This is How Movies Should Be Made

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

****SPOILERS**** The movie "Gorilla at Large" is actually about three not one gorilla all played by human not primate actors. There's of course the gorilla in the movies title Goliath the biggest gorilla in captivity played by George Barrows in a loose fitting monkey suite. Then there's circus manager Cyrus Miller played by the gorilla like, before he lost 100 pounds for his role as Perry Mason Esq, Raymond Burr who in fact played a gorilla three years earlier in he movie "Bride of the Gorilla". And then there's Goliath's trainer and poker & gin playing partner, when he's not entertaining the audience, Kovacs played by unshaven and grizzled looking six foot three 275 pound Peter Whitney. As things turn out a number of people working for the circus end up with the necks broken by someone with enormous strength that only a gorilla, not human, could have. With Goliath the very obviously #1 suspect in these murders he's kept in his cage under around the clock observation by Det. Sgt. Garrison, Lee J. Cobb, to see if, by breaking out of his cage and killing someone, he's in fact the killer.With that going on full-time circus handy man and part time law student Joey Matthews, played by a bleach blond looking Cameron Mitchell, takes it upon himself to single handedly solve the murders in order to show up the police headed by Det. Sgt. Garrisoin and his partner Mister Mack, Warren Stevens. This has Joey uncontrollably fall for sexy trapeze artist Leverne Miller, Ann Bancroft, who's married to her boss Cyrus the manager of the circus as well as have been married to the other gorilla Kovacs whom she left for her trapeze partner the handsome Kewpie known as the human cannonball. That's until Kewpie died in a tragic accident when the swing he was doing his act with Laverne snapped causing to fall to his death.****SPOILERS**** It turns out that everyone including Goliath are falling all over Laverne with Cyrus who was totally innocent in Kewpie death confessing, like in those Raymond Burr dealt with in the Perry Mason series, to his murder! As it turned out Cyrus was covering up something that only he as well as the ape-like Kovacs knew about. Even if it meant for him being strapped into the state electric chair. As for Kovacs he wasn't so understanding and was more then willing to see justice is done in the case of the person who committed the latest murders and let the chips fall where they may. As for poor Goliath the innocent victim in all this he paid with his life for a crime or crimes that he didn't commit where at the end of the movie no one at all, but possibly his trainer Kovac, felt a bit sorry for!P.S Check out a young 30 year old Lee Marvin as the "Sleeping Policeman" Officer Shaughnessy who as luck would have it and without realizing it actually proved the very maligned gorilla Goliath totally innocent! That by him spending the night, by falling asleep drunk, in Goliath's cage without him getting his neck wrung!

There is a hysterical scene towards the end of the movie where the simian comes across a fake band of chimpanzees on display at a carnival. The sweet look on his face reminded me of the content two-headed gorilla eating a banana in "The Thing With Two Heads" and the scene in "Escape From the Planet of the Apes" when Kim Hunter goes shopping. Why is it that these mostly gentle giants are always titillated by a beautiful lady? Whether or not its Fay Wray, Terry Moore or Jessica Lange, that always happens. Here, it is future Oscar winner Anne Bancroft, looking absolutely gorgeous as a trapeze artist in a carnival run by Raymond Burr where murder is afoot. Pre-Perry Mason, Burr was usually typecast as a villain ("Rear Window"), but here, he seems to be fairly decent. Then comes in Cameron Mitchell (looking hysterically embarrassed with a bad yellowish blonde hair dye job!) who is to add some luster to Bancroft's trapeze act (swinging over the ape) by catching her for some added thrills to the audience. That is when the murders begin. In 3-D, this film must have been something. The opening scene with the ape swinging towards the scared spectators is even chilling in 2-D. The result of the film is a nice Thriller/Mystery that is a lot of fun, gorgeously filmed in breathtaking color (a filmmaking technique much missed!) and the chance to see one of our best actresses during the time she was much misused by the studio that didn't see her potential.

Gorilla at Large is directed by Harmon Jones and jointly written by Leonard Praskins and Barney Slater. It stars Cameron Mitchell, Anne Bancroft, Lee J. Cobb, Raymond Burr and Charlotte Austin. Out of Panoramic Productions and filmed in Technicolor, the music is by Lionel Newman and cinematography is by Lloyd Ahern.An amusement park/circus is rocked when a freshly sacked employee is found brutally murdered inside the cage of the star attraction, Goliath the Giant Gorilla. The evidence points to it being the short tempered beast, but many of the human employees also had reasons to commit the crime...Well it sounds like a Z grade picture, both in title and synopsis, and with it originally released in 3D during the short lived 3D boom of the mid 1950s, it was hardly going to be the Citizen Kane of Schlocky Horrorville. Yet it's a picture that is far better than it has any right to be, oozing a fun vibe coupled with the "who done it?" mystery element, pic doesn't lack for effort or genuine intrigue. Yes it's unintentionally funny at times, and there was never going to be a time when a man in a Gorilla suit (George Barrows) wasn't going to be corny, but it's a very good production (lovely Technicolor) and boasts a super cast of actors into the bargain. Is it scary? Well no, not really, that is unless you suffer from Agrizoophobia? Yet there's enough suspense and iffy character shenanigans to more than lift this above the ridiculous.Anne Bancroft spent the rest of her career denouncing the film, like many others who were tied into studio contracts back in the day, thus "having" to do films they would rather not do, she forgot that this type of film still had many fans. She looks a picture here, very slinky and shapely, OK so she's not pulling up any acting trees as the central lady character, but it's a nice performance that sits well with the tone of the story. Burr files in for one of his imposing "possible" villain roles, and Mitchell is at home in the genre. There's much fun to be had with Cobb's performance as cigar chomping Detective Sergeant Garrison, mainly because he seems to be the only male actor taking it seriously! Unlike Lee Marvin, who in a secondary supporting cop role plays it with tongue in cheek and appears to be enjoying himself into the bargain. Nice to see the chiselled features of Warren Stevens (Forbidden Planet) on board as well.Filmed at Nu Pike Amusement Park in Long Beach, California, Harmon Jones (The Pride of St. Louis) makes good use of the funfair location. With rides and stalls colourfully forming the backdrop, there's a big sense of fun and adventure as the bustling public carry on about their business oblivious to the murder, love ratting and suspicion that's going on behind the scenes. It also allows the director to slot in some staple (good) funfair sequences, namely the Room of Mirrors and the Roller Coaster. While Newman's score isn't found wanting as it builds up a head of steam for the more dramatic periods. As for the outcome of this murder mystery? Well it's a doozy, nigh on impossible to figure out because it's suitably bonkers. And that's just one of the many beauties of Gorilla at Large. 7/10

The title of this film would bring to mind the myriad low budget shockers from the 50's. But with a cast including Anne Bancroft, Lee Marvin, Raymond Burr, Cameron Mitchell, Lee J. Cobb, John Kellogg, and Warren Stevens, we're talking 8 Academy Award nominations, and 2 wins. That doesn't sound like the typical low budget 50's shocker and this Technicolor 3-D thriller is nothing of the sort. Of course, none of the nominations had yet occurred, and whether this film was the springboard that launched the careers of the aforementioned actors is no absolute. But there is no question that shortly after this film all of them began to appear on a regular basis in more important roles and in more important films and television, the most successful examples being Anne Bancroft, Lee Marvin, Raymond Burr and Lee J. Cobb. And this film is a perfect example of Lee Marvin's early work where it was obvious he was emblazoned with "Star". Oddly, it was the director Harmon Jones whose career seemed to go downhill after this film. After having previously directed such notable efforts as, Paddy Chayefsky's "As Young as You Feel", the popular biopic "The Pride of St. Louis", "The Silver Whip", "The Kid from Left Field", and "City of Bad Men", Harmon's career seemed from then on to be destined for weekly television episodes.As for production values, script, suspense and action, the film is not bad. That is with the exception of the man in a gorilla suit which was supposed to be a real gorilla. I guess they were never able to get that right until "Planet of the Apes"! We're fortunate that Fox Movie Channel had rediscovered this peculiar gem. Although the film's current condition is good, a restoration for release on DVD and the inclusion of 3-D glasses would surely be a success.