Ceticultsot Beautiful, moving film.

Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Brenda The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

kevin olzak 1939's "The Gorilla" was hardly the best choice for a Ritz Brothers vehicle, somewhat reduced in stature by a complete lack of song and dance patter. Much more at home in the old dark house setting is horror veteran Bela Lugosi, able to effectively prowl with equal amounts of seriousness and bemusement as the butler Peters. His employer, Walter Stevens, is played by frequent co-star Lionel Atwill, so at least the duo lend dignified stature to the lighthearted proceedings, made well before Bob Hope's more successful remake of a similar 1920s chestnut, "The Cat and the Canary." The Ritz Brothers are still an acquired taste, but here the talented trio are handicapped by the single setting and lack of decent material to work with, snappy verbal sparring all they can muster in this one. Contrary to what is often reported, this was not in fact the last straw for the brothers at Fox, doing one final feature for Sol Wurtzel's B unit, "Pack Up Your Troubles," a vehicle for pint sized Jane Withers, leading Harry Ritz to famously quip that their careers had gone "from bad to Wurtzel!" A subsequent move to Universal fared little better, departing after only four additional titles, ironically missing out on the mystery musical "Murder in the Blue Room," which at least would have allowed them plenty of room for dancing and singing, a far more suitable vehicle than the stifling confines of "The Gorilla," a decent horror comedy but hardly the brothers at their best (it is after all hard to upstage the scene stealing Bela Lugosi). Lon Chaney Jr. had earlier appeared with the Ritz Brothers in "Life Begins in College" and "Straight Place and Show," while John Carradine earned more prestigious roles in both "Kentucky Moonshine" and "The Three Musketeers."

Rainey Dawn This is a very fun comedy-horror film that is very much underrated. If you enjoy comedy-horror movies, Lionel Atwill, Bela Lugosi, The Ritz Bros. or Gorillas then look no further than this funny mystery horror classic.All of this film is good right from the very beginning but I think my favorite part of the film is the "invisible butler" (Lugosi) carrying the trunk from upstairs to downstairs right in front of the Ritz Bros.The biggest question or mystery in this film is "who or what is the gorilla"? This one may surprise you a bit towards the end.This is a great matinée type of film and could easily be a double feature with a movie like "King of the Zombies (1941)" or "One Body Too Many (1944)" 8.5/10

mark.waltz While "The Gorilla" isn't a disaster, it is a pale imitation of the type of story done dozens of times since the beginning of the silent era. "The Gorilla" is one of those old plays that has been altered for storytelling, some serious, some comic, and this version goes for the later. The Ritz Brothers are certainly not everybody's cup of tea, and even if they can be funny in small doses, a little bit of that goes an awfully long way. "Why would he hire a group of morons like this?" one character asks about wealthy Lionel Atwill's decision to hire them to protect him from a serial killer only known as "The Gorilla". It isn't known if this killer utilizes a gorilla to kill their victims or is simply known by that moniker as a nickname. Of course, there is a gorilla present, so this sets up the possibility for either/or.There is a fragile young heroine here of course, and it is played by veteran actress Anita Louise, having played that type character since the early 1930's. As predicted, everybody in the household is looking out for her, and Edward Norris is the handsome hero determined to keep her from becoming a victim. That frightening man of horror, Bela Lugosi, is here as the rather mysterious butler, Peters, and he is the type of character who seems to enjoy making people think he's creepy. Even the shrieking maid (Patsy Kelly, as "Kitty!") is afraid to be in the same room as him. Lugosi makes the most out of his rather predictable part, stealing every moment he gets a close-up, especially when he heads towards the heroine with a coat while giving her a rather sinister look.At the tale end of their 20th Century Fox contract, the Ritz Brothers spoofed everything from "The Three Musketeers" to the "Old Dark House" film, which this totally emulates. It's only just over an hour, so there is not much to criticize. In fact, the presence of such stalwarts as Kelly (hysterically funny), Louise and horror vets Atwill and Lugoi makes for a fun hour that won't eat up any brain cells and may create a few chills combined with laughter.

utgard14 Lame old dark house comedy about a rich man (Lionel Atwill) threatened by a killer known as The Gorilla. So he hires private detectives (The Ritz Brothers) to investigate. Bela Lugosi plays the butler. Patsy Kelly the loud-mouthed maid. Anita Louise plays Atwill's niece. The old dark house elements were OK but the comedy was like having your toenails ripped off one by one. The Ritz Brothers were so painfully untalented I have to wonder how they ever became even moderately successful. It was sad to see Atwill and Lugosi playing in something like this. Fans of Bela Lugosi will be particularly disappointed. The movie is often advertised today as a Bela Lugosi movie but his part is minor and he has nothing to do. He's literally the butler, opening doors and the like. There's no twist to it. The most he gets to do is be straight man to the annoying Patsy Kelly, whose voice knows two levels: loud and louder. Avoid this unless you're a Lugosi completist and need to see all of his movies.