BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA (1952) - ♦

Directed by - William Beaudine

Written by - Tim Ryan, Leo 'Ukie' Sherin, Edmond Seward

Starring - Bela Lugosi, Duke Mitchell, Sammy Petrillo, Charlita, Muriel Landers

"Two goofy entertainers end up on an island where a mad scientist who resembles Bela Lugosi - played by Lugosi himself - lives. Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla regularly makes the list of worst films ever made. Nevertheless, its reputation is more responsible for giving this film more exposure than it deserves than anything else. 

The leading duo of the film is composed of Mitchell and Petrillo, who appear to be a blatant poor man's copycat version of Martin and Lewis with none of the talent. Even for a spoof, the set up is terribly conventional, the narrative extremely uninteresting and its sense of humour awfully unfunny. You could probably trace this film as an early precursor of numerous spoofs that American cinema would go on to deliver. 

It's also sad to note Bela Lugosi in its starring role. He is meant to be the film's big draw, as implied by the inclusion of his name in the title. In the end, however, it stands as a representation of Lugosi's shameful latter career, in which he traded a lot of credibility to feel his personal addictions and problems."

Comedy, USA