The comedy team of Mitchell & Petrillo got their start (and their cinematic end as a team, as well) with this 1952 movie.
If you notice, Sammy Petrillo looks incredibly like Jerry Lewis did in his younger days. In fact, Sammy played Jerry’s infant son in an episode of the Martin & Lewis TV show at one time.
Duke Mitchell, was the Dean Martin-type singer and straight man to Sammy. He may have been a good singer, but the song he has in this movie really blows.
The failure of this movie to be the first of many for the team, and some legal trouble for alleged plagiarism from the Martin & Lewis camp, really held Mitchell and Petrillo back and they later split amicably. Duke sang in nightclubs and directed and starred in a mob movie in 1975, MAFIA MASSACRE. Sometime after that, he died suddenly of a heart attack.
Sammy, who died of cancer last year, made several more movies on his own and in recent years was a star attraction at autograph and collectibles shows.
BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA itself was no worse than any other cheap, quickie film of its day. Its director, William Beaudine, went on to make Bowery Boys movies and then in the 1960s brought us other movies we laughed at but weren’t supposed to: JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANKENSTEIN’S DAUGHTER and BILLY THE KID VS. DRACULA.
An entertaining movie if you accept it for what it is. Downloadable from the internet or available cheaply on DVD.
If you notice, Sammy Petrillo looks incredibly like Jerry Lewis did in his younger days. In fact, Sammy played Jerry’s infant son in an episode of the Martin & Lewis TV show at one time.
Duke Mitchell, was the Dean Martin-type singer and straight man to Sammy. He may have been a good singer, but the song he has in this movie really blows.
The failure of this movie to be the first of many for the team, and some legal trouble for alleged plagiarism from the Martin & Lewis camp, really held Mitchell and Petrillo back and they later split amicably. Duke sang in nightclubs and directed and starred in a mob movie in 1975, MAFIA MASSACRE. Sometime after that, he died suddenly of a heart attack.
Sammy, who died of cancer last year, made several more movies on his own and in recent years was a star attraction at autograph and collectibles shows.
BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA itself was no worse than any other cheap, quickie film of its day. Its director, William Beaudine, went on to make Bowery Boys movies and then in the 1960s brought us other movies we laughed at but weren’t supposed to: JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANKENSTEIN’S DAUGHTER and BILLY THE KID VS. DRACULA.
An entertaining movie if you accept it for what it is. Downloadable from the internet or available cheaply on DVD.
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