MONDAYS WITH MILTON: BOY MEETS GHOUL

FRIDAYS WITH FRIGHTENSTEIN: GRONK THE SEA MONSTER

BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA (1952)

RATING: *** out of ****

PLOT: (What plot?!) Two entertainers (Duke Mitchell and Jerry Lewis… er, I mean Sammy Petrillo) en route to perform at an overseas army base accidentally go out the wrong door of the plane (with parachutes already on, they explain), and we join them as they are discovered by a quite Caucasian-looking tribe on the island below. The chief’s daughter Nona (Charlita) is American-schooled and absolutely gorgeous. She goes gaga for Duke. Her sister Saloma (Muriel Landers) is obese and impulsive… and absolutely determined, as the trailer states, to “put the whammy on Sammy!” Meanwhile, Bela Lugosi plays Dr. Zabor, another in a long line of mad scientist roles. He also wants the gorgeous Nona… and he wants to put a human’s brain in an ape’s head (don’t all mad scientists?). Can Sammy save Duke from Bela’s monkey business, or will the Brooklyn chumps become island chimps? And will this “horror film stiffen you with laughter” as the poster promises?

REVIEW: Of all the films covered in this “Scared Silly” project, even among horror-comedy aficionados this is one of dubious merits. So much so that I must offer this disclaimer: proceed at your own risk!

In fact, I need to fortify the above: this movie is considered by the majority of movie critics to not only be among the worst movies ever made, but in a select group of the four or five worst ever.

So why have I rated it so highly?

The answer: Sammy Petrillo. For the uninitiated, in this film Sammy Petrillo isn’t just inspired by Jerry Lewis; he practically IS Jerry Lewis! His performance is so audacious that I can’t tear my eyes away – it’s that compelling.

And fascinating, as in any given scene you can see Petrillo’s mind at work, pondering “What would Jerry do or say in this situation?” You literally see Sammy come up with the punch lines (such as they are) on the spot.

If I were to forget the above and just grade it on its merits as a movie, then I'd subtract half a star. But Sammy really puts this over for me.

Another reason I’m so fond of the film is that I really have to be in the mood to watch a Jerry Lewis movie; but Sammy’s outrageous pilfering amuses me anytime.

So is he funny? Is the film funny? Not in and of itself. The humor isn’t in the jokes or situations. For me, the humor is in the fact that this kid is shamelessly and fearlessly throwing himself into someone else’s shoes (although strangely, I think Sammy's random, snarky insults – like calling Saloma Salami – might actually appeal to today's young audiences).

I think the key word here is shameless. Petrillo began his act at 16 and made this film at 17. It is likely that in his youthful exuberance he never thought his Lewis shtick was a colossal rip-off worthy of lawsuits from Jerry. For me, it is this assumed naiveté that makes Sammy’s performance that much more engaging.

Of course, it resonates even more because Sammy is paired here with Duke Mitchell. An okay crooner with Italian features, Mitchell was told to cut his hair like Dean Martin. By himself he wouldn’t be mistaken for Martin, but standing next to Petrillo’s ersatz Jerry, the effect is complete.

Duke is likable enough, although the script doesn't require much from his character so there’s not much happening in his performance – when not reprimanding Sammy or feeding him straight lines he’s just sort of “there” waiting for his next cue to sing and/or look befuddled.

He’s also the victim of this low, low budget film’s worst aesthetic choice: he wears a shirt tied off at the waist for most of the movie. I grew up in the 1970s when only girls wore their shirts that way. I can’t vouch for the 1950s, but I’m guessing Duke never lived down this unfortunate wardrobe selection, even then. Which would more than explain his macho-with-a-vengeance “Massacre Mafia Style” movie 26 years later.

Duke did manage to have a successful post-Brooklyn Gorilla nightclub career as a singer, honing his craft to the point that he was reportedly (according to members of his family as well as cartoon voice-over legend Janet Waldo) one of the singers (along with Leo DeLyon and Henry Corden) called in a time or two to provide singing voices for Fred and/or Barney on "The Flintstones."

For Sammy, It all started with a cheap haircut. When the barber told Sammy he looked like Jerry Lewis, Petrillo started acting like Jerry to see if he could get the same laughs. Before you know it, Milton Berle arranged for Sammy to meet with Lewis, and Lewis hired Sammy to play “baby Jerry” in a sketch for the Colgate Comedy Hour. He also signed Petrillo to a contract that kept him from taking on other roles! Since Petrillo was a minor, his father was able to get him released from Jerry’s contract. Petrillo went on to do a nightclub comedy act as both a solo performer and teamed with George DeWitt (emcee of radio’s “Name That Tune”), mostly doing impersonations of all sorts of celebrities and cartoon characters, including Jerry. He teamed with Duke Mitchell in 1951.

Sammy made no bones about his infamy, which was kind of refreshing – he knew it was a million-in-one lark and the timing of a lifetime and said, “what the heck – what will happen if I exploit it?” In his later years, Sammy had a lot of fun with his image as a felonious thespian – just check out this “message to Jerry” where Sammy feigns indignity over Jerry’s “theft” of his act!



The supporting cast is made up of folks who would forever be “typecast” in similar roles, often uncredited and playing characters with no names. Witness:

Charlita, the beautiful actress who played the chief’s daughter Nona, spent her career doing guest shots in TV shows and movies (most of which were Westerns) primarily playing Latina characters, native girls, singers, waitresses, Native Americans and even an Asian. Along the way she engaged in some horseplay with the Bowery Boys in “Let’s Go Navy” and also had a part in the unintentionally funny horror-western (and train… er… stage coach wreck) “Billy the Kid vs. Dracula.”

Nona’s sister Saloma, is played by Muriel Landers. Landers was actually quite a talented comedienne and singer, and not unattractive, but because of her full figure, she was forever typed as the “homely girl chasing the hapless male” (aka the “abhorrent admirer”). However, she did get to make a short at the Stooges’ home studio Columbia, had a credited/named role in “Dr. Doolittle” and her second-to-last credit was playing Mommy Hoodoo on an episode of Sid & Marty Krofft’s “Lidsville.”

Al Kihume played Chief Rakos... and a plethora of similar Native roles in westerns and serials. He was also often cast as policemen and due to his heritage, Hawaiians. Most notably, he played several different roles in various Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto mysteries, and appeared in the comic-based serials “The Adventures of Captain Marvel” and “Mandrake the Magician,” which provided him the marquee role of Mandrake’s assistant Lothar.

Mickey Simpson made a career out of playing bouncers, guards and thugs. One could say his role as the chief’s right-hand man Chula combined all of the above. While often stuck in low-budget productions, Simpson had an alternate, classier outlet: he was a favorite of legendary director John Ford, who gave him meaty roles in “My Darling Clementine,” and “Giant,” plus seven other films.

(There are a couple of other co-stars here that found themselves typecast, but I’m saving them for the “SPOTTED IN THE CAST” section, so keep reading)…

Of course, Bela is here as well, and to the producers, he’s the most exploitable element in the movie, the insurance that brings people in no matter how confused they are over the Jerry-alike on the movie poster. Alas, this is Bela five years after “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein” but looking twenty years older. Still, Lugosi proves that he still has some life left, rattling off an absurd speech about apes, evolution and embryonic metamorphosis with pure conviction, making us believe every word - a foreshadow of his later, famous Atomic Supermen speech from 1955's “Bride of the Monster.”



As expected Bela supplies the main menace here – the gorillas are just too absurd to actually be scary (except maybe to little kids). But the scariest factor here has to be the use of that old standby of the creepy old man infatuated with a girl 50 years his junior!

While this film clearly marks a turning point from which Lugosi’s career would never recover (the Ed Wood films were just ahead) he does his best with the woefully-written role, and his standing as the leading horror-comedy fiend remains intact. One could argue it would have to since Bela made more horror-comedies than any other boogeyman (ten in all). But it is Bela’s ability to remain a rock-steady sinister presence amidst the comic mayhem surrounding him that truly makes him king of the creeps.

I should also note Tim Ryan. The actor-writer co-wrote this screenplay, and had a hand in several other horror-comedies including “Crazy Knights” with Shemp Howard, Billy Gilbert and “Slapsie” Maxie Rosenblum;” and “Spook Busters” with the Bowery Boys.

Though it’s unlikely the filmmakers intended it, the film comes off as a bit of a send-up of the low-budget horrors that Lugosi made for Monogram Studios. After all, mad scientists and simians figured heavily in Lugosi’s “poverty row” potboilers. It also manages to lampoon the whole horror-comedy genre in general – let’s face it, the basic situation that sets up the plot could have easily kicked off an Abbott & Costello monster-fest, let alone a Martin & Lewis pic. If you approach it as a cracked mirror reflection of the great horror-comedies that preceded it, you may find much to interest you in this film. But if you just can’t get past Sammy Petrillo, my three stars are going to dwindle down to one fast for you. Maybe even disappear completely!

POSTSCRIPT: I had the pleasure of meeting Sammy Petrillo a couple of years ago and he graciously filled me in on his show business exploits. My encounter with Sammy was detailed in a guest-post I did for Aaron Neathery’s wonderful “Third Banana” blog when Sammy passed away this summer. You can read it by clicking here.

BEST DIALOGUE EXCHANGES:

NONA: “Dr. Zabor’s a very brilliant man.”
SAMMY: “Brilliant man, huh? Anybody who would live in a creep joint like this must be a moronic idiot.”
DR. ZABOR (entering the room): “I’m Dr. Zabor. Welcome to my creep joint.”
SAMMY: Oh gosh, I’m sorry Mr. Idiot – I didn’t mean to call your creep joint a creep joint!”

BEST GAGS: Nothing can top the fact that the whole film is one big gag - namely being a shameless Martin & Lewis ripoff. Otherwise the sight gags here are mild at best. When Duke & Sammy are found by the natives they have long, shaggy beards like the Smith Brothers (of cough drop fame) signifying that they've been passed out for quite some time. When being chased by Saloma, Sammy implores the animals of the jungle to "run for your lives" - and herds of all sorts of jungle creatures do just that, courtesy of stock footage. Sammy pretends to be the top head on the totem pole making a garish face as he attempts to avoid Saloma. Beyond that, Sammy gets into some monkeyshines with Ramona the chimp and later the gorilla version of Duke.

SPOTTED IN THE CAST: Two actors to make you go ape.

First, Steve Calvert cavorting in a gorilla suit he purchased from another famous simian thespian, Ray “Crash” Corrigan. Calvert also played gorillas in a few other horror-comedies including the Stooges short' "Spooks," the Joe Besser short "Fraidy Cat" and the feature, "The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters." He also appeared along in stock footage as an ape in Besser's "Hook a Crook" (which also utilized stock footage of Corrigan as an ape along with new footage of Dan "Hoss from Bonanza" Blocker for triple the simian fun)!

Then there’s Ramona the Chimp. There’s some conflicting information about the chimp who played Ramona, but popular legend has it that the chimp was one of the Cheeta the chimp portrayers of Tarzan fame, and that this same chimp was reunited with Muriel Landers in “Doctor Doolittle.”

BUY THE FILM (OR WATCH IT FOR FREE): This film is in the public domain, so you can find all sorts of dealers offering it at bargain prices. Both Digiview (SRP $0.99) and Alpha (SRP $3.95) have produced DVDs of the film from decent transfers, while Image’s special edition at $9.99 is notable for its clean print and the fact that it includes a filmed interview with Sammy Petrillo, which you can order here:



You can also watch it for FREE online at Blip TV by clicking here.

FURTHER READING: David H. Smith wrote a fabulous essay on “Brooklyn Gorilla” for the book MIDNIGHT MARQUEE ACTORS SERIES: BELA LUGOSI that not only reviews the film but touches on Lugosi’s entire horror-comedy career as well. You can order it here.

You’ll also want to read a great interview that radio DJ Dave the Spaz did with Sammy over here and film historian Tom Weaver’s interview with producer Herman Cohen here.

Watch the trailer here:



JOIN US AGAIN NEXT WEEK WHEN BELA LUGOSI MEETS HUGH HERBERT IN "THE BLACK CAT!"

MONDAYS WITH MILTON

One of the greatest things about growing up in the 1970s was that the local TV stations were still truly “independent.” Before the rise of Fox, the WB and UPN these stations each had its own flavor. In the New York tri-state area, there was WNEW Channel 5, WOR Channel 9 and WPIX Channel 11. Through the years, these three stations would run some of the same shows and movies, but despite the similar programming, they still maintained their distinct identities. It came down to the local talent employed at each – the news folks, the kid show hosts, the sports teams they hosted, the talk show hosts (for those who grew up in the area, think about it – both Joe Franklin’s nostalgia show and Ralph Kiner’s pre, during and post-Mets game shows were decidedly “Channel 9” in tone and atmosphere; likewise, over on “Channel 5” Bob McCallister’s kid show “Wonderama” and the Bill Boggs’ midday talk show’s set seemed quite similar – but you couldn’t imagine Joe Franklin and Ralph Kiner’s shows on Channel 5 or Bob McCallister and Bill Boggs’ show being broadcast on Channel 9 – at least not in the forms in which you’d become accustomed).

One of the coolest things was that this individuality extended to the way the stations presented their syndicated programming. Particularly cartoons. In those days, a station could have bought the rights to show Looney Tunes cartoons from one syndicator, Popeye cartoons from another syndicator and Woody Woodpecker cartoons from yet another syndicator. They could run the half-hour shows exactly as received with the opening and closing credits and bumpers provided by the syndicator, or they could chuck those elements entirely and actually mix and match those cartoons into the same half-hour with a custom-made opening created by the station.

This led to some excellent and unexpected “original” programming. I’m pretty sure the example I used above happened (or at least there were “Bugs & Popeye” and “Bugs & Woody” shows). I’m also pretty sure either Channel 5 or Channel 9 used to run the short Laurel & Hardy animated cartoons from the mid 1960s before the live-action Laurel & Hardy theatrical shorts. I know for a fact that Channel 5 created a cool half-hour called “The Superheroes” that was composed of cartoon shorts from several late-60s Filmation Saturday morning cartoon series based on DC Comics characters AND the mid-60s Lone Ranger cartoon shorts from Format Films (this I know is true not only because my fellow comic book professionals have the same memory, but because Vinnie Bartilucci immortalized the memory in a guest post on Robert J. Kelly's great “Hey Kids, Comics” blog).

Perhaps coolest of all was an all-out superhero marathon on Saturday mornings that combined the cartoons mentioned above with some of the superhero spoof cartoons then in syndication – Mighty Mouse, the Mighty Heroes and a character called Batfink. I loved all these cartoons, but I took a particular like to Batfink. I loved the character designs and the voice work, plus the tone and atmosphere of these cartoons. While they reminded me in some ways of the Jay Ward, Total Television and ‘60s-era Terrytoons , they still had their own unique look and feeling, and I hoped I would see more like Batfink at some point.

You have to fast-forward to the late ‘70s/early ‘80s before I got that chance. That’s when the family got cable, and in those days, that meant that you were able to get “independent” stations from other states! Our cable system carried WPHL Channel 17 from Philadelphia, WSBK Channel 38 from Boston and also the local Atlanta station that would later transform into Ted Turner’s Superstation. I can’t recall for sure which of these stations ran the following (my guess is that it was the Philly station - hopefully a reader with a good memory can confirm) but the best thing about getting these stations was that if afforded me the opportunity to see some old cartoons I had never seen before, particularly George of the Jungle (with Super Chicken and Tom Slick), Marine Boy and the Milton the Monster Show!

The last one reminded me of Batfink, and with good reason: Milton the Monster and Batfink were both produced by Hal Seeger Studios. And the Milton the Monster show featured another superhero parody, Fearless Fly as its bonus segment. But Milton was the star, and I was transfixed by this wacky world of benevolent monsters in goofy situations, led by title monster Milton, he of the soft-spoken, Huckleberry Hound-like southern drawl. The cartoon was simply charming, but at the same time, cool. It didn’t have the same zip and zing as the later “Mad Monster Party” feature film from Rankin-Bass, the Filmation animated TV series The Groovie Goolies or the live-action “Hilarious House of Frightenstein” out of Canada, but it keeps good company with them as a fun and creative depiction of monsters for younger audiences. Fans of 1960s TV animation will especially appreciate the character designs – a hallmark of the Hal Seeger Studios (in fact in the mid ‘60s the studio was tapped to create an animated series based on my favorite superhero Plastic Man, but the show never came to be).

The complete series is available on DVD and you can order it here:



You can also read more about it here and here and here.

There are some fun clips available to view online, and we’ll take a look at some every now and then on Mondays.

So... what better place to start than at the beginning? Here's the opening to the show… enjoy!



BE SURE TO JOIN US ON THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10th FOR A REVIEW OF “BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA” FEATURING NOTORIOUS JERRY LEWIS IMPERSONATOR SAMMY PETRILLO!

FRIDAYS WITH FRIGHTENSTEIN

My love of Vincent Price’s tongue-in-cheek horror films (and horror-comedies) really blossomed in the 1990s, but the seeds were planted much earlier, all the way back to my days as a child watching TV in the 1970s.

Vincent could be seen everywhere those days… he was a frequent guest on talk shows, variety shows (an appearance on “The Muppet Show” a standout), specials (he sent Alice Cooper’s “Welcome to my Nightmare” into horror-kitsch orbit), game shows (Hollywood Squares in particular) and sitcoms (who could ever forget the life he brought to the very special Hawaii episode of “The Brady Bunch” – by then a very tired and played out program).

When Vincent wasn’t cavorting in first-run broadcasts, he could be seen in reruns of some of the best TV guest-shots ever, such as multiple appearances as Batman villain Egghead and a tripped-out lark as Maxwell Smart’s nemesis Dr. Pym on “Get Smart.”

There is one show from my childhood that Vincent was the “incidental” star of. And I didn’t realize it then, but this show is just as much a reason for my love of horror-comedies today as any of the classic comedians or animated cartoons that tread down dark and spooky corridors during Hollywood's golden age.

I’m speaking of a wonderful syndicated show out of Canada called “The Hilarious House of Frightenstein.” This show took the best elements of the Milton the Monster and Groovie Goolies cartoons and transported them to a live-action kids show format that shared its outrageous style of humor with the likes of “Laugh-In” and Soupy Sales and was a foreshadow of a couple of kid-show spoofs yet to come, Pee Wee’s Playhouse and the inimitable powerhouse of New Jersey local programming, Uncle Floyd.

Billy Van played Count Frightenstein and a host of other characters, with support from Fishka Rais as Igor, Joe Torbay as Gronk and Guy Big as Count Munchkinstein. And some awfully cool, clever, kooky monster puppets.

(The Frightenstein cast's fellow Canadian Joe Flaherty may have seen the show a time or two).

Aparently the producers or distributors weren’t confident in their ability to sell the show to American audiences, so they commissioned new “bookend” scenes be shot starring Vincent Price. Honestly, as awesome as Vincent always was, they didn’t need to do that. The show was perfect as is. But if that’s what it took to bring the show to America, then I have no complaints.

The show has had a resurgence in recent years as people in my age-group fondly look back on it. With new outlets for "Frightenstein," it now can be shared with the children of these now-grown fans, perhaps creating a new generation of Frightenstein aficianados in the process.

It was released on DVD a few years ago but is now out-of-print and fetching prices of over $100.00. If money is no object to you then you can buy it here:



Otherwise, if you have a Netflix account you can rent the DVD or watch it on your computer or TV as a "instant play" selection. It is also being shown on the digital TV networks Drive-In Classics and Space.

There are some great articles about this show which you can read here and here. But nothing beats actually checking out a clip from the show, and we’ll do that here every now and then on Friday’s… so enjoy!

“B” IS FOR…

• BOOGEYMEN – who often try to (and succeed at) scaring our favorite funnymen…
• BORIS KARLOFF – the most famous of the Frankenstein monsters, whose horror-comedies we took a look at last month during the Boris Karloff Blogathon…
AND…
• BELA LUGOSI – the most famous Dracula, who made several horror-comedies, some of which we’ll explore at Scared Silly before the month is out!

Until then, enjoy THIS!:

BORIS KARLOFF BLOGATHON 2009: THE AFTERMATH!

In the words of Morrissey, “November Spawned a Monster” – and its name was the Boris Karloff Blogathon!

I was absolutely thrilled to be part of over 110 blogs worldwide who participated in the event. If you haven’t checked out my posts made during the blogathon, I encourage you to do so (just go to the sidebar and click on November 2009 - all my entries between November 14th through the 30th relate to the blogathon - or you can simply click here).

I also encourage you to check out the posts of the other participating bloggers. You can find them by perusing Pierre Fournier’s posts of the past week at his Frankensteinia blog or by directly accessing his archive here.

While you're at it, check out MonsterKid.com - where today's wonderful photo of Boris originated.

So after 17 straight days of posting and 21 posts altogether in November, and the big Christmas holiday fast approaching, your old horror-comedy-meister has decided to take it a little easier in December. I will try to get at least two reviews posted this month, and supplement with some fun clips… like this one (the live-action sequence from "Daffy Duck & Porky Pig Meet the Groovie Goolies"):



STAY TUNED FOR MORE HORROR-COMEDY FUN HERE AT SCARED SILLY!