ALL SCI-FI

Bud Brewster · Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2014 8:52 pm Post subject: Bride of the Gorilla (1951)

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Anything written by Curt Siodmak will probably be good. Anything directed by Siodmak will probably be worth seeing. This one is written and directed by Siodmak, plus it has a great cast. Siodmak is the screenwriter behind several of the best 1940s horror films, and he had a sly way of sneaking science into all those gothic pot-boilers, making them more than just ghost stories from the Old Country.

And it was Siodmak (with Ivan Tors) who gave us "Science Fiction Theater" in the 1950s.

"Bride of the Gorilla" is science fiction only if you consider the power of voodoo to be a form of hypnosis — and that's exactly what Siodmak implies with this strange story. Jungle plantation owner Raymond Burr incurs the wrath of voodoo queen Giselle Werbisek, who then puts a curse on Burr which transforms him into a gorilla.

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Being a sci-fi man at heart, Siodmak structures his story so that it suggests that Burr might be merely hallucinating his change into an ape. In some films this sort of side-stepping is frustrating to viewers who paid good money to see a real monster, not an imaginary one.

But Siodmak makes the guessing game enjoyable (the gorilla: is it real or is it Memorex?). Gorgeous Barbara Payton is Burr's wife. Lon Chaney, Jr. is the police commissioner baffled by the series of bizarre murders. Woody Strode appears as a police officer. Tom Coway is the local doctor who offers the voice of reason.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Robert (Butch) Day · Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 6:22 am Post subject:

I wanted to be the groom when I first saw this on TV in the late 1950s!
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Common Sense ISN'T Common

Bud Brewster · Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 11:57 am Post subject:

Bud Brewster · Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 3:47 pm Post subject:

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Here's a real bit of irony! This movie is about a woman married to a man who might turn into a gorilla — resulting in a relationship that would shock society even today!

But back in 1951, interracial relationships were pretty taboo as well, so this IMDB trivia item is surprising.
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During the filming of this movie, Barbara Payton's husband, Franchot Tone, had a private detective spy on her to try to catch her cheating on him. He managed to take a picture of her and Woody Strode (who was a member of the cast) in bed together.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Pow · Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 3:52 pm Post subject:

Barbara was a beautiful actress who had a very tragic life.

Bud Brewster · Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2017 3:58 pm Post subject:

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YouTube has an excellent copy of the trailer and a good copy of the whole movie. Sad

_________ Trailer - Bride Of The Gorilla (1951)

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________________ Bride of the Gorilla (1951)

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

ralfy · Mission Specialist Joined: 23 Sep 2014 Posts: 488

720p resolution full feature:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ki4Ju4gETQ