A murdering gorilla is on the loose.  Or a murderer with the name "Gorilla"
is on the loose!  And he's baffled the cops.  This gorilla leaves notes for
his intended victims giving them 24 hours to live.  The latest receiver of
such a note is Mr. Stevens (Atwill), a wealthy man, and he calls in three
detectives (the Ritz Bros.) to protect him.  He also calls in his niece and
her fiance.  With Bela Lugosi as his butler and an annoying, screaming woman
as his maid, the madness of the situation heightens.  Just as midnight (the
time the gorilla is to strike) struck, the lights go out and Mr. Stevens
disappears.  It's then up to the inept detectives (and various other people
who show up) to determine who the gorilla is, and what he wants (or who is
controlling the gorilla, and what does he want).

The story has twists and turns, but is very ridiculous, and the acting is
over-the-top as were most comedies back then.  It held my interest, but
certainly didn't have me on the edge of my seat.  It's always nice to see
Bela, but this is a small role for him.  The bumbling Ritz's didn't do much
for me either - they seemed like a 3rd rate Three Stooges.  Anyway, it's not
horrible, but "The Gorilla" would be hard to watch for today's audience.
 
 
 

Quality: 3.0  Visuals: 2.5  Intensity: 3.0  Laughability: 2.0 
OVERALL RATING: 2.6