QUICKIE: Hard to figure out who the real gorilla is: the detectives, the butler, the father, or the monkey. They all act beastly. heehee
PLOT: When a wealthy man (Atwill) is threatened by a killer known as The Gorilla, he hires the bumbling Acme detectives (the Ritz Brothers) to investigate. A real escaped gorilla shows up at the mansion just as the investigators arrive.
Patsy Kelly is fantastic as the maid with attitude, and Bela Lugosi has everyone suspecting he's the killer because he's the creepy butler.
SUMMARY: Hardly a Horror film, more of a comedy. A good film with the Ritz Brothers playing stupid slapstick detectives. It's your typical wealthy manor with secret passages and the wealthy father whose life is in danger, the beautiful daughter love interest who gets kidnapped, the hero fiance, and the secret G-man detective hanging around. The story is the same old, same old, "wealthy mans' life is threatened", but it's funny with the slapstick of the Ritz bros, the frenzy of the maid, and the over-the-top creepiness that Bela Lugosi really has fun with. An entertaining film.
The Gorilla ~ 1939 -BW
The Vampire Bat ~ 1933 -BW
QUICKIE: People are dying by what appears to be a vampire but is actually the local Dr. (again).
PLOT: (from IMDB) When the villagers of Klineschloss start dying of blood loss, the town fathers suspect a resurgence of vampirism. While police inspector Karl remains skeptical, scientist Dr. von Niemann (Lionel Atwill) cares for the vampire's victims one by one, and suspicion falls on simple-minded Herman Gleib (Dwight Frye) because of his fondness for bats. A blood-thirsty mob hounds Gleib to his death, but the vampire attacks don't stop.
SUMMARY: Oh! There's a "burgermeister" in town! Which is just a German mayor/police chief. They always look like Burl Ives on a very bad hair day. They make me laugh just by showing up on screen. There's also a local mental case which everyone suspects is the vampire, at least until they drive him into a cave and kill him. But that doesn't stop the blood draining deaths.
It's actually the Dr. who has created a machine to drain people's blood while mocking the local superstitions of vampirism. Apparently he's got a heart in an aquarium and discovered that by pumping blood into it he can keep it alive. I guess the thought of a transplant never entered his mind. No, it's enough to keep it beating freestyle in an aquarium forever. Eventually he's discovered to be the mad murderer and he's killed.
I was disappointed it wasn't an actual vampire movie, but rather a giant mockery of one. A decent story just the same. & we all love Fay Wray. A very suspensfull and a bit shocking scene when everyone figures out that the town murdered simple minded Herman by driving a stake through his heart. "Karl" insists that a decent burial is the least that could be done for him now that they know he's not a vampire. OH! What a sick town!
The Wrong Road ~ 1937 -BW
QUICKIE: Instead of getting a job, a couple of spoiled brats steal $100,000, do jail time then spend the rest of the movie trying to recover the hidden loot while evading various people who are trying to get the money from them.
PLOT: (from IMDB) A young married couple whose plans for their life together haven't turned out as expected decide to rob the bank where the husband works of $100,000, then hide the money in a safe place and return for it after they serve out their sentences. All goes according to plan until they get out of prison, when they find that they're being trailed by an insurance investigator and the husband's old cellmate, who has decided that he wants a cut of the money.
SUMMARY: Seriously, what kind of morality are they pushing when a couple of college kids think it's better to steal money than to work hard? More than once they say they "earned" the money by serving their time in jail. What? If that kind of convoluted logic was true, then jails would be bulging at the seams.
There's some awesome dialogue like: "Every salesman is a pinhead." (pointing to map). And the usual sexist crap. The insurance investegator plays dirty trying to get Betty to reveal where the money is stashed by playing to her vanity:
Roberts: Have you taken a good look in the mirror lately?
Betty: Why, yes. Why?
Roberts: That money's doin' things to ya. It's beginin to show in your faces. (lightly touches around Betty's eyes) Little hard lines that weren't there before. Bitternesses. Go on, take a good look.
Betty: Why you'd be surprised what a few facials would do.
Roberts: If you were to spend all of that money on facials. It wouldn't clean you up inside. That's the idea, it's doing things to you.
Anyway, this movie embodies everything I love about these old movies. The story is a huge departure from reality. The kids have this stupid innocence that even becoming a crook and serving 2 years in the penitentiary can't destroy. The investigator tailing them cuts them breaks because he "believes in their underlying goodness". Totaly hokey. There's always tough thugs, a shoot out, a car chase, an elderly couple who live to feed strangers, and the always happy, sappy ending. In fact, the dialogue at the end of this movie had me laughing so hard I could hardly wait to type it up here:
Betty: Why even if we get away we'll be hunted. We'll never know a moment of real peace. We'll always be on the run. Aw Jimmy, I don't wanna be on the run, I wanna stand still. I wanna marry you and stop running. Aw Jimmy let's stand still. Let's go back and give the money to Roberts and laugh again.
Jimmy: (nods head)
(the couple laugh with glee and embrace)
Roberts: well here I am and you kids can start laughing right now. (To Betty) better than a facial huh?
Betty: (laughs)
Jimmy: Here's the money Mr. Roberts
Roberts: Thanks Jimmy
Jimmy: Don't thank me I've never been so glad to get rid of anything in my life.
Roberts: I'm glad to get the money back of course, but that's not why I thanked you. You see, I've always believed in you kids from the very start and you lived up to my belief. That's why I said thanks.
Betty: Thank you for believing in us.
Jimmy: You know the reason we took that money is because we didn't believe in ourselves. But no more, we're all thru with short cuts, they're too tough.
Betty: From now on we'll earn our happiness
Jimmy: Together?
Betty: Always.
music
awwwww. I loled.
