CULT MOVIE: BELA LUGOSI MEETS A BROOKLYN GORILLA (1952)

In the course of this curious movie, Lugosi ( a mad scientist on- hey!- a jungle- covered Pacific island) injects a de-evolution serum into " entertainer" Duke Mitchell, turning him into a single gorilla. After watching 74 minutes of this film, the only rational conclusion is that a similar serum must have been used on Beaudine and scriptwriter Tim Ryan. Mitchell and Petrillo were the B movies' answer to Martin and Lewis who, in turn were the less expensive version of Hope and Crosby. This movie's only purpose is to emphasize how far Lugosi had sunk since he personified Dracula for Universal in 1931. There was worse to come, including a chance comic encounter with Old Mother Riley later in the same year. By 1935, Lugosi had succumbed to drug addiction and died a year later. The final indignity came when Martin Landau won an Oscar as Lugosi in Ed Wood in 1994, an honor the Hungarian horror king had never won.
Director: William Beaudine Cast: Bella Lugosi, Sammy Petrillo, Duke Mitchel

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