Hal Wallis wanted to buy this movie so he could destroy it. The Paramount producer had Martin and Lewis under contract, and he didn’t appreciate a cheap jungle comedy starring two nightclub performers who looked and sounded uncomfortably like his biggest stars. According to producer Herman Cohen, Jack Broder offered Wallis the negative after filming wrapped. Wallis wanted it gone, but the two men couldn’t agree on a price, so Broder released Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952) himself. Wallis never spoke to him again.
That is the sort of back-story this film merits. Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo land on the island of Cola-Cola and a mad scientist (played by Bela lugosi) has been conducting experiments in evolution.In the land of Cola-Cola, Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo parachute onto the island, where a mad scientist (played by Bela lugosi) is experimenting on evolution. It’s been dubbed one of the worst films ever made by critics and a die-hard gang of fans believes it’s a Riot. It is 74 minutes long, in the public domain, and currently free to view.
Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla 1952 — Movie Overview Table
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Title | Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla |
| Alternate Titles | The Boys from Brooklyn (reissue title); The Monster Meets the Gorilla (UK); White Zombie… no — White Woman of the Lost Jungle and Bela Lugosi Meets the Gorilla Man (working titles) |
| Release Year | 1952 (September 1952) |
| Country | United States |
| Runtime | 74 minutes |
| Genre | Horror, Comedy, Sci-Fi |
| Language | English |
| Format | Black & White |
| Director | William Beaudine |
| Screenplay | Tim Ryan; additional dialogue by “Ukie” Sherin and Edmond G. Seward |
| Producers | Maurice Duke; Herman Cohen (associate producer) |
| Cinematography | Charles Van Enger |
| Film Editing | Philip Cahn |
| Music | Richard Hazard |
| Production Company | Jack Broder Productions Inc. |
| Distributor | Realart Pictures |
| Filming Location | General Service Studios, Los Angeles, California |
| Significance | The only feature film starring the comedy team of Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo, a Martin and Lewis look-alike act |
| IMDb Rating | 2.5/10 |
| Public Domain | Yes — freely available to watch and download |
Full Cast Table — Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952)
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Bela Lugosi | Dr. Zabor |
| Duke Mitchell | Duke Mitchell (as himself) |
| Sammy Petrillo | Sammy Petrillo (as himself) |
| Charlita | Nona |
| Muriel Landers | Saloma |
| Al Kikume | Chief Rakos |
| Mickey Simpson | Chula |
| Milton Newberger | Witch Doctor Bongo |
| Martin Garralaga | Pepe Bordo |
| Ramona the Chimp | Ramona |
| Steve Calvert | The Brooklyn Gorilla (uncredited) |
| Ray Corrigan | The Jungle Gorilla (uncredited) |
A Martin and Lewis Knockoff — And the Producers Who Knew Exactly What They Were Selling
Sammy Petrillo built a career on one accident of birth: he looked and sounded remarkably like Jerry Lewis. He teamed up with crooner Duke Mitchell, who took the Dean Martin role, and the pair played nightclubs in Las Vegas and elsewhere. Their manager, Maurice Duke, pitched them to several studios as a movie act.
Jack Broder, co-owner of Realart Pictures, thought they were hilarious. His assistant Herman Cohen, a young producer fresh out of the army, thought they stunk. Broder won the argument, and the movie was meant to launch a whole series of Mitchell and Petrillo comedies.
It never did. This remains the only feature film the duo made together. Cohen recalled that Jerry Lewis was furious when he learned about the project and confronted Broder directly. Sources disagree on how far the legal threats went, but Wallis’s attempt to buy and bury the negative is the part everyone remembers.
Bela Lugosi in 1952 — A Marquee Name on a Shrinking Career
By 1952, Bela Lugosi’s career had sharply declined. Realart had recently reissued his Universal horror classics, which made his name worth something to exhibitors. That’s why he’s here: Broder’s team wanted a horror veteran on the poster.
The title came last. The film began life as White Woman of the Lost Jungle, and Broder’s ten-year-old son reportedly suggested the Brooklyn Gorilla angle. Cohen then decided it would be foolish not to put Lugosi’s name in the title. Lugosi plays his usual evil scientist completely straight, and reviewers noted that his costume and manner echo his most famous role, Count Dracula.
One strange footnote: when the film was reissued as The Boys from Brooklyn, the retitle removed the only place Lugosi’s name appeared, so he effectively vanished from the credits of a film sold on his reputation.
William Beaudine and the Bowery Boys Blueprint
Don’t let the reputation fool you: the film was put together by veterans. Director William Beaudine had churned out Leo Gorcey and Huntz Hall’s Bowery Boys comedies at Monogram, and the screenwriters and leading lady had worked on those same pictures. Cohen confirmed the resemblance was intentional, and he praised Beaudine as a director with no ego who simply loved the business.
The speed was part of the method. The production reportedly shot at General Service Studios in Los Angeles in about six days, though other sources say nine. Budget figures vary even more, from roughly $12,000 to $100,000.
Full Plot Summary — Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952)
Spoiler warning: the summary below covers the film’s ending.
Landing on Cola-Cola
Entertainers Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo tumble out of a plane over the Pacific and drift down by parachute into the jungles of Cola-Cola. Native tribesmen find them asleep in frayed tuxedos and carry them to Chief Rakos and his daughter Nona (Charlita), who orders them cleaned up and given haircuts while they sleep.
At a luau, Duke warms to Nona and sings “‘Deed I Do,” while Sammy gets pulled into a comic dance routine. When Duke asks how to leave the island, Nona suggests the resident scientist, Dr. Zabor (Bela Lugosi), who is conducting experiments in evolution.
Zabor’s Serum
Zabor offers the pair his castle and wardrobe, but he has designs on Nona, and he’s jealous of Duke. In his laboratory, he tests a serum on a chimpanzee named Ramona, and the effect proves temporary. Zabor then injects Duke, who becomes a gorilla.
Zabor tells Nona the gorilla is just Ramona. Duke pantomimes the truth to Sammy, who explains everything to Nona just as Zabor arrives with a rifle. Sammy throws himself in front of the gorilla and takes the shot.
The Nightclub Twist
Then the film cuts to a dressing room in a New Jersey nightclub. Duke and Sammy are back on the circuit, Nona performs in a gorilla-trainer act, the chief wears the gorilla suit, Chula waits tables, and Dr. Zabor manages the club. It’s the oldest gag in the book, and the film delivers it with a straight face.
Two Gorillas, One Chimp — The Suit Performers
Two uncredited performers wear the gorilla suits. Steve Calvert plays the Brooklyn Gorilla, and former B-western star Ray Corrigan plays the Jungle Gorilla. Corrigan became one of Hollywood’s best-known gorilla-suit performers, so the film gets genuine craft inside the costume even when the script offers none.
Ramona the chimp earned the sharpest line in any contemporary review. A New York Daily News critic wrote that she was “the only authentic actor among the crew.”
What Happened to Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo
After this one film, the team split up, and the two men went their different ways. Duke Mitchell (as Dominic Miceli) was uncredited in the Martin and Lewis comedy Sailor Beware (1952). During the 1970s he wrote, directed and starred in two self-financed crime films – Massacre Mafia Style (1974) and Gone with the Pope (1976) – which have gained a cult following. He died in 1981.
Lewis continued to work as an impressionist and Sammy Petrillo remained a stand-up comedian until their deaths in 2009. A deeper look into these two men and Gone with the Pope is the next obvious step.
Where to Watch Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952) Free Online
This title, Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla, is in the public domain and legally can be accessed on various platforms for free. Quality of printing can differ from one source to another, so print a few times if the first is not well printed.
| Platform | Format | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Internet Archive | Stream + Download (multiple formats) | Free |
| YouTube | Stream | Free |
| Public Domain Movies | Stream | Free |
Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952) on Internet Archive:
Is Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952) in the Public Domain?
Yes. The film entered the public domain in the United States in 1980, so you can legally stream, download, share, and screen it without restriction or cost. Because it’s been public domain for decades, distributors have packaged it in many Lugosi and comedy collections, sometimes under its reissue title, The Boys from Brooklyn.
Critical Reception — Then and Now
The film sits at roughly 2.5 out of 10 on IMDb, and its reputation was set early. Trade papers in 1952 called it an acceptable carbon of a Martin and Lewis picture that might get by on novelty. Boxoffice gave it the friendliest notice, describing a broad farce that burlesques jungle horror pictures. The Hollywood Reporter was blunter, saying even the best directors are “helpless when given a hopeless story and a weak cast.”
The cult reappraisal arrived later. Leonard Maltin’s movie guide jokingly called it “one of the all-time greats,” and Martin Landau reportedly watched it several times while preparing to play Lugosi in Ed Wood. Phil Hall of Film Threat went further and argued the film isn’t bad at all: “In fact, the film is great.” He credits Mitchell and Petrillo with real flair in their Martin and Lewis routines, and he notes the film never takes itself seriously.
Our advice: watch it as a time capsule rather than a masterpiece. It’s a 74-minute snapshot of a low-budget Hollywood racing to cash in on a hit comedy team, with a fading horror legend lending his name. The story behind the film is better than the film itself, and that’s exactly why it’s worth a look.
Frequently Asked Questions — Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla 1952
Q: What is Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952) about?
Entertainers Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo parachute onto the Pacific island of Cola-Cola, where they meet primitive tribesmen, the chief’s daughter Nona, and mad scientist Dr. Zabor (Bela Lugosi), who is conducting experiments in evolution. Jealous of Duke’s attention to Nona, Zabor injects him with a serum that turns him into a gorilla.
Q: Is Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla in the public domain?
Yes. The film entered the public domain in the United States in 1980 and is freely available on the Internet Archive, YouTube, and Public Domain Movies.
Q: Who stars in Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla?
Bela Lugosi plays Dr. Zabor, and nightclub comedians Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo play themselves. Charlita plays Nona, with Muriel Landers, Al Kikume, and Mickey Simpson in supporting roles.
Q: Why do Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo resemble Martin and Lewis?
Mitchell and Petrillo performed a nightclub act modeled on Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, with Mitchell as the crooner and Petrillo, who closely resembled Lewis, as the manic comic. The film was designed to cash in on that resemblance.
Q: Why did Hal Wallis want to buy the negative?
According to producer Herman Cohen, Wallis, who had Martin and Lewis under contract at Paramount, wanted to buy the negative in order to destroy it. He and producer Jack Broder could not agree on a price, so the film was released.
Q: Who directed Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla?
William Beaudine directed the film. He was a prolific director known for the Bowery Boys comedies at Monogram Pictures.
Q: What are the film’s alternate titles?
It was reissued as The Boys from Brooklyn and released in the UK as The Monster Meets the Gorilla. Its working titles were White Woman of the Lost Jungle and Bela Lugosi Meets the Gorilla Man.
Q: How long is Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla?
The film runs approximately 74 minutes.
Q: Is Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla one of the worst films ever made?
It is frequently named as a contender, and it holds a very low IMDb score. A number of critics and fans defend it as a fast, knowingly silly comedy that never takes itself seriously.
Q: Where can I watch Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla for free?
The film is freely available on the Internet Archive, YouTube, and Public Domain Movies. All public domain versions are legal to stream and download.
Related Free Classic Horror, Comedy and Lugosi Films
If Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla (1952) sparked your curiosity about Lugosi’s later career or low-budget horror comedy, these are the natural titles to explore next:
