era’s star power in unlikely roles.
  • Through primitive gorilla suits and shadowy sets, The Gorilla evolves the monster trope from outright fright to playful parody, paving the way for modern fright-fests.

 

Unchained Laughter: The Gorilla (1939) and the Dawn of Screwball Scares

The Maniacal Setup: A Plot Packed with Pranks and Peril

At the heart of The Gorilla lies a feverish narrative that kicks off in the opulent Blackwater mansion, where tycoon Walter Blackwater (Lionel Atwill) receives a chilling ultimatum: pay a million dollars or face death at midnight from a masked killer known only as ‘The Gorilla’. Enter the Ritz Brothers – Jimmy, Harry, and Al – as bumbling detectives hired for protection, their arrival heralding instant mayhem. The trio’s antics escalate as they dodge suspicious butlers, flirt with the maid (Patsy Kelly), and grapple with Blackwater’s niece and her suitor, all while Bela Lugosi’s shifty Peterson lurks with malevolent intent.

The plot thickens with a series of red herrings: exploding cigars, trapdoors, and a genuine gorilla (portrayed by bodybuilder Joe Bonomo) unleashed from a sideshow. As the clock ticks toward doom, identities blur in a frenzy of disguises. The brothers don gorilla suits themselves, leading to hallucinatory chases through hidden passages. Atwill’s Blackwater remains unflappably aristocratic amid the bedlam, his performance a anchor of dry wit. Lugosi, meanwhile, simmers with restrained fury, his piercing eyes hinting at deeper treachery. The resolution ties up in a explosive finale, revealing the killer in a twist that prioritises punchlines over plausibility.

This synopsis reveals not just a comedy vehicle but a clever subversion of the old dark house genre, popularised by plays like The Cat and the Canary. Dwan’s adaptation amps up the physicality, turning static stage gags into kinetic cinema. Key crew like cinematographer Edward Cronjager employ low-angle shots to exaggerate the brothers’ clumsiness, while art director Richard Day crafts a mansion brimming with gothic flourishes – creaking stairs, flickering candles – that nod to Universal’s horror cycle.

Slapstick Shadows: Forging the Comedy-Horror Alloy

The Gorilla arrives at a crossroads in Hollywood history, post-Code and pre-war, when studios sought escapist blends to counter grim realities. The Ritz Brothers, vaudeville veterans akin to the Marx Brothers, embody this shift. Their rubber-hose antics – pratfalls into vats, synchronized gorilla impressions – deflate tension masterfully. Yet the film never abandons horror’s pulse; Lugosi’s Peterson embodies dread, his Hungarian accent dripping menace during quiet interludes.

Consider the pivotal gorilla rampage scene: Bonomo’s hulking figure smashes through a window, silhouetted against moonlight, eliciting genuine gasps before the brothers’ counterattack devolves into a pie-flinging melee. This rhythm – build scare, shatter with silliness – defines the hybrid. Film historian William K. Everson notes how such films bridged silents’ Keystone Kops to sound-era sophistication, with The Gorilla standing as a blueprint. Its success spawned imitators like Hold That Ghost (1941), proving laughs could haunt.

Class dynamics simmer beneath the farce. Blackwater’s wealth insulates him from chaos the brothers embody – working-class immigrants crashing elite spaces. Patsy Kelly’s wisecracking maid bridges worlds, her rapid-fire quips skewering pretension. In a 1939 context, amid labour unrest, this resonates subtly, horror serving satire.

Gorilla in the Machine: Effects That Roar with Rustic Charm

Special effects in The Gorilla lean on practical ingenuity, far from today’s CGI. Joe Bonomo’s gorilla suit, a furry monstrosity with articulated jaw, relies on his gymnastic prowess for dynamism. No stop-motion or miniatures here; crashes are real, crashes choreographed by the brothers’ improvisations. Cronjager’s lighting casts elongated shadows, making the beast loom larger, a technique borrowed from German Expressionism.

One standout: the brothers’ triplicate gorilla disguise, achieved via matching suits and split-screen trickery precursors. Audiences roared at the absurdity, yet the film’s climax – a multi-gorilla melee – taps primal fear of the unknown beast. This low-tech approach influenced Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948), where monsters meet mirth sans sophistication.

Sound design amplifies impact. Tippett-like roars (pre-ILM) blend with pratfall slaps, creating auditory whiplash. Editor Arthur Roberts’ rapid cuts heighten frenzy, a far cry from languid horrors like Dracula (1931).

Lugosi’s Legacy: Villainy with a Vaudeville Wink

Bela Lugosi’s Peterson steals scenes, his cape swirling through fog-shrouded halls. Post-Dracula typecasting, he leans into parody, his threats comically overblown. Yet pathos lingers – a man clinging to menace amid farce. Atwill matches him, his Blackwater a Moriarty-esque schemer unruffled by idiocy.

The ensemble shines: Kelly’s brassy retorts ground the madness, her chemistry with the Ritzes electric. Jimmy Ritz’s deadpan contrasts Harry’s mugging, Al’s acrobatics – a trinity of terror-tamers.

Stage Fright to Silver Screen: Adaptation’s Wild Ride

Rooted in Ralph Spence’s 1925 play, The Gorilla evolves from Broadway’s 1920s fad for haunted house farces. Dwan’s version expands physical comedy, unfeasible on stage. Production faced Ritz Brothers’ reputation for chaos; rewrites accommodated their ad-libs, ballooning costs yet saving the film.

Censorship dodged gore for gags, aligning with Hays Code. Shot in 18 days, it exemplifies Fox’s B-picture efficiency.

Echoes in the Genre Jungle: Influence and Evolution

The Gorilla‘s DNA threads through horror-comedy. It prefigures Young Frankenstein (1974) in parodying monsters, influences Beetlejuice (1988) in domestic dread. Post-war, it inspired Universal’s monster mashes. Cult status grew via TV revivals, appreciated for prefiguring postmodern blends.

In broader evolution, it marks comedy’s infiltration of horror, from silents’ ghost chasers to Shaun of the Dead (2004). Themes of mistaken identity persist, questioning reality amid apocalypse.

Critics like Leonard Maltin hail its vigour, a antidote to stuffy horrors. Its neglect stems from slapstick bias, yet rediscovery reveals timeless appeal.

Behind the Furry Facade: Production Perils and Pearls

Financing hinged on Ritzes’ draw; Dwan wrangled their chaos, dubbing it "three hurricanes in tuxedos." Lugosi endured pranks, his professionalism shining. Location shots at Fox ranch added authenticity to beast hunts.

Legacy endures in home video, fan fests celebrating its joy. It reminds: horror thrives on surprise, laughter the sharpest blade.

Director in the Spotlight

Allan Dwan, born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in 1885 in Toronto, Canada, emerged as one of Hollywood’s most prolific auteurs, directing over 400 films across five decades. Migrating to the US as a child, he studied electrical engineering at the University of Notre Dame before stumbling into motion pictures in 1911 as a scriptwriter for Essanay Studios. By 1915, he helmed his first feature, David Harum, launching a career spanning silents to talkies.

Dwan’s golden era peaked in the 1920s-1940s at various studios, mastering Westerns, adventures, and comedies. Influences included D.W. Griffith’s epic scope and Mack Sennett’s kineticism, blended into his signature fluid camerawork and naturalistic lighting. He championed Technicolor, directing Sands of Iwo Jima (1949), earning John Wayne an Oscar nod.

Key filmography highlights: Robin Hood (1922), a swashbuckling silent epic with Douglas Fairbanks; The Iron Mask (1928), Fairbanks’ finale; She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), Ford-esque cavalry saga; Cattle Queen of Montana (1954) with Ronald Reagan; Slightly Scarlet (1956), lurid film noir; The River’s Edge (1957), tense thriller with Ray Milland. Dwan retired post-Most Dangerous Man Alive (1961), penning memoirs Allegedly (1971). Knighted informally as "the grand old man of the industry," he died in 1981, his versatility unmatched.

Actor in the Spotlight

Bela Lugosi, born Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó on 20 October 1882 in Lugoj, Romania, rose from Transylvanian stage to Hollywood immortality. Fleeing post-WWI turmoil, he arrived in New Orleans 1920, then New York, mastering English via theatre. Broadway’s Dracula (1927) catapulted him to stardom, leading to Universal’s 1931 film iconic.

Typecast as exotic villains, Lugosi navigated with dignity, blending menace and melancholy. Career highs included Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), White Zombie (1932) voodoo classic, Son of Frankenstein (1939). Struggles with morphine addiction and fading fame led to poverty-row pics, yet Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) revived him comically.

Notable filmography: Island of Lost Souls (1932), mad science chiller; The Black Cat (1934), Poe duel with Karloff; The Raven (1935); Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959), cult nadir; Gloria Holden in Daughter of Darkness (1947). No major awards, but AFI recognition. Died 16 August 1956, buried in Dracula cape per wish. Sonnet immortalised his tragic arc.

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