Gorilla At Large (1954) in Kong - 8th Wonder of the World Forum

0 Points

Forum Jump

Gorilla At Large (1954)

Author	Comment
TServo4		#41	[-]
Jul 28 11 8:23 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Keep in mind, around the same time, he was appearing some big Fox films such HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE and HELL AND HIGH WATER. Pretty lofty films. J. Theakston Capitol Theatre, Rome, NY
	Remove this ad
telegonus		#42	[-]
Aug 3 11 3:34 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	True, Jack, those were major pictures, but Gorilla At Large has the feel of an exploitation flick, and it sort of was even though it wasn't strictly speaking a B.
MonsterGuy95		#43	[-]
Aug 8 11 5:27 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I've got the whole movie in 3D, the Horror-Cult-Classics forum has it under the 1954 section! Havent found my 3D glasses yet so I havent seen the movie yet
TomWeaver999		#44	[-]
Aug 8 11 4:18 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	My movie for tonight (if I get around to it) is the GORILLA AT LARGE production company's same-year Western THE RAID, also starring Anne Bancroft and co-starring Lee Marvin, and with a lot of the same behind-the-scenes people.
telegonus		#45	[-]
Aug 9 11 4:38 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I noticed that, too, Tom. I don't think any of those Panoramic (is that the right name?) productions were shown on network television, as most of the other Fox films from the same period were.
TomWeaver999		#46	[-]
Aug 9 11 6:52 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Panoramic Pictures (according to IMDb): Rapture (1965) Up from the Beach (1965) A Life in the Balance (1955) White Feather (1955) The Gambler from Natchez (1954) The Raid (1954) Princess of the Nile (1954) Gorilla at Large (1954) The Rocket Man (1954) Siege at Red River (1954) Three Young Texans (1954) Man in the Attic (1953) There was nothing in THE RAID to make me suspect it was anything but a full-fledged Fox picture; the town burning at the end was very well-done. And a neat, fact-based story. And Lee Marvin as an out-of-control Rebel who gets hot lead right in the pulpit!
TomWeaver999		#47	[-]
Aug 9 11 6:54 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Bancroft and Marvin also co-star in Panoramic's A LIFE IN THE BALANCE -- with third-billed Marvin graced with the character name "The Killer."
TServo4		#48	[-]
Aug 9 11 10:44 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	See my post on page two about Panoramic productions. All of their productions were made to be lower-tiered 'A's to head the top of the bill with sub-run or indie stuff. While GORILLA AT LARGE may feel schlocky, I can guarantee you it was not an inexpensive production. J. Theakston Capitol Theatre, Rome, NY Last Edited By: TServo4 Aug 9 11 10:48 PM. Edited 1 times.
telegonus		#49	[-]
Aug 10 11 3:11 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I believe you, Jack. Gorilla does look exploitationish but it has A or near A list players, is in color, and is nice to look at, the way A pictures are, I mean, not dark and murky in the B noir manner.
	Remove this ad
Monsterpal		#50	[-]
Aug 11 11 6:17 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	TomWeaver999 wrote: My movie for tonight (if I get around to it) is the GORILLA AT LARGE production company's same-year Western THE RAID, also starring Anne Bancroft and co-starring Lee Marvin, and with a lot of the same behind-the-scenes people. That's the Civil War movie with Van Heflin, right? It's pretty good.
atenolol		#51	[-]
Aug 14 11 11:02 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	telegonus wrote: Enjoyable movie, a bit strange for its time, I wonder if it was inspired by the successful reissue of King Kong a couple of years earlier. Cameron Mitchell struck me as an odd choice for the male lead. Raymond Burr was memorably creepy. "Raymond Burr was memorably creepy." My wife commented on how handsome he looked in this movie last night when we watched it. By the way, she enjoyed it also, but didn't believe the twist ending. I have to agree that Burr looked much better than I ever remember him looking. He had his weight under control when making this one. "Cameron Mitchell struck me as an odd choice for the male lead." Why exactly? His career was going pretty good at this point as a featured player in big Zanuck extravaganzas. Didn't he end up with one of the big female stars in HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE? It's been decades, but I seem to remember that. Last Edited By: atenolol Aug 21 11 2:36 PM. Edited 3 times.
rvoyttbots		#52	[-]
Aug 14 11 11:17 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	atenolol wrote: telegonus wrote: Enjoyable movie, a bit strange for its time, I wonder if it was inspired by the successful reissue of King Kong a couple of years earlier. Cameron Mitchell struck me as an odd choice for the male lead. Raymond Burr was memorably creepy. Didn't he end up with one of the big female stars in HOW TO MARRY A MILLIONAIRE? It's been decades, but I seem to remember that. Yep, Mitchell ended up with Lauran Bacall.
atenolol		#53	[-]
Aug 14 11 11:21 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I watched this last night on DVD and must jump on the bandwagon. It was a lot of fun. It was (is) sold as a horror film, but struck me more as a mystery. As horror it flopped. I can't believe that even fairly young kids wouldn't scoff at the "gorilla's" antics. Perhaps 3D makes a difference, but the gorilla just didn't act all that threatening to me. With the good production values, vivid color, and spectacular cast for this sort of thing, this movie was extremely entertaining though, and the mystery elements were well-handled with a solid group of suspects. And, as has been mentioned, Anne Bancroft was HOT! I expect to watch this DVD quite often.
atenolol		#54	[-]
Aug 14 11 11:29 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	SPOILER ALERT--DON'T READ THIS IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE I want to be careful, as this is a mystery, but does anyone agree with me about not liking the ending because: 1. The fate of the gorilla seemed too harsh. What actually did he do to deserve that? 2. Why was the murderer revealed so early? I thought this drained a lot of tension away from the ending which rested on being concerned about the fate of a character who has killed three men for sordid motives. 3. Perhaps the fate of the murderer wasn't harsh enough. I expected the murderer to take the fall, not the gorilla. On the other hand, considering the identity of the murderer, perhaps the "book him, Danno" ending was understandable. Last Edited By: atenolol Aug 22 11 1:02 AM. Edited 1 times.
telegonus		#55	[-]
Aug 16 11 1:03 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Burr certainly looked good, I agree. Still, I thought he gave off peculiar vibes, but then that was his style pre-Perry Mason, as he was as often as not cast as a villain or a red herring. Cameron Mitchell strikes me as an odd one for Gorilla At Large (same with Lee J. Cobb), as he had a distinguished stage background and Fox seemed to be grooming him for better things. Usually, in those days, when a studio had an up and comer under contract they wouldn't put him in a movie that might harm his reputation, make critics think less of him. Gorilla's exploitation "feel" doesn't seem right for a guy in Mitchell's position. A lesser talent, Steve Forrest, for instance, was just fine as the male lead for Warners' Phantom Of the Rue Morgue around the same time.
atenolol		#56	[-]
Aug 16 11 6:35 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	telegonus wrote: Burr certainly looked good, I agree. Still, I thought he gave off peculiar vibes, but then that was his style pre-Perry Mason, as he was as often as not cast as a villain or a red herring. Cameron Mitchell strikes me as an odd one for Gorilla At Large (same with Lee J. Cobb), as he had a distinguished stage background and Fox seemed to be grooming him for better things. Usually, in those days, when a studio had an up and comer under contract they wouldn't put him in a movie that might harm his reputation, make critics think less of him. Gorilla's exploitation "feel" doesn't seem right for a guy in Mitchell's position. A lesser talent, Steve Forrest, for instance, was just fine as the male lead for Warners' Phantom Of the Rue Morgue around the same time. Cameron Mitchell--Oh, I see. You judge him sort of too much actor for the role. I can understand that.
MonsterGuy95		#57	[-]
Apr 14 12 8:22 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Just finished watching this film and what a film! This is easily one of the best 1950's monster (and mystery) pictures I have seen. And to think *SPOILER* that Mrs Bancroft was not all she seemed to be. A great performance from George Barrows as Goliath. I have the 3D version on my laptop, so I will have to check that out. Easily 10/10 for me.
	Remove this ad

<< Previous Topic Next Topic >>

Add Reply

Yuku free message boards

Gorilla At Large (1954)