Martin Landau was correct in his assessment that this film makes Bela Lugosi's Ed Wood-directed films look like "Gone With the Wind" in comparison. Bela gets a top billing here, but in truth he merely plays second fiddle to a Martin and Lewis ripoff duo who are quite literally the two most annoying characters in all the movies ever made.
I'm not familiar with any of the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis comedies, but after seeing this film I'm not in a hurry to acquire any of them. Duke Mitchell, the Dino-ripoff, has all the charm of a urinal in a men's public bathroom, and his singing voice is akin to that of Elvis Presley with a chest cold crooning into a cardboard toiler paper tube. His friend Sammy Petrillo makes for such bad, loud, ugly, unfunny, and downright wretched comic relief that he makes Jar Jar Binks look like Hannibal Lecter. With his hideous facial features and shrill, high-pitched caterwaul, I can't imagine why anyone would put him in a motion picture, as opposed to putting him in the woods, in an unmarked grave at midnight.
There isn't very much to say about Lugosi; he plays his mad scientist character with what appears to be a constant look of shame for being involved in such a dumb film. There are unconvincing-looking jungle natives, stock footage animals, a fat girl who keeps chasing Petrillo, et al. If you value your sanity and well-being, skip this one.
I'm not familiar with any of the Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis comedies, but after seeing this film I'm not in a hurry to acquire any of them. Duke Mitchell, the Dino-ripoff, has all the charm of a urinal in a men's public bathroom, and his singing voice is akin to that of Elvis Presley with a chest cold crooning into a cardboard toiler paper tube. His friend Sammy Petrillo makes for such bad, loud, ugly, unfunny, and downright wretched comic relief that he makes Jar Jar Binks look like Hannibal Lecter. With his hideous facial features and shrill, high-pitched caterwaul, I can't imagine why anyone would put him in a motion picture, as opposed to putting him in the woods, in an unmarked grave at midnight.
There isn't very much to say about Lugosi; he plays his mad scientist character with what appears to be a constant look of shame for being involved in such a dumb film. There are unconvincing-looking jungle natives, stock footage animals, a fat girl who keeps chasing Petrillo, et al. If you value your sanity and well-being, skip this one.