This is actually a much better movie than its reputation. The shorthand is that it's a cheap movie with a couple of Martin and Lewis imitators. This is true, Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo attempted to cash in by doing a imitation of Dean and Jerry, (and were sandbagged by Lewis who didn't like the competition). Combine that with a director notorious for never shooting second takes, and Bela Lugosi in his downward spiral of his career, and it should be a complete disaster. However, it is well shot, and the performances are tolerable.
Lugosi plays his stock character of a mad scientist doing some weird experiment with apes and evolution, with an unhealthy crush on a native girl who looks way too white. When Mitchell charms her, Bela decides to make him the subject of his new serum that turns people into apes.
How often did Bela have to do movies with guys in Ape Suits? And why was that such a cool thing in the 30's and 40's?
It's watchable. The most grating part is Petrillo's imitation of Jerry Lewis, but then again, the real Jerry Lewis was equally annoying.
Lugosi plays his stock character of a mad scientist doing some weird experiment with apes and evolution, with an unhealthy crush on a native girl who looks way too white. When Mitchell charms her, Bela decides to make him the subject of his new serum that turns people into apes.
How often did Bela have to do movies with guys in Ape Suits? And why was that such a cool thing in the 30's and 40's?
It's watchable. The most grating part is Petrillo's imitation of Jerry Lewis, but then again, the real Jerry Lewis was equally annoying.