Hollywood Gorilla Men

Gorilligans Island

2012-02-05T07:14:00.000-08:00

Our friend George Chastain, alerted us to this treasure he unearthed while digging around Internet auction sites. It's an autographed promo card for Gilligans Island signed by executive producer Sherwood Schwartz. Schwartz wrote in under Jack Arnolds name"the director" and under Janos Prohaskas name( miss-spelled here as Prosaka) Schwartz wrote"the stuntman".

The classic Gilligans Island was one of the must see programs for the kids of the 60's and 70's.

As an aspiring young gorilla man, I would watch the show partially in hopes to see a gorilla...when I wasn't busy looking at Mary Ann that is.

Gilligan had many run ins with problematic primates during the run of the show, Chimpanzees, bomb throwing monkeys, orangutans and our friendly neighborhood gorilla men.

While the chimps and monkeys were played by the real thing, the upper order primate jobs went to none other than Janos Prohaska.

Janos' story lines usually centered around Mary Ann or Ginger being captured by an ape, and needing to be rescued by the castaways, though Gilligan occasionally found himself to be the romantic interest of the menacing monkeys.

Janos showed a keen sense of humor in these gigs, and at times out shined the main cast.

While Prohaskas gorillas were fairly commonplace to TV audiences, his orangutan was a nice addition to Gilligans monkey menagerie. If memory serves me, Prohaskas chimp outfit may have also made an appearance or two.

So join us now , right here my friend, and your sure to get a smile...From the hairy Hungarian monkey man, here on Gorilligans Isle !

Terror at the Circus !

2012-01-27T16:45:00.000-08:00

One type of gorilla performer that's particularly near and dear to old Bongo's heart , is the live show performer. These are the fellows that thrill live audiences in circuses, night clubs, stage acts,theme parks, and burlesque shows all over the world.

Most of these poor guys received no recognition for their efforts, tho there is the rare exception who parlays their act into a higher profile gig like movies or TV.

Emil VanHorn is a good example of the latter, who actually returned to his burlesque exploits at the end of his career.

The poster you see here is for a Chicago based family who toured with the Shrine Circus.

The Gutis Family!

The poster promises one of the wildest moments EVER seen in Chicago !

As seen, the act seems to consist of a bargain basement version of Laurel and Hardy, with an Ellie May looking Jungle Girl thrown in for eye candy. The two gorillas featured, are actually quite well done as circus gorillas go. Both suits are a good deal more realistic than many of their peers.

This wonderful poster art was brought to our attention by the great George "E-Gore" Chastain, who's tireless search for historic coolness fills us with awe and admiration !

Beware of Horny Space Gorillas !

2012-01-01T20:31:00.001-08:00

Returning to our series on gorilla men in space,we come to a gruesome duo of similar species yet separated by two decades . The dreaded Horny Gorilla !
Notable is the fact that in this case, both alien monsters are in fact gorillas. The alien gorillas in this case ,separate themselves from their Earthly counterparts with the addition of a large single horn atop their furry noggins.
First up is the Orangapoid, as played by Ray Corrigan,in the Buster Crabbe staring Flash Gordon movie serials. The fearsome creature was the slave of Ming the Merciless ( Charles Middleton) and was used to dispatch Mings foes in an arena.

Flash,eventually gets the upper hand and harpoons the vile beast with a spear supplied by Mings daughter, Princess Aura.

FLASH forward (he he) 20 years and we find ourselves in another intense struggle, this time with the heroic Captain James T. Kirk locked in deadly combat with the dreaded Mugato, (AKA Mugatu, and Gumato according to the end credits ), in the Star Trek episode "A Private Little War"

Unlike the Orangapoid, the Mugato is albino, and has an additional row of horn like spines running down his back. To add yet another frightening aspect, the bite of the mugato is venomous, and Kirk will assuredly die if not treated by the local kahn-ut-tu woman, a gypsy like healer of unearthly beauty. Kirks survives to engage the Mugato once more before the episode is over.

The Mugato was played by versatile gorilla and monster performer, Janos Prohaska.

Prohaska, a stunt man and athlete had amazing agility to move with great intensity in all the various creatures he portrayed.

He was one of the few gorilla performers I've seen who could climb a tree with little to no effort while fully decked out in one of his massively padded gorilla suits.

As such Janos made a supremely formidable foe for the good Captain Kirk.

Bob Finally gets his Chance !

2011-12-13T15:42:00.000-08:00

My dear friend , and gorilla mentor Bob Burns has related the tale of his first "professional" gorilla man job in both of his books ( It came from Bobs Basement) and( Monster Kid Memories) and several articles as well. The story tells not only of Bobs entry into the industry, but also his first "run-in" with Hungarian gorilla man Janos Prohaska. Janos had a major television career in the 60's on such shows as Outer Limits, Star Trek, Gilligans Island, and he played "cookie the Bear" on the Andy Williams Show. As such , Janos wasn't too cool on the idea of a new gorilla man muscling in on his jobs. Bob was hired to play a gorilla on the Mickey Rooney show. Janos Prohaska was already cast in the role of another gorilla. Having set the stage, I'll let Bob take over in his own words, describing the story of the episode, and the behind the scenes antics.

Take it away Bob !

OK, well, Mickey Rooney tries to get into MGM studios to see if they will use his marina store to shoot a TV show. He has no appointment so the guard tosses he and his pal, Bobby Van, off the lot. When leaving they spot a guy walking in with a gorilla (me). Mickey gets the idea to rent an ape suit for Bobby and walk right in to the studio after waving to the guard. The ape suit is awful but it fools the folks on the lot. A workman tells Mickey to put the "ape" in a holding stage along with a chimp (Stuntman Jesse Wayne) and another gorilla (me). , I'm supposed to be a female gorilla as I make a pass at Bobby in the ape suit. He freaks and runs out. A man brings in another gorilla (Janos) and puts him where Bobby was. Of course, Mickey comes in a grabs the wrong gorilla (Janos) a takes him to the set where the director is working who Mickey wants him to shoot the show at his store. It goes crazy from there as the real gorilla tosses the director out of a window.
When I first met Janos on the set I could tell that he didn't care for me or my gorilla suit. He walked over and picked up Kogar's head and looked inside to see what the "mechanism" was to operate the mouth. So I went over and started to look inside his head and he suddenly grabbed it out of my hands and said that "no one looked inside of his head". I said "well you looked in mine". He said that was different as he was a "professional" gorilla man. I thought what the hell I'm I a piece of cheese? anyway the day went down hill from there. I was happy though as it was my way first ("professional") gorilla job and my way into the Screen Actors Guild
I ended up staying late that night to re shoot most of Janos's scenes because, I'll just say that Mickey, the producer, and the real director liked me and my suit a lot more than Janos.
Anyway, A few months ago my Friend, Tom Woodruff Jr., Who is now the best gorilla in the business ended up with Janos' gorilla suit. I had told him the story of how I never got to see inside of Janos' head so he brought it over to my place so I could finally see inside of the head. I looked and said Ahh... Crap his head is just like mine. No fancy stuff at all. All of those years ago I wondered why he didn't want me to see it. I bet he was really bummed to see it was just like mine.

Hello Wilbuuuurrr!

2011-11-21T17:52:00.000-08:00

Alan Young of "Mister Ed" fame, appears clad in gorilla fur in the 1955 classic film "Gentlemen Marry Brunettes !"

Joining Mr. Young are Jane Russell, and Jeanne Crain, ( the brunettes), as well as Rudy Vallee, Guy Middleton, and Scott Brady.

Why is he dressed as an ape you ask ? I have no idea...But judging by the way the ladies are dressed I may have to do my gorilla duty and give it a view sometime.

This photo was brought to our attention by the great George "E-Gor" Chastain , a friend to gorilla men everywhere ! Eagle Eyed "E-Gor"is a great supporter of our cause, and keeps us alerted to all the gorilla goodies he finds !

Maddening monkey mystery !

2011-11-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

There is a great deal of satisfaction in solving a mystery or puzzle that has been tormenting you for a long time. We at Hollywood Gorilla Men make it our quest to find the names and faces of those who've thrilled us with their astounding examples of superior simian cinema.

Occasionally though, there are those that despite our best efforts remain a mystery.

Gorilla Man and myself call upon knowledgeable friends in the pursuit of answers on many occasions, and now I'd like to call on any and all of our friends and gorilla fans out there to help solve this Monkey Mystery !

The gorilla in the photo appears in the serial "Tim Tylers Luck". The same gorilla is also featured in the serial "Terry and the Pirates" and the Mickey Rooney short "Mickey's Apeman". There are others I'm sure, but these are the ones that come to mind. Our good friend and master gorilla man Bob Burns was queried as to this gorilla's identity, but Bob doesn't have any record of it in his considerable gorilla files.

Soooo, this is where you, our friends can help ! If you have any information in regards to this gorilla's secret identity, please drop us a note in the comments below.

Thank you for your help and assistance in getting these hard working gorilla men the recognition they so richly deserve !

Take the Monkey and Run !

2011-11-01T12:09:00.001-07:00

There are damned few things in life more appealing to me than the thought of seeing Woody Allen pummeled by a gorilla. In Woody's 1969 movie "Take the Money and Run " you get to see the Hairy Hungarian Janos Prohaska attempt to do just that ! ( get 'im Janos ! )

Satan meets the Scream Queen !

2011-10-27T15:40:00.000-07:00

Satan the Gorilla (AKA you old pal Bongo ) of "Return of Nyoka " captures "scream queen" Linnea Quigley at the Real Terror Film Festival .
Living up to her title, Linnea shrieked so loud, I nearly lost control of several bodily functions. Footage of the event can be seen on the "bonus materials " menu of
the Sequel "Nyoka Rides Again " available now at cultretro.com.

Could it be......Satan !

2011-10-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

A deadly catfight erupts in the jungle !

The dreaded " Catfightus Interuptus" attacks !
Hey !, Watch it with that fighting staff lady !
All right !, I warned you ! Up you go !

Are you enjoying the view up there ?

Awwww crap ! That's not fair !

Guess what gorilla gang..... your old buddy Bongo is back as Satan the gorilla in the next TWO exciting chapters of "Nyoka the Jungle Girl" !

The last Chapter"Return of Nyoka the jungle Girl" left off with Nyoka about to be sacrificed beneath descending blade of a giant pendulum ! With time running out, Nyoka struggles furiously against the chains that bind her courtesy of the villainous Crimson Skull. She has managed to free her legs , and hands, but is bound tight by a metal collar around her neck. The deadly blade begins its final descent, Nyoka lets loose a bloodcurdling scream, and THEN?? To be continued next chapter ! Drat and double drat ! Darned cliffhangers !

Old Bongo has a tendancy to wax nostalgic about things like this, so I'll let the good folks at cultretro about this next thrilling chapter !

[ Statuesque beauty Nicola Rae returns as daring jungle heroine Nyoka Gordon as she once again battles the maniacal Crimson Skull for possession of the mystical Amulet of Vultura! When our heroine disrupts the villain's scheme to control the gorilla Satan, the Crimson Skull conspires to use the Amulet to resurrect Queen Vultura herself (the classic villainess from the original 1940's serial). The Skull requires a new host body for Vultura's evil spirit and he sets out to capture and use Nyoka Gordon for this nefarious purpose, but our intrepid adventuress isn't going to make it easy for him. An epic jungle chase ensues as heroine and villain exchange ambushes, punches, kicks and gunfire... all building to our big finale featuring Nyoka versus the Crimson Skull on horseback racing through the jungle!
This chapter (as with ALL serials) begins with opening title cards that explain everything you need to know to jump right into the story and enjoy this film even if you have not yet seen the others.
Serial fans are gonna LOVE IT! And if you're new to the cliffhanger genre... you'll love it too!!! Nyoka the Jungle Girl Rides Again is fast, exciting, sexy and fun... it's everything you love about comic book and serial adventures brought to life by micro-budget film mavericks Bill Black and JohnJG! Special Notes: We didn't want to make a sequel to our 2009 release The Return of Nyoka the Jungle Girl unless we thought we had a chance of making the next installment even bigger and better than the first. When the opportunity to film our serial heroine ON A HORSE fell into place, we knew this was exactly what we needed to kick things up to an all new level of excitement and adventure. Star Nicola Rae puts her stage combat training to good use and really takes her lumps in this one with an impressive display of physical acting that would make Davey Sharpe proud. We had her jumping out of trees in high-heeled boots, riding horseback, rolling head-over-heels on the ground and throwing kicks and punches like a world-class serial queen. Pierce Knightley also "rides again" and delivers the over-the-top goods as Nyoka's nemesis The Crimson Skull. You can't have a Nyoka serial without Satan the Gorilla and he is once again brought to life by professional gorilla man Chris Casteel. Erik Matthews joins the cast as the under-appreciated henchman Hunt Reardon. And introducing Autumn Sage as Rulah, a mysterious and enigmatic new adventuress with swashbuckling charm and ferocious fighting skills. Directors Bill Black and JohnJG channel the serials of old to create an all new thrill-a-minute adventure for one of cinemas most enduring action heroines. Don't miss it!]

Wow, what can I add to that ? This was a really fun project for everyone involved. We filmed on one of the coldest days of the year ( for Florida) so poor Nicola was literaly freezing her butt off, in her skimpy outfit.

Meanwhile,I was quite comfortable in 45 lbs of latex, fur, and padding ! This was quite a contrast to the first film, when it was over 100 degrees and I was dying in the suit !

I was happy about the lower temps because I was able to focus more on having fun with the character, and the subtle nuances involved rather than just trying to survive.

I think the fun we had shows through on film , as everyone really had a blast making it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txTOlC2AzRc&context=C38429c9ADOEgsToPDskJtAbV73jOsA1B1VwfxJMP-

Available now at ;

http://www.cultretro.com/nyoka_the_jungle_girl_rides_again_dvd.html

Kogar makes a call !

2011-10-19T15:34:00.000-07:00

We'll take a moment to break up the recent posts chronicling the exploits of outer space gorilla men for a moment of monkey mirth from the master !

ROBOT MONSTER

2011-10-08T14:29:00.000-07:00

George Barrows as the Supreme Guidance !

This is how RO-MAN's helmet appears in "Phanom from Space "

Help ! You gotta be pretty horned up, not to notice that standing behind you ! Bob Burns and friend, from Robot Monster, the Special Edition ! Modern gorilla man Tom Woodruff, getting "bubbled" by Joe Dante, from"Looney Toons, Back In Action "!

Wow, what can you say about this "classic" that hasn't been said already. For a long time this flick has been fodder for the Golden Turkey Awards, Mystery Science Theatre, and countless blogs and websites who are perfectly content on ripping it to shreds.

The budget constraints are legendary as this production was so tight on it's budget that the couldn't afford to build, ( or even rent) a suitable robot costume. Enter George Barrows, who with his gorilla suit provided the "Monster" part of the title. Now came the hard part, the "Robot" part of the equation.

The helmet, which is now part of our old friend Bob Burns' collection, has an interesting side note, the same helmet was also used in the film "Phantom from Space". Both films were released in 1953, and the primary difference in appearance is the fact that they used it facing opposite directions ! "Phantom" had the little air tanks in front, While "Robot Monster" had them in back.

The face plate ( hole) for robot monster was enlarged to be a rather large circle, where in "Phantom it had only a narrow side-ways oval shape . Add a set of 50's television antennae and voila' , Robot Monster !

George Barrows turns in one of his greatest performances as RO-MAN, evil invader. Rather than surrounding himself in a cloud of awesome evil, he instead surrounds himself with a cloud of happy bubbles! ( brought to you courtesy of N.A.Fischer Chemical Products, "Billion Bubble Machine ! ) And yes, the bubble thingee actually got screen credit !

The story is a rather dismal post apocalyptic , invasion story. The entire population of the Earth (except for 5 people) have been wiped out by RO-MAN, and his mysterious ray device. The 5 survivors are hiding is a basement to a house that had been blasted apart. With no roof over them, they still manage to hide from RO-MAN, even though the are like less than a mile from each other. RO-MAN's boss, THE SUPREME GUIDANCE, orders RO-MAN to finish off those pesky HU-MANS once and for all.

After launching brutal attacks with fearsome giant reptiles (stock footage from old dinosaur movies) to no avail ,RO-MAN then decides to take matters into his own hands and proceeds to throttle the life out of any one of our heroes he is lucky enough to find alone. Even the little boy ! What a dirty S.O.B.!

As fate would have it, the plan runs into a snag when RO-MAN is ordered to dispatch the one thing that is like Kryptonite to all gorillas, and gorilla robot invaders. The hot chick !

See : RO-MAN fall in love! - See RO-MAN tie her up and tear her blouse off ! - See RO_MAN get his ass handed to him by the SUPREME GUIDANCE !

WOW! What a movie !

The Character of RO-MAN has been performed not only by George Barrows, but also by Bob Burns in "Robot Monster the special edition ", and most recently by modern gorilla man Tom Woodruff in Joe Dante's "Looney Tunes Back in Action".

Where will fate take RO-MAN next ? No one knows for sure !

Madhouse of Mystery

2011-10-06T02:47:00.000-07:00

A popular venue for the ol' Gorilla and Girl act were the spook shows that roamed America beginning in the 1930's. Dr. Neff's Madhouse of Mystery appears to be one of the more enduring acts that thrilled audiences with magic and a variety of ghoulish gags. Neff was based out of Indiana and performed there well into the 1950's. The outlandish gorilla and girl photo was recently listed on Ebay and I offer my thanks to George Chastain for the heads up on the pic.

More Monster Matrimony

2011-10-05T21:20:00.000-07:00

To accompany the Mighty Bongo's last post on Gemora and I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE here's a nice complement of ephemera from the film.

I Married A Monster from Outer Space

2011-09-29T16:49:00.000-07:00

A face only a mother ( or SCI-FI fan ) could love.

After the success of his beautifully crafted martian from War of the Worlds,Charlie Gemora followed it up with the memorable "space monster" from the 1958 classic ,"I Married a Monster from Outer Space". Tom Tryon and Gloria Talbott star in this odd story of creepy aliens possesing humans for arcane cross breeding "experiments".
After their honeymoon, Gloria Talbott starts noticing odd behaviour in her new husband (Tryon). Taking her concerns to her friends, all the women in town,who have recently had children, start notice all their hubbys acting in a weird, distant manner. All the men folk have been "replaced" by alien invaders who can assume the identity of anyone. The original husbands are secretly kept prisoner in a catatonic state back at the saucer( where else?) Soon the wives get the drift of whats going on, and the hunt is on to kill the aliens, and rescue the captured hubbys.

The aliens in the film were the handy work of our old gorilla hero, Charles Gemora.The look of the aliens was fantastic,with an organic, almost plantlike feel to it. Even today, the alien would not look out of place in any outer space cantina you may happen to find yourself in.

Charlie not only designed and built the costumes used in the film, but played the alien as well. Charlies ability to use "Body English" was pushed to the limits here as not only could his eyes not be seen , to convey emotion, but he could barely move the head at all. Things like a simple tilt of the head can go a long way to help convey feeling, and without that as an option, Charlie really showed his skill as an actor, through the use of movement with the rest of his body to get his point across.

Note the size difference between Tom Tryon, and Charlie Gemora as the alien.

An infinitely more imposing shot of Charlie, who was standing on a box, while Tryon and Gloria Talbott are in a seated position.

Crash, the Terror from Beyond Space!

2011-09-24T19:57:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite pastimes as a kid was the weekly viewing of "Creature Features", on Saturdays at Midnight , followed up by "Science Fiction Theater", on Sundays at 11:00 AM. One film that rotated on both programs was the classic "It, The Terror From Beyond Space."

Master monkey monster Ray "Crash" Corrigan played the title character in this fiendishly frightening flik! The human cast was led by heroic Marshall Thompson, with Shirley Patterson, Kim Spaulding and Dabbs Greer along for the horrifying fun.The rest of the cast are quite well acted, in this thriller that many have called the prototype for the movie "ALIEN".

As the story unfolds, a spacecraft is on a rescue mission to find survivors of a previous expedition to Mars. They find a lone survivor (Thompson) who claims that the rest of his party was wiped out by an unseen creature during a sandstorm. The crew of the rescue ship aren't buying it and blast off intent on turning old Marshall over for a court martial, and murder charges to boot! While cruising back to Earth, members of the crew start disappearing, and they soon discover that Thompson wasn't the only one that they up back on Mars. You guessed it, "IT"was aboard ! (cue scary music). Before you can say "Sigourney Weaver" panic was running rampant through the ship as the crew searched desperately to find the deadly nemesis before "IT" decimated the entire crew! The remaining survivors then......sorry, I'm not going to tell you, you've got to see "IT" yourself, if you dare !

But I WILL tell you about how Crash Corrigan became a monster from mars !.

Paul Blaisdell and Bob"Kogar"Burns, had the job of creating the beastly costume for Corrigan. They had asked for Corrigan to come to Blaisdell's studio to have accurate measurements taken to assure a proper fit of the costume. Corrigan instead sent a pair of his long underwear to Blaisdell as a guide.

With a near impossible deadline hurtling towards them,(and unable to wait for Ray to change his mind), Paul and Bob stuffed the long underwear as best as they could and proceeded to fashion a suit on it out of hundreds of rubber pieces they had molded to simulate the creatures reptilian hide. Since they didn't have a life cast to sculpt the head on, Paul used the cast at hand (His own head !) to sculpt the fearsome features of the creature. When the suit was delivered to the studio, the real nightmares began. The suit needed to be altered substantially to fit Ray, who was a good deal bigger than the had imagined. The worst part was the head. Remember , it was sculpted on a cast of Paul's head. Paul Blaisdell, was a little guy, both in stature, and in build. On the other hand Ray Corrigan was a huge guy, well over 6' tall, and a stocky muscular build. When Ray tried to put on the head, he nearly destroyed in the process. After several alterations and adjustments, the head finally made it on, but the mighty Corrigan chin protruded out of the mouth. Paul's solution was ingenious as he quickly fashioned a set of lower teeth that covered the bottom of Ray's chin, then he painted Ray's chin red to look like a tongue.

Bob related to me his memories of following Ray around with a can of contact cement, to constantly repair the damage to the suit from Ray going full out destroying props, sets, actors, etc. The production caused a lot of grief for Paul as he did a lot of extra work to help out Ray Corrigan, (including building a separate arm for the monster, so Ray didn't have to wear the whole suit when only the arm would show.)
Even with all this effort put forth by Blaisdell, he was eventually not allowed on the set, per some union regulation , and Bob was left to attend to the repairs on his own.

But despite all the traumatic goings on behind the scenes, "IT" still remains a true classic of SCI-FI cinema !

Ape from the Red Planet

2011-09-22T08:16:00.000-07:00

Charles Gemora spent most of his time on film frolicking about in a fur coat but on a few occasions he used his modest size and effects wizardry to create creatures very different from the gorilla suits that became increasingly realistic as his talents matured. Perhaps his most widely known cinematic contribution would be his creation of the Martian from George Pal's THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. Charlie not only built the truly 'alien' suit but also crammed himself into it and executed a memorable performance with the assistance of his young daughter, Diana. Diana Fox Jones recollected the tale of the WOTW filming to film writer Tom Weaver, sharing her memory of the frantic last minute alterations that led to Charlie pulling a challenging all nighter at the Paramount studio. The barely finished monster from the Red Planet damn near fell to pieces as cameras rolled. You can read more about Charles Gemora and the filming of the classic farmhouse scene on the Google Books app below:

Gorillas In Space!

2011-09-21T12:15:00.000-07:00

One of the fun coincidences among gorilla men is the fact, that by virtue of their skill with "Body English", they are also sought after to bring life to a variety of fantastic creatures !
Many of the gorilla greats of bygone days, have ventured not only to other Earthly animals, but extraterrestial ones as well!

This is me as the Solopticus in "Ghost of Garganta".

This is the digitally animated still from "The Amazing Colossal Woman".

Here is Bill Blacks winning entry as he appeared in the pages of Famous Monsters of Filmland.

Through the efforts of my furry co-horts, we've been menaced by robots, horny gorillas , popcorn munching elephantine aliens, martians, and wiggly, rubbery, monster menaces of every description.

To get the ball rolling, I'll delve into a monstrous monkey man I know like the back of my hand, yours truly,The Mighty Bongo, AKA, Chris Casteel. I've played Gorillas , in the films of micro budget filmmaker Bill Black for several years. Through our working relationship, Bill became aware of my skill as a special effects guy and creature designer. As such, Bill pressed me into service for his epic tribute to 50's drive in classics, " Ghost of Garganta", a follow up to his "Amazing Colossal Woman" starring 6' beauty, Brenna Barry.

My first task was to construct a 1/9th scale model ( from scratch) of a milk tanker truck, that the 60' tall giantess would pick up and drink from. Bill also tasked me to create a ghostly make-up on Brenna, for her first appearance as a ghost. After the day's shooting Bill asked if I would take a look at a photo of a creature he had created at 16 years old for a contest Famous Monsters magazine had sponsored. Bill was one of the 10 finalists in the contest with his one eyed creation, the Solopticus ! As a finalist, Bill had photos of himself,and his creation published in Famous Monsters #18( July1962 issue). He also was the winner of a whopping $10 dollar prize !

The poor Solopticus had deteriorated many years ago and was gone forever save the photos Bill had taken. Bill used stills of the Solopticus in the Amazing Colossal Woman with digital manipulation to provide motion to it, but now wanted to improve it by having a new head made using professional techniques.

I sculpted the new head on on a life cast of myself, and when completed the beastie had not only a mouth that could move, but a fully functional cable controlled single eye!

Since Bill like the way I could "express myself" with body language, he had me act as the Solopticus in the film. This was really fun as I got to act out my part in front of a green screen, with my spacecraft interior to be added later.( The spacecraft, and all the other CGI effects were brilliantly created by John Gotschall)

After filming, I did a recording session to give voice to this vile invader from the stars !

So having played this space menace, I get to join the ranks of all the gorilla guys who got to invade the Earth.

Ghost of Garganta, Amazing Colossal Woman, and all the Nyoka films I've been in as Satan the gorilla ( plus a whole lot more !) can be purchased at cultretro.com.

Tell 'em Bongo sent ya !

FUTURE VS FUR

2011-09-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

Colourful three sheet from THE MNSTER AND THE APE serial - I have yet to sit through it but I love the notion of robots and gorillas rampaging about in a 40's flick.

Don Post Hollywood Gorilla

2011-09-18T11:10:00.000-07:00

One of the great things about growing up in the 60's and 70's was the abundance of magazines and comic books catering to little monster fans like myself. As an avid reader of Famous Monsters of Filmland, I would optically devour every issue as I acquired it.

I loved the articles pertaining to gorilla movies the most, specifically the guy in a suit type.

The one thing in each and every issue that would stop me in my tracks was the great adds for Don Post Studios monster masks.

I would spend countless hours staring longingly at those magical black and white photos of the coolest masks on the planet.

The one that always singled itself out (to Me), was the Hollywood Gorilla !

It was an amazing piece of hand crafted latex rubber with a full head of hand applied hair !

The look of the mask exuded the quintessential essence of all those great gorilla classic films I had loved all my life.

It was only in the last 5 years that I learned the reason for this.

In an interview I read with the late Verne Langdon, ( the former co-owner and vice president of DPS)he stated that he had sculpted the Hollywood Gorilla from a clay press of Charles Gemora's ape face master mold ! ( The mask was later to be re sculpted by Pat Newman)

A clay press is the process of heating clay to soften it and pressing it into a plaster negative mold.

The clay is the removed and you have an exact replica of the original sculpture.( In this case, Charlies gorilla face.)

Verne then sharpened up the details that were distorted or lost during the molding process.

He also made subtle alterations to facilitate the production process.

Once the corrected sculpture was finished, it was covered in plaster in two halves (front and back) to make a new mother mold.

Liquid latex rubber was then poured into the molds and left to dwell until proper thickness was achieved by moisture being drawn away by the plaster.

The remaining latex was then poured out of the mold, and left to dry.

When dry the fresh rubber mask was powdered with talc on the inside to keep it from sticking to itself and removed from the mold as a thick rubber mask.

This was then painted and hair was applied to complete the look.

The Gemora sculpture that was used as the base was the gorilla used in "Phantom of the Rue Morgue", which was the greatest gorilla Charlie had ever sculpted.

This amazing mask was reproduced by Don Post several years ago as part of their 'Retro line masks"

I still haven't acquired one yet, but the search is still on !

The Most Exciting Serial Ever Filmed!

2011-09-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

Hold on now, do these guys look excited?

Eemeel, stop eet - You're keeeling meee!

2011-09-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

I think I just heard you groan. That would be the appropriate response.

You might think this would be the worst BEHIND THE APE BALL had to offer. But you would be wrong.

Untamed...Unashamed..

2011-09-16T07:48:00.000-07:00

Mr. Ormond, you should be ashamed! This film has got to be the worst piece of gorilla suit dreck on a level equal to TEENAGE ZOMBIES (1959) - it's been a good while since I watched this flick on VHS but I have no desire to revisit my disappointment. But I will admit to loving the saucy ad campaign.

Corrigan 1.0

2011-09-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

Inspired by Bongo's previous post about Corrigan's final appearance in his original suit in THE APE (1940) I rummaged through the Gorilla Men Vault for a pictorial record of the cowboy's initial run of appearances in feature film and serials. There were some tweaks to the suit over the years (howzabout a the uni-horn for FLASH GORDON!) but it was definitely getting ragged by the time he appeared in the Monogram cheapie THE APE (1940).

MURDER IN A PRIVATE CAR (1934)

DARKEST AFRICA (1936)

FLASH GORDON (1936)

ROUND-UP TIME IN TEXAS (1937)

THREE MISSING LINKS (1938)

THREE TEXAS STEERS (1939)

YOU'RE NEXT (1940)

THE APE (1940)

Bonga Corrigans last hurrah !

2011-09-14T15:06:00.000-07:00

Ray Corrigans fierce alter ego, Bonga ( short for N'Bonga), was the terror of the film and serial epics of the late 30's and early 40's. Bonga was the first gorilla suit that had been created specifically for Corrigan after having played one of the featured gorillas in Tarzan and His Mate.

The suit Corrigan wore in the Tarzan picture was created by Max Factor, with the artistic elements created by William Persona. After having performed as a great ape, old Crash just knew he had to have a suit of his own. With his great size and athleticism, Corrigan was a true King of the jungle. Fighting against Flash Gordon, and fighting side by side with Clyde Beatty in " Darkest Africa", Bonga had quite a diverse run as a cinematic simian.

By 1940, Bonga had been through quite a bit of wear and tear, and it was starting to show .

When "The Ape" starring Boris Karloff, was filmed in 1940, poor Bonga had come to the end of the line. In the close-up of the fierce escaped gorilla peering into mad doctor Karloffs lab, you can actually see Bonga's teeth showing through horizontal rips in the upper lip !

Not to be outdone, the lower lip had come unglued from the bent metal bar that pulled the lips into a fearsome display of teeth ! ( The photo above shows the damage.)

After filming "The Ape", Corrigan retired his old suit for good. He then had a new improved suit built that was even more frightening than the last.

The new suit debuted in " the Strange Case of Doctor RX"as seen in Gorilla mans post below, and went onto Nabonga and countless other classics. The new suit was named "N'Bongo ", and as you may suspect, was a huge influence on the name of my alter ego" The Mighty Bongo" !

Strange Ray

2011-09-14T07:19:00.000-07:00

It feels like it's been too long since 'Crash' Corrigan snorted his way into a post. Here's a handsome studio shot of Ray atop the fair maiden Anne Gwynne from THE STRANGE CASE OF DR. RX (1942), a mediocre entry into the 40's horror films with Lionel Atwill doing his best to creep us out as the tituler Dr. RX. I think this may be the only gorilla suit that incorporated a 'piercing' with that sturdy nose chain!

King of the Gorilla Men

2011-09-13T08:05:00.000-07:00

Here's a cherished piece of art that hangs in my wee alcove of comic books, film ephemera and vintage magazines. I found this gem on Ebay several years ago and upon purchase became fast friends with artist George Chastain who created the work as a tribute to the venerable Bob Burns. George is a gorilla film aficionado much like myself, who has been gracious with his encouragement and generous with his support of Gorilla Men.

You can appreciate George Chastain's work further on Facebook

The Mighty Bongo Nose his Stuff

2011-09-12T07:49:00.000-07:00

Having a genuine Gorilla Man as a co-hort here at Hollywood Gorilla Men has been a great pleasure. The Mighty Bongo has a depth of knowledge and a genuine relation to the craft and history of these unique performers that I could never achieve. I am routinely floored by his astute and critical observations on suits and films and consider myself one lucky monkey to have him aboard. Case in point - we had a friendly French fellow who had a very specific question that frankly left me scratching my noggin.

Hi,

I have a french blog about strange creatures, mainly fictional ( in movies, novels, etc... ) but including some scientific vulgarization ( like an article about animals living without oxygen )
at the link http://creatures-imagination.blogspot.com.

I will talk in a next article of ape suits in cinema ( because I am against CGI, I often recall ingeniosity of the practical special effects men ) made by Stan WINSTON,
Rick BAKER and others. In the introduction, I will explain the long search to have the better gorilla suit, and of course, I will give link of your site.

I read than Steve CALVERT was able to dilate the nostrils of the gorilla's head. Do you know how he was able to obtain this effects ?

And then I passed the question to Bongo:

The nostril mechanism was done a couple of ways. One way was to use a flat or circular piece of metal,that was cut to fit inside the raised areas of the nostrils.
This was attached to the metal frame, (sub-skull) by a small hinge at the bottom so it would flip outward at the top. A bent metal rod was attached to the plate, which extended beyond the hinge, entering the inside of the framework.
The end of the rod ( lever) was located at a point just touching the actor's upper lip. By pushing outward with your lips, it would cause the metal plate to hinge back tightly against the frame, pulling the rubber nostrils back into it, making a sort of sniffing effect. I think this is what Art Miles used for his nostrils and upper lip movement on his suit.

The other ,easier, less problematic solution was to use a rubber bladder, like a very thick balloon, attached to a piece of tubing and a sqeeze bulb.
The bladder would be attached inside the face behind the nostrils.
By sqeezing the bulb, the bladder would inflate and push the nostrils outward. This is the method most used, ( especially in suits that do a lot of heavy stunt type work.)
Since Steve did so much active stuff, he probably used the bladder effect as it wouldn't be damaged by an impact. The mechanical lever aproach would have been very fragile, and you would run the risk of busting you teeth out if you were to impact against something.

POPULAR SCIENCE article - mask understructure

Emil Van Horn understructure - Bob Burn's collection

Early Emil Erotica

2011-09-11T16:54:00.000-07:00

I have nearly exhausted the supply of saucy simians and strippers but it is a joy to see the sheer multitude of images brought together - my thanks to The Mighty Bongo for sharing the images of Emil in the twilight of his burlesque career. I have a notion who the dancer from the previous post might be. Here are a pair of pics that appear to be from the dawn of Emil's erotic adventures.

I came across this image long, long ago at the now defunct Girls and Giants (?)
website. The site's focus were beautiful dames in distress with a variety of oversize oppressors. The photo was not identified but had a site watermark that I subsequently photoshopped out. The image appears to be labelled 'French Casino Breauties' or possibly Beasties or Beauties. I haven't the foggiest if the photo was shot in France or maybe Louisiana, for all I know. It does appear to be of a similar vintage to the second image which was posted at the CHMB and identified by the fellow who posted it.

'Emil Van Horn as Ingagi, with Eleonore Wood at the New York World's Fair, 1939' The date is of particular interest because it pre-dates Emil's film credits which began after 1940.

Even More Emil VanHorn goodies !

2011-09-07T15:53:00.000-07:00

While we are on a role with the randy antics of Emil VanHorn, I just dug deep into the files and unearthed these shots of VanHorn at his horny best.

Many of these are from very late in his career, and as such, you can actually see his face mask starting to rot around the eyes and nose ! Emil, apparently would patch it with whatever materials were at hand, as he had difficult times toward the end and couldn't afford to have the head overhauled.

This was a necessity with gorilla men as the rubber the faces were cast from had only a limited life-span before it would start to break down.

All this goopy gorilla nose nonsense did little to slow Emil down as he carried off screaming cuties for quite some time on the strip circuit

Gorilla and the Maidens

2011-09-06T23:59:00.000-07:00

The image above is Emil up to his Beauty and Beast hijinx with a lady of unknown origin but I figured a photo reference would help you appreciate the several newspaper items below. Emil Van Horn spent a good deal of his career based out of Chicago and I often wonder what might have drawn him to the Windy City. Emil appeared under the stage name Tomba for this run, teamed up with Tambo, a snake dancer and his dance mate the Hindu Ape Goddess, Tieda. Triple t's are catchy!

Gorillas Prefer Blondes

2011-09-05T21:27:00.000-07:00

Of all of the fellows who have ambled across the silver screen in fur, the one man that continually fascinates me is Emil Van Horn. He is perhaps the most mysterious of the small club of professional Golden Age Hollywood Gorilla Men - he avoided being photographed out of suit (yet he was nabbed at least once!) and rarely spoke of his past in print. Snippets can be found here and there but what is known relates mostly to his activities beyond film. Gorilla suited performers have been active on the burlesque circuit since KONG became a household name and Emil saw value in having a steady income. Sex always sells! Throughout his film career Emil Van Horn performed in a variety of venues and acts across the US, chasing after barely clothed bombshells for more than a decade.

Much has been said of Emil and his simian stagecraft at the Classic Horror Film Board but this quote comes from film historian and scallywag, Tom Weaver (write that damn Gorilla Suit book already!) recollecting info the Gorilla Godfather, Bob Burns had shared with him.

From the Bob Burns Archives: Emil on Emil

For a girlie magazine of (possibly) mid-1960s vintage, Emil Van Horn wrote this short, humorous article about his current stint, performing in his gorilla suit in clubs for live audiences. Only the torn-out article still exists, with no indication of the name of the magazine. It was illustrated with shots of Van Horn menacing a gal dressed in a skimpy "jungle girl"-type outfit on the club stage.

My gorilla suit is especially made to my specifications and is all done by hand by costume artists in Hollywood. The complete suit weighs 65 pounds and it's made of Canadian bear fur, a rich coat such as a real gorilla sports.
I completely blacken the area around my eyes with theatrical greasepaint. This is very important since the eyes are a dead giveaway to my many imitators who copy the style of my suit but fall by the wayside with their grinning eyes and very ungorilla-like mannerisms.
Twenty minutes is the maximum amount of time that I can stay in the complete costume. The moment I come off stage, my handler gets me out fast. I then cry out and, with his assistance, pound on doors backstage, giving the illusion of a gorilla being caged until the next time he is set free.
On occasions to satisfy an audience I have attempted to remain in costume past 20 minutes. But this has more than once sent me to a nearby hospital to be revived by oxygen. And if you can imagine doctors giving a headless gorilla oxygen--well, just imagine it! It's laugh-provoking, but on more than one occasion it has saved my life.
Some five years ago, in Chicago, the gorilla was stolen from my locked car. I made appeals on the radio and the newspapers, but this mystery has never been cleared up. Perhaps the thief or thieves died of fright when they opened the trunk and saw the suit. My conclusion has been that it would have been bank thieves who stole the suit, planning to use it on a job to throw panic into bank employees and any witnesses. It has not been executed to my knowledge as yet. But it would have to be done within 20 minutes or there is going to be one very dead man inside a HOT gorilla suit. And in this case HOT means a little more than the term for stolen goods.
People have asked me whether members of the monkey family cringe from me when we come face to face in zoos or circuses. Chimps for one are petrified when they see me on a publicity binge, banging their cage as though I want to get inside and tear them apart.
Club patrons have broken bottles and chairs over my well-creased head to protect the female members of their party from the nasty gorilla that is tearing up their tablecloth and drinking their spirits--as well as threatening to carry the women off. There have been times I have had to rip my head piece off to show an angry drunken customer that there is a real man inside the suit. When that happens, they do not know how to react--whether to laugh or cry. Women sometimes run in terror, and, in more squeamish cities like Boston. my act has been banned by the police.
I have had many offers from TV and undoubtedly will do a series of films when I get time. People love to be scared, hence the great popularity of horror pictures.
On a publicity stunt in Detroit last year, a policeman (who I learned later had not been aware of the stunt) drew a gun and threatened to shoot me dead if I came another step. My handler shouted: "There is a man in the suit." But the policeman was not buying, until I shouted: "He is right...there is a man in the suit and it's me, Emil Van Horn."
That was my closest shave, and if he is reading this magazine I am certain that he is getting a chuckle out of an episode that could have been my last.
I will not consent to being photographed out of my costume since this, more than anything, would be destroying as an act such as mine creates such an illusion--and without this bit of doubt on the audience's part as to whether I am real or not, I would not have an act. I have made a very good living being a gorilla for hire, and after 24 years of the act still get a great thrill from the audience when I step into the role.

The first article here dates from 1941, the earliest instance of his burlesque career I have come across in my searches. I had the good fortune to find this gem on EBay some time ago when George Chastain had alerted me to the articles' existence. What is particularly remarkable about the piece is the rare unmasking of Emil - George had sent me the cleaned up and reworked image during our chats about the article (see above). I was struck by how dapper the fellow looked - I don't quite know what I was expecting but he does appear rather pleased (perhaps, the photo was shot post-girly grappling!). The photos were shot at the Florentine Gardens in L.A. - a popular destination for GI's during WWII.

The photo below corresponds to the first page of the article above - I found it at an image database ages ago.

The girl below tangled with Emil in the same stage show. Doris was apparently a regular of the Gardens.

More Emil to come! Stay Tuned!

Old And Gray Pongo

2011-09-03T23:49:00.000-07:00

YAY! The Gorilla Vault has been re-opened! All of my gorilla men files and photos accumulated over the past several years were finally retrieved from my crapped out PC and transferred to my shiny new Mac. It's a relief to finally see them again (though our family photos are conspicuously missing!).

A special thanks !

2011-08-31T15:52:00.000-07:00

WOW ! They did it, and $3,333 over the $11,000 goal !

We here at Hollywood Gorilla Men would like to take a moment to thank all the friends and fans of Bob and Kathy for their support and generous donations that have made the Beast Wishes documentary possible.

To Frank Dietz and Trish Geiger , a very special thank you for making this happen !

As Bob would say ; Two big Kong sized thumbs up !

Preserving Gorilla Men History: We Need You!

2011-08-28T18:03:00.000-07:00

Attention all gorilla suit devotees and sci-fi film fans. It has just come to my attention that a concerted effort is underway to fund a project to profile Bob Burns, last of the great classic Gorilla Men and custodian of genre film history. The documentary is spearheaded by the artist Frank Dietz, a name familiar to Monster Kids everywhere. I have included below Frank's pitch and links to the pledge site. They are so very damn close to their target, it would be a damn shame to see them start from scratch - the fund drive concludes on August 31st. I have pledged what my wallet can bear and I encourage you to do so. Every dollar makes a difference. If you have any affection for the history we celebrate here at Hollywood Gorilla Men, spread the word.
Thanks
Mark
aka Gorilla Man

We want to make this project a quality production, utilizing a professional crew and an experienced documentary editor. This, of course, requires funding. So, with Bob and Kathy's blessing, we have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds we need to complete our film.

Kickstarter is a highly successful online platform by which creators can pitch their projects, and anyone can contribute to it's set goal. In return, the project offers rewards to those who pledge, from DVD's to T-shirts to trips to visit the stars in Los Angeles. The bigger the pledge, the greater the rewards.

But Kickstarter is an "all or nothing" program. If we reach our set goal in the set time, we get the money. If we don't reach it, we get nothing, and the pledges are not collected. It's that simple. Trish and I have set our goal at the absolute minimum needed to shoot, although we could use more for promotion and distribution of the completed film. So we have 20 days to raise $11,000, or we go back to square one.

If you would like to help us reach our goal, please visit our project page. There you will be able to watch a short test video we've created that gives an idea of the film's content, plus more information about BEAST WISHES, and a list of the cool rewards available for contributors.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1824891397/beast-wishes-the-bob-and-kathy-burns-movie

Of course we understand if you are unable to donate, for whatever reason. If you can't, perhaps you could assist us by sharing our mission with others who might be able to help out. Either way, you would have the extreme gratitude of myself, Trish, and of course Bob and Kathy Burns.

This is going to be - as Bob would say - a "really, really cool" project. We would all love to have you join us on this great adventure!

Thank you, from all of us, for your consideration.

Sincerely,
Frank Dietz
Trish Geiger

Home Grown Gorilla

2011-08-22T22:09:00.000-07:00

I recently had the good fortune of becoming acquainted with illustrator Glen Mullaly at a local flea market when he stopped to thumb through my table of oddities. Glen's a very friendly and agreeable fellow whose style is reminiscent of classic children's books and 50's/60's magazine illustrations. As if his terrific abilities with ink and lead were not enough to win my admiration, Mr. Mullaly sent me the photo and accompanying newspaper clipping below. I have yet to pry his mask making secrets out of him but I am pretty damn impressed with his award winning Halloween creation from 1981 (that's his sis on the right).

Charlie Gemora unmasked !

2011-08-12T03:45:00.000-07:00

The recent post by Gorilla Man, about the comedic antics of Charlie Gemora, sparked my memory of one of my favorite Gemora funny bits.

The OUR GANG short BEAR SHOOTERS was a favorite when I were but a wee little gorilla man.

The way the gorilla hopped around after the kids burned a lasting memory in my childs brain. BEARS SHOOTERS also marked the first time I'd seen of a gorilla man being unmasked.

In the short, Charlie plays one half of a criminal duo of robbers who have decided to hide out in the woods until the coast clears. Charlie's character "Charlie" ( yes, they used his real name)has been delegated to wear a gorilla suit to scare off intruders.

Needless to say, the Little Rascals have decided at that moment to go bear hunting in the same woods. Charlie is sent forth to scare off those pesky kids , but the fierce band of little hunters are not about to loose their quarry, much to the misfortune of poor Charlie !

After suffering the indignities of being kicked in his furry backside by a mule, falling hands first into a bear trap after having been tripped by a rope snare, he is shot repetedly in the keester with a pellet gun and arrows, then Charlie sits on a beehive the rascals have placed under him.

The panic striken primate then calls upon his criminal cohort to save him, but his rescuer is chased off by Petey the dog after the villain removes Charlies ape head.

Charlie is hoplessly caught in the bear trap to be ravage by bees !

From that scene, I learned about the eye make-up that is a big part of being a gorilla man.

As a small child, at first I thought the black around Charlies eyes was a mask, like old school villains would wear, but later I reasoned out the purpose.

Charlie was the leader of the " Sweaty guys with racoon eyes " club !

Hubba Hubba

2011-08-10T23:01:00.000-07:00

Strippers and simians are like peanut butter and chocolate, tasty alone but a delectable treat when brought together. With the current Burlesque renaissance, the Beauty and Beast act has also enjoyed a revival across stages throughout North America and Europe. The dancer above is Pink Key Lee with her feel-copping cohort Gorilla X from the Hubba Hubba Revue - you can enjoy other images from this performance on her Flickr stream.

Gorilla Induced Guffaws

2011-08-07T22:43:00.000-07:00

Most cinematic gorilla appearances fall into one of three categories: Horror, Adventure and Comedy. Charles Gemora certainly gives his alumni a good run at the title of World's Funniest Gorilla Man (though I would have to have photo finish to determine the winner with Barrows in the race - Addam's Family anyone!?). Charlie regularly appeared in funny flicks throughout his career and his talents at evoking a guffaw or two often shined in some pedestrian attempts at humor. With his mischievous nature, superb grip on body language and timing, and gorilla suits that emphasized naturalism, Gemora created a body of work that supercedes the dated nature of the material. Although WHO KILLED DOC ROBBIN? has lost much of it's sizzle (and is deplorably racist in a few scenes), this still is a cute reminder that Charlie could always make em' laugh.

MORE on that last still with Gemora and fellow G-men, Art Miles and Emil Van Horn soon. Our resident Gorilla Man, The Mighty Bongo has chatted with Bob Burns and confirmed the source as THE LOST TRIBE, an entry into the Weismuller Jungle Jim films. Bongo's investigations leave me even more puzzled - but more of that in detail as time permits.
Stay tuned.

George of the Jungle !

2011-08-03T16:45:00.000-07:00

Like most gorilla men, if I were to ask you to pick George barrows out of a crowd, most would be hard pressed to do it.

In his guise as a gorilla on the other hand, George is a standout amongst his gorilla brothers !

One of the most physically imposing of the classic gorilla men, George towered over most of the simian competition.

A veteran of well over 200 appearances as a gorilla in movies, television, stage, commercials, and even print media, George was also one of the most prolific as well, yet very few have seen the man behind the monkey mask !

Presented for you now is an article from 1966 featuring the man, rather, the ape of the hour...

George Barrows !

JAWS VS APE

2011-07-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

Now I wasn't the swiftest kid in math class but I seem to recall the motley crew of the ORCA estimating the length of that Great White at 25 feet. Must be Bruce's big brother. Okay, so this ain't no comic book cover, but I also have a soft spot for JAWS and I couldn't resist.
To view the inspiration for the cover watch below:

Also check out:
SHARK VS GORILLA VS SNAKE

Gorillas amuck indeed !

2011-07-24T18:54:00.000-07:00

What an amazing find gorillaman !
You are absolutely correct, that is indeed Art Miles behind Van Horn !
If i'm not mistaken, behind Charlie, that looks to be Ray Corrigans second suit.
I could be Ray himself, or possibly Steve Calvert.
I'm on the hunt to find out what this delightful film is !

Gorilla Gang Goes Amuck!

2011-07-24T18:33:00.000-07:00

Now here's the stuff that mysteries are made of! This still is among the images that Charlie's daughter, Diana, had sent along to me a few years ago. Initially I had dismissed the image as possibly belonging to another performer's film but when checking out the image for posting this evening, I have surmised that it is Charlie in the foreground. I cannot for the life of me, figure out what film it may have come from. The suit appears to be the same one used for the Abbot and Costello flick AFRICA SCREAMS(1949), so it would peg the appearance from the early fifties. What I find terribly odd, and a little exciting (for a gorilla geek) is the ape to left of our possible Gemora. Call me crazy, but I will be damned if that isn't Emil Van Horn; the arm extensions and signature mug are hard to confuse with other major Gorilla Men. I spent the day in the sun so perhaps my brain might be cooked but I also think the gorilla facing the opposite direction next to 'Emil' has a profile that makes me think of the suit worn by Art Miles!

Perhaps I should sleep on it and see if I am seeing Gorilla Men where there are none tomorrow. Maybe our resident Gorilla Man himself, The Mighty Bongo, can shed light on this furry conundrum!

A lot more-a Gemora !

2011-07-18T14:57:00.000-07:00

A couple of posts ago, we were treated to photos of Charles Gemoras incredible "Sultan "the gorilla from Phantom of the Rue Morgue.

At the time Charles built "Sultan", he had reached the zenith of his gorilla creating career.

Bob Burns and I have spoken numerous times about the striking realism Charlie was able to achieve in this, his last gorilla suit.

Sultan featured not only the most realistic appearance ever achieved in a Hollywood gorilla, but included water filled bladders concealed in the suit, in areas where the actual heft of a real gorilla would have movement, the chest and belly for instance.

The realism of the face went unchallenged into the late 60's and early seventies.

If you were to say; what about Planet of the Apes ?

I would have to point out that while the ape make-ups were state of the art and utterly realistic,

they were still a blending of human characteristics and apes .

If you put General Ursus and Sultan next to a real gorilla, and asked people which looked most like the real gorilla, Sultan would win hands down.

But Sultan was the last of a long line of Gemora gorillas, who have all been from the very first gorilla Charlie ever made , to the last, always ahead of the pack in terms of realism .

Here, for your enjoyment is a collection of the many fearsome faces of Gemoras Gorillas !

The Furry of War

2011-07-18T09:00:00.000-07:00

I don't care how tough the Greatest Generation were supposed to be in the face of incredible adversity. If they faced a cadre of Nazis Uber Gorillas they would likely drop a brick and hightail it back to Jersey.

GOT APE?

2011-07-17T19:22:00.000-07:00

While GO AND GET IT is not strictly a gorilla suit film, the occasional ape man flick is always welcome here amongst the cinema of his anthropoid brethren. Image is by the way of the always awesome MONSTER CRAZY. Check 'em out.

Return to Rue Morgue

2011-07-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

For his last big screen simian appearance, Charles Gemora once again played Poe's killer ape in 1954's PHANTOM OF THE RUE MORGUE. At this point in his gorilla suit career, Charles was far from fit for duty. Heart troubles prevented Gemora from performing anything overly strenuous; stunt men doubled for any scenes of heavy action.
The pics above come from the private collection of his daughter Diana Fox Jones though the source of the images is not entirely clear. The image titles suggest scanned film cels but I cannot claim to be knowledgeable enough to know for certain.
Though the film is less than a stellar entry into the Horror genre according to most critics (though I have yet to find a DVD to determine my personal take on it), I have to imagine that Gemora drew some satisfaction in having his gorilla mug actually appearing on the screen in this reworked Poe tale. For those unfamiliar with the 1932 MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE, Gemora's gorilla suit is seen only in medium and long shots. Close ups of his grotesque killer ape were substituted for jarringly mismatched footage of a real live chimp!

Fred Humes and friend

2011-07-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

There are a few guys who've played gorillas over the years who have actually gained a certain measure of fame for their cinematic simian exploits.

For every Gemora, Corrigan, and Burns out there, there are an equal ( or greater) number of sweaty, hardworking guys shambling about in fur, who have received little or no recognition for their efforts.

One such man is Fred Humes.

While primarily a western actor,Fred played gorillas in several film in the 1920's.

Most notably "Lorraine of the Lions 1925" and "Circus Rookies 1928" in which he played Bimbo the Gorilla.Whilst dredging the web for whatever tidbit of info I could find, I came across this article about Fred Humes. While the contents of the text are not complete, It offers a glimpse of Freds formidable alter ego, while describing a bit of the workings of the head.

The suit is beautifully executed, in a style very reminiscent of the works of Charles Gemora.

There are most probably several other films and shorts in which Mr. Humes may have portrayed a gorilla, but as most Hollywood Gorilla Men went uncredited, we may never know for certain how many there were.

Kaiju Kong Undressed

2011-07-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

KING KONG VS GODZILLA (62) may not be the finest appearance of either characters but I confess to finding it rather enjoyable. I took great pleasure lending the disc to my nephew after a viewing in my home. He then tortured his poor mother by insisting upon watching it at least 20 times before she informed him Uncle Mark had to have it back.

The photo comes by way of THE GOOD,THE BAD AND THE GODZILLA - check the link and learn a little of the troubled production and the lawsuit filed by Kong animator, Willis O'Brien.

Oh Mighty Janos !

2011-07-13T14:19:00.000-07:00

Here's a childhood tidbit of gorilla goodness, from the time when Saturday mornings were cool !

Janos Prohaska makes friends with the Mighty Isis !

BAD Ape!

2011-07-11T21:41:00.001-07:00

Corrigan gets a wag of the finger for his murderous moneyshines.

THE SHADOW KNOWS, DON'T PISS OFF THE BIG MONKEY

2010-04-26T15:00:00.000-07:00

I must say, that gorilla really does appear to be enjoying himself! This ape may be an odd foe for the mysterious Shadow, but I love how the cover captures that early 20th century notion of the fearsome jungle beast. The simplicity of the layout accentuates the immensity of the enraged ape; the Shadow is tossed aside like a toy and the frantic maiden isn't about to run off anywhere with her locks twisted up in that crazed beast's fist. Typically Shadow covers portrayed the other-worldly detective as an omnipotent demi-god who taunts and dominates his criminal prey but here we have him looking decidedly mortal.

BOLLYWOOD GOES APE

2010-04-24T00:05:00.000-07:00

Way, way back when I first began this journey into the mysterious cinematic regions of the Gorilla Men, I recall coming across a mention of an East Indian picture called GORILLA that one would naturally assume, had a gorilla suited lead. Unfortunately, I was unable to uncover much about it and apart from coming across a few muddy pics of lobby cards on Ebay, I haven't given it much thought in quite some time. My usual auction crawl revealed the lovely poster above - and the angry fellow tossing about the native has given me a renewed desire to find this early Bollywood offering. The possibilities of a large scale musical dance number featuring a shaggy simian boggles the mind!
The poster above also features a nicely reworked swipe from THE BRIDE OF THE GORILLA, released two years earlier.

DOUBLE CROSS OF THE GORILLA RANGER

2010-04-19T15:00:00.000-07:00

I'd like to see him sneak up on a buffalo! How a giant ape figures into a comic about colonial America isn't exactly clear but then again the joy of silly Silver Age books like this issue TOMAHAWK is the ease in which the insanity can be explained in a handful of panels and exposition. No message boards with dedicated comic geeks to pick apart the logic of the plot in 1960, just frustrated letters to the editor. Later issues had the Revolutionary freedom fighter face off with another forty foot ape, King Colosso - if he was from the same Plains tribe as this gorilla in unknown.

TIPPY TOES

2010-04-14T19:24:00.000-07:00

I have tried three times to watch MARK OF THE GORILLA (1951) and I have yet to make it through without snoozing! It's by no means a terrible film but not one to excite the mind of a sleepy, old curmudgeon who has to watch gorilla suit flicks after the missus has gone to bed. I have a particular fondness for films that have the gorilla suit itself as a plot point. Rascally white men, in full simian regalia, are using the fear of the great ape to intimidate and harass African locals to do something dastardly that I forget because I keep nodding off. Naturally our hero Jungle Jim is not deterred. I was familiar with Weissmuller from the Tarzan films but I was unprepared for his decidedly unimpressive line delivery. When pressed to utter poly-syllabic words he seems to fall a little flat. I certainly prefer, "Me Tarzan, you Jane."
This still recently arrived at the Gorilla Den and features the sneaky tip-toeing of Steve Calvert.

A GO-GO GORILLA WITH A BIG BEAT

2010-04-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

Last week's post on gorilla comic book covers was a fine reminder of how much damn fun I once had perusing the comic bins for ape-ly artwork. It was my curious little project Comic Book Gorillarama that lead me down the jungle path to discover the Gorilla Men of Golden Era Hollywood. It seems fitting that I look back to four colour simians of years past and share some of my favourite comic book covers on a regular feature here at G-Men. I usually need a pick-me-up on Mondays after returning to the drudgery of earning a proper living so I can get more Gorilla Stuff therefore you can depend on a regular post highlighting a favourite cover from my CBG Flickr sets. I hope you return again and again to enjoy.

Hawkman was a Golden Age character who finally earned his own title in 1964 for a short lived run but remains today as an iconic DC character. Murphy Anderson bangs out a beautiful cover with Katar Hol facing off with a distant cousin of those winged monkey bastards from The Wizard of Oz. Even though HAWKMAN only ran 27 issues, the Thanagarian policeman had the distinction of not one, but two flying gorilla covers.

STRANGLER OF MEN - KIDNAPER OF WOMEN!

2010-04-11T19:22:00.000-07:00

Print Advertisement for the first film adaptation of the smash hit stage production - March 4th, 1928.

ORIGINS OF A BEAST AND HIS BEAUTY

2010-04-10T22:48:00.000-07:00

It's rare that I have a mystery dispelled so quickly but my recent creation of a Tumblr page has revealed the origins of the image in the previous post THE BEAUTY OF THE BEAST. As I discussed in the post, the photo of Ray "Crash" Corrigan had been retouched and manipulated to produce the drooling monstrosity that hunches over the limp half naked body of a fair woman. While the risque setup suggested some sort of relation to a burlesque promotion, it was an odd arrangement for Corrigan to be involved in. I could not recall where I had stumbled across the photo on the web but this evening I was shocked to bump into it again. Following the bread crumbs of attribution links, I finally came upon a Tumblr page where the photograph had credits and a title.

William Mortensen, L'Amour

"SEX is of course the subject interest, which is here given additional morbid pungency by the sadistic implications of the theme." -- Mortensen

I confess that I have not heard of Mortensen before but his career and creative work is fascinating.

From
Monsters & Madonnas: Looking at William Mortensen An essay by Cary Loren

William Mortensen (1897 - 1965) was one of the most well known and respected photographers in America in the thirties. He worked primarily in Southern California as a Hollywood and studio portraitist and later taught his methods and ideas to younger generations. (See Larry Lytle's online biography of Mortensen.) Mortensen's obscurity today is mainly due to his championing of Pictorialism, a force within photography that promoted retouching, hand-worked negatives, chemical washes, and an artistic, painterly approach that soon faded with the advance of modernism.

The Mad Hatter above is the man himself. While Mortensen's technique has an appeal for modern viewers who have been tempered by the pervasive manipulation of reality in all types of media, his contemporary critics were not as accepting.

From
Monsters & Madonnas: Looking at William Mortensen An essay by Cary Loren

Mortensen was considered an anachronism in photography, an outsider in a field that rejected the theatrical set-ups, retouching and strong imaginative subject matter. Ansel Adams, high priest of the straight print, described Mortensen as both "the devil" and "the anti-Christ." Historians seem to have sided with Adams, as there are few mentions of Mortensen in most of the major photo histories.

From what I can see of Mortensen's subject arrangements, it appears that he worked with live models and props (during the creation of L'amour). My brief perusal of his work seem to indicate he did not alter photos of this period by compositing separate photographic elements. My supposition is Ray posed for the photo but I will have to contact those more learned about Mortensen to lend their thoughts on the matter.

To learn more about William Mortensen read the essay quoted above and also check out another fine page on the artist at The Scream Online. The second article also features a illuminating description of Mortensen's process-well worth checking out.

BEAUTY IS THE BEAST

2010-04-09T21:20:00.000-07:00

I adore burlesque "Beauty and Beast" acts of old where ill-fitting, gorilla suited guys sweated it up on stage, pawing and groping pretty gals in skimpy, diaphanous outfits. A delightfully surreal twist on the act blends the two elements together in a Siamese twinning of the fair maiden and her animalistic tormentor. Pictured below is Little Brooklyn, a modern burlesque dancer I discovered on MySpace, who still cavorts about the stage in the same fashion as her predecessor above.

Gorilla Men wants you to check out a photo on MySpace in the My Photos album

Image originally discover on Tumblr courtesy of PHANTOM OF THE RADIO

ROAMS THE AUDIENCE IN THE DARK!

2010-04-08T23:29:00.000-07:00

Ladies accompanied by one of those squeeky voiced, pimply punks can expect things to go very badly once the house lights dim.

GORILLAS SERIOUSLY THINK

2010-04-07T00:27:00.000-07:00

I just don't spend enough time with my favourite four-colour simians anymore. Several years ago, I cobbled Comic Book Gorillarama together to celebrate my love of the Gorilla Cover - a devious sales ploy cooked up in the 1950's by editors at DC Comics to suck the hard earned coinage out of the pockets of unsuspecting children. Ah, simpler times....

GORILLA VS BELA

2010-04-06T00:08:00.000-07:00

I have such mixed feelings about RUE MORGUE - I love Lugosi without refrain, he can do no wrong, even in a somewhat muddled rendition of the classic Poe tale but the butchery of Gemora's role as Erik the ape is painful to watch. Ludicrous inserts of a real chimpanzee was substituted for all of Gemora's suit closeups. Why it was thought to be necessary when Gemora's talents in INGAGI(1930) had fooled audiences into believing the ape was the real deal just 2 years earlier, I cannot fathom. I will simply have to soothe my savage emotions with this wonderful still of our two stars having a difference of opinion. Unfortunately, this gem surpassed $100 on Ebay some time ago and I had to let slip through my fingers.

KILLER-DILLER GORILLA

2010-04-05T19:58:00.000-07:00

Somehow "Kink Kunk" sounds dirty to me but I am relatively depraved in the first place. Atom Ant puns like mad in this classic Hanna Barbera toon - a nice light way to cap off a moody Monday.
Enjoy!

THE BEAUTY OF THE BEAST

2010-04-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

Gorilla suit "Beauty and Beast" photos are far from rare but this shot of Ray "Crash" Corrigan in his earliest suit stands out as a particularly odd and unique image of the Cowboy apeman. While Emil Van Horn migrated from the silver screen to the stripper's stage and back again throughout his career, I can think of no other Gorilla Man who cavorted about with scantily dressed erotic dancers. Our resident g-man The Mighty Bongo discussed the shocking still with Bob Burns who recalled seeing the image years ago. Bob felt confident that it is a pastiche of a Corrigan still and some studio elements - he expressed the unlikelihood that Ray would be involved in a risque topless shoot. Ever the sharp eyed ape, Bongo noted the proportional differences between gorilla and gal. With Ray approximately 6'6" in his suit, the lovely lass would measure about 4'6". Bongo also remarked that the eyes have been accentuated with a little white and a tasteful helping of drool was added to the gruesome grimace.
Regardless of the photos dubious origins, it remains a salacious and disturbing tableau, indicative of the twisted undercurrents of the psyche of years past.

$500 REWARD FOR ESCAPED GORILLA!

2010-04-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

Repost from PCL LINKDUMP with addition of Window Card

The Spook Shows that pervaded the local movie houses of the 50's and 60's must have been a real rush for the impressionable youth who cozied up with their steadies as ghouls, gorillas and ghosts terrorized them as second rate B pictures flickered on the screen. I have been hunting about for any Real Live Gorilla appearances and have been duly impressed by the promises made by the Mad Ray-Mond - forget the 500lb Gorilla that "becomes aroused at the sight of beautiful girls" - Buzz saws cut off heads!!? Oh brother!

Here's a quick history on the Spook Show phenomenon and some handsome window cards also available as T-Shirts.

(The ad above was chopped and stitched for easy blog viewing)

SPOOK SHOW AT THE OASIS

2010-04-01T00:48:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 3-28-2010

I love the notion of the spook show - the prospect of a live gorilla (man) rampaging through the crowds as KONG tosses sailor's into the crevasse on Kong Island makes me giddy. I imagine the reality of the experience is something less than the hype but if you were twelve, I'm betting it was pretty damn fun. Below is a great piece on a local Halloween Drive-In spook show in 60's Iowa - the print photo of the menacing ape is pretty muddy but the list of hijinks in the text is awe inspiring. 50,000 crickets dropped from a helicopter! A legion of gorillas and ghouls terrorizing the popcorn munching populace!
Forget AVATAR and 3-D chum, take me back baby!

Thrills, scares and fun will be part of the Halloween program when a giant Spook-tacular takes place at the Oasis Drive-In Theatre, Higgins and Elmhurst Roads, Saturday night.
Weighted ghosts and 50,000 imitation crickets will be thrown from a helicopter over the cars, as a ground barrage frightens off the invaders. Twenty actors dressed as full grown gorillas, apes, skeletons and ghosts will pop all over the place trying to scare the audience and then make up for it by giving each patron a free mask. Each child will also receive a free mask and a real pumpkin
BEFORE THE show starts at 5:30, there will be a costume parade for the kiddies between 5.30 and 6:30, followed by a costume contest at 6:45 with dozens of free prizes.
"Witchcraft," a story of ghouls returning after 300 years to leap blood havoc, starring Lon Chaney, and "The Horror of It All," a man-monster horror film starring Pat Boone, are the screen fare. The driver of every 13th car will be admitted free, and so will the driver of every car with a 13 in the license. All occupants in every car with a black cat will be admitted free.

UNBELIEVABLE PICTURES OF THE MONKEY WORSHIPPERS!

2010-04-01T00:45:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 3-25-2010

Between uploading gallery items to Flikr, transferring posts to Gorillamen 2.0 (and here we are), and sifting through NewspaperArchive.com for all manner of gorilla suit film ads, articles and fresh leads on Gorilla Men, I'm amazed I still find the time to post something here! I am still in information overload mode with the archive searches. Here's a wee sample of FORBIDDEN ADVENTURE (1935) print advertisements - another flick following in the deplorably racist footsteps of INGAGI, coupling tedious travelogue footage of Angkor with staged sequences of jungle giants and their amorous native girls. More to come.

ACTUAL JUNGLE SECRETS

2010-04-01T00:43:00.001-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 3-21-2010

It's hard to believe that INGAGI played the roadshow circuit for nearly 25 years or more. Despite the revelation that the film's main attraction, that of native and gorilla coupling, had been exposed as fraud the very year it was released, crowds still flocked in great numbers across the US to see for themselves what the controversy was all about. This ad dates from 1946, sixteen years after INGAGI had it's sensational debut in 1930, yet the copy still proclaims "Attendance records smashed!". While this is most likely to be total hype, the fact that the film remained in circulation is astounding.
Why the Satanic floating head accompanies the proclamations of "Daring! Dynamic! Humane!" I have no idea! But it certainly catches the eye, don't it!

GIANT GORILLA VS MONSTER COBRA

2010-04-01T00:42:00.001-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 3-16-2010

GAME ON!
via MONSTERCRAZY
SEE THE SHOCKING CONCLUSION!! at COMICS OUGHTA BE FUN!

...A HUGE GORILLA WITH A HUMAN BRAIN! LOOSE!

2010-04-01T00:41:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 3-14-2009

I have spent a lot of time poking about Gemora ephemera and print articles as of late. With newly purchased access to a few newspaper databases, I have come across scads of material about all of our usual players on GORILLA MEN, Corrigan, Barrows, Calvert, Van Horn and, of course, the Greatest of them all, Charles Gemora. After many years of scrounging Ebay and local libraries for anything to do with these films and performers, I can say that I have uncovered relatively little information about them. Without having close and easy access to the various institutions down in sunny California that house the bulk of American entertainment history, it has been a tough go for a pathologically obsessed geek, trapped on Vancouver Island. The first day I started perusing the LA TIMES and CHICAGO TRIBUNE the wife was disturbed by my little girl screams as I stumbled across item after item about my favourite fellows. There is a surprisingly rich vein of material to be drawn from the daily rags, so rich, in fact, that I have difficulty reigning in the desire to keep searching for the next piece and focus instead on appreciating how a particular discovery fits into the tapestry. It's been a thrill to trip across a number of articles that confirm suspicions I've held and others that have illuminated other Golden Age gorilla men I was unaware of. There's a great deal to digest and share, with more surfacing every week but I've guaranteed that I won't run out of steam any time soon.
THE MONSTER AND THE GIRL (1941) still I posted a few days back inspired me this afternoon to search the year of release for material related to the film and here is nice selection of print ads for the film.
More great stuff to follow!
Enjoy!

THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE PRIMATE

2010-04-01T00:39:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 3-14-2010

I'm gonna venture a guess that this commercial is Thai but I'm probably wrong. Anyhow, I've got Kong on the brain after Rhoderic sent me his new video and this recent ad made me smile...and the ape's not too shabby!
Enjoy!

Here's another ad with a former Kong co-star by the same outfit that produced the pen commercial. Give it a whirl -it's a damn shade funnier than the first!

KING KONG RETURNS TONIGHT!

2010-04-01T00:37:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 3-13-2010

It's been sometime since I first posted about Rhoderic Land and his charming song, KING KONG TONIGHT and I must admit I haven't spun that tune on the ol' hard drive for many months now. I just received a heads up from Rhoderic himself, that he has created a video for his signature work - it's a simple affair but true to Land's lounge persona. I am quite struck at how catchy and enjoyable KING KONG TONIGHT remains to my ear - a good sign a classic has been crafted.
Give the video a view and pop over to Amazon to download the tune and sample his other wares!

THE RETURN OF NYOKA THE JUNGLE GIRL

2010-04-01T00:34:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 3-9-2010

You would think that anyone with a passion as singular as mine would have a deep and abiding affection for all things gorilla suit but the truth is, my love for the profession wanes somewhat once you look past the work of Bob Burns. With the arrival of effects wunderkind Rick Baker in the seventies , the 'gorilla suit' would eventually become indistinguishable from the real flesh and blood animal it is meant to depict. I love the film and images of Golden Age Hollywood Gorillas because of their evocations of the idea of a mighty jungle beast . Why this preamble to a review of a cheesy ribald tribute to serials of old? Bill Black's new short THE RETURN OF NYOKA THE JUNGLE GIRL not only celebrates and pokes fun at the classic Saturday matinee cliffhanger but it also features a Modern Gorilla Man, Chris Casteel, who would not look out of place alongside Gemora, Corrigan or Van Horn in his guise as The Mighty Bongo. Not to confuse names, but Bongo appears as the fearsome ape Satan, played by Emil Van Horn in the original serials.

NYOKA is naturally patterned after the classic source material with other twists thrown in, namely the appearance of the Crimson Skull who has resurrected the devil ape Satan with the mystical Amulet of Vultura (the gorilla's former master). The story unfolds with Satan on the lam and Nyoka Gordon in possession of the charmed bauble. It's not long before our comely heroine is in dire straits at the hands of the Crimson Skull and his simple minded henchmen. Fisticuffs, firefights and fearsome fur on flesh action follows!

One clear difference 50 plus years make from one incarnation of Nyoka to another - Kay Aldridge, the last jungle girl, never looked so shapely. Bill Black obviously has a penchant for well endowed women. His selection of other original offerings at Cult Retro are unmistakably cleavage oriented and I am unashamed to admit it certainly got me interested in forking over the $11.95 to download the flick. Where Black's material distinguishes itself is the execution of a simple premise with a flair, humour and style that I found surprising for what could have been a dreary retread with boobs. A major challenge faced with any tribute work, big budget or no budget, is establishing a psychological bridge to the beloved original. The usage of the classic music cues and sound effects of the 40's production immediately had me engaged - a thrifty and effective choice. The 30 minute 'Chapter' has a lively pace with a decent allotment of shots and cuts, always keeping the viewer engaged, and I also found the action and dialogue to be pretty damn snappy for a home grown effort. NYOKA features a surprising number of laughs as the cast skewer Serial touchstones like not sticking around to witness the hero/heroine done in by the death trap of the day or through the delightfully hammy delivery of their lines. Did I mention breasts yet? I'm a weak, red blooded male and I would be a damn dirty liar if I didn't admit to enjoying Nicola Rae jiggling about while tussling with the villains. What makes Nicola all the more enjoyable is her capable performance that keeps your eyes above her shoulders - most of the time. I will note however that the outtakes at the conclusion of the serial, reveal Nicola's natural, youthful charm and I hope she can further tap into that for future returns as Nyoka.

And what of the ape you say? Chris Casteel's performance as Satan feels torn from the celluloid of old. The suit appearing in NYOKA is a recent construction that looks impressive in action and the ape's visage is a curious amalgam of gorilla mugs familiar to fans, a bit of Bob Burns, a shade of Barrows, but with a personality that is singular and distinct. For me it is gratifying to see a lost art embraced and represented so effectively. Satan has a presence in NYOKA that nearly outshines his buxom co-star.
Put simply THE RETURN OF NYOKA THE JUNGLE GIRL is fun. Bill Black's home studio production bears up to repeat viewings because it's true to roots of it's premise but also has a naughty playful attitude that will beckon to me again and again. And it's got a gorilla, so there - it's just about perfect!

Where will The Mighty Bongo appear next? Well, I'm pleased to report that shooting will commence on another chapter of Nyoka later this month. I'm curious to see what Bill and his players have in store for us and wish them all the best.

You may have noticed the addition of The Mighty Bongo underneath ol' Kong on the sidebar as GORILLA MEN's official Gorilla Man - I'm thrilled to have Bongo's acceptance of this humble honour and eagerly anticipate sharing his lifelong quest to tread in the footsteps of Gemora and his brethren in posts yet to come. In the meantime download or order THE RETURN OF NYOKA THE JUNGLE GIRL - it's GORILLA MEN ape-proved.

THE MAGNIFICENCE OF THE MONSTER

2010-04-01T00:32:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 3-8-2010

I love this still of Charlie from THE MONSTER AND THE GIRL - I find it astonishing that this suit was created almost fifty years before Baker's penultimate work on GORILLAS IN THE MIST. Gemora's suit and performance had a natural quality that none of his contemporaries could match.
Enjoy!

THE MONSTER AND THE GIRL

2010-04-01T00:30:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 3-5-2010

A recent find on Heritage Auctions who graciously post high quality images for poor thieves like myself. Bless their hearts.
THE MONSTER AND THE GIRL one sheet and related materials are in seeming short supply. I have come across very little to do with the film over the past six years - though I do have a handful of nice still repro's compliments of his daughter Diana via Bob Burns I believe and one gem procured from EBAY with the original title D.O.A on the credits. Although this one sheet is not my favourite representation of Charlies suit from the film, I do love the colour scheme and the lovely prostate form of the titular girl.

GORILLA MEN OF MARS

2010-04-01T00:29:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 2-27-2010

I was perusing the CLASSIC HORROR MESSAGE BOARDS and stumbled across a request for some pics of the Martian from George Pal's THE WAR OF THE WORLDS (1953). Most persons who even know the name Charles Gemora probably are aware of him for him connection to the classic sci-fi film. Charlie not only built the uniquely alien Alien, but he also played him in the film with the assistance of his young daughter Diana. I was happy to receive some great scans from Diana a while back and here a host of shots of the unfinished beastie and a wonderful pic of Charles getting under the skin of the extraterrestrial invader.
You can read a detailed account of how the iconic creature came to life at Diana's site here.
Enjoy!

THE THRILL OF YOUR LAFFTIME!

2010-04-01T00:26:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 2-25-2010

Oh to be a copy writer of yore! Truly groan worthy ravings abound in the advertisement for the 1927 film adaptation of the play THE GORILLA. However, the ad does feature prominently the fearsome creature and his pale unconscious dame. I wanted to post something new and this just arrived in the mail. Work progresses on GORILLA MEN 2.0 (where you're currently reading this post!) and I am doing my best to accelerate the information transfer from Serendipity to Blogger. I imagine there is some high falutin' high tech way to transfer the posts lickedity split but I am going the low tech route of cut and paste, repeat, repeat, repeat...

GORILLA MEN REDUX

2010-04-01T00:23:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 1-30-2010

Oh where does the time go?
It's been five years since I first started scribbling away about Gorilla Men. Though my efforts have ebbed and flowed over these many months, I find I always return to this testament of my strange fascination. This recent lapse lasted longer than than I would have liked but such is life.
Yet, here we are again - and what next? More of the same, naturally, I'm not trying to change the world - just lovin' the monkey, man.
But - before I resume regular transmissions - there needs to be a overhaul of my chosen venue. I have decided to transfer all the material contained here to a more stable home at Blogger. My current blog software has managed to frustrate me on many an occasion and I have had enough. Add in the prolonged outage caused by a reworking of my hosting provider's software that left this place offline for several weeks without my knowledge and I am ready for a simpler solution.
Frankly, I look forward to revisiting my roots and perhaps trim and brighten a few of my older posts. Not all material will migrate over but I could afford to lose any blog blather not worthy of preservation. Also, the gallery provider I had uploaded much of my pics to went through a refit that has left my former setup inaccessible. No matter - I was planning on expanding the available galleries on Flickr. Lucky me - now I have no excuses to avoid it!
SO- in the meantime, there will probably be not too much in the way of new posts on this outlet, but I might need to break up the renovations with an item or two. Once the work is complete, I will anchor the Blogger page at gorilla men.com. Don't spin that dial - I'll bring the new and improved Gorilla Men to you.
If you're curious to see how it's unfolding pop by to the OTHER Gorilla Men. (If you're reading this you're ALREADY here!)

THE MONKEY FOLK

2010-04-01T00:21:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 5-23-2009

I love the crude, otherworldly ape men of early cinema. The limitations of special effects coupled with a naive design sensibility introduced movie audiences to strange offshoots of the evolutionary tree.
This lobby card from the silent 1918 incarnation of TARZAN OF THE APES has some great details that deserve a closer look.
Enjoy!

SPOOK BUSTIN'

2010-04-01T00:17:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 5-22-2009

I can't stand much of the Bowery Boys' antics - to be fair though, they have made a multitude of films and I have only attempted to endure a handful. Naturally, I'm drawn to this little gem because of the incredible gorilla suit worn by Art Miles. I love Art's suit - it is distinctive and has a natural aspect that stands apart from most that you see on film during the 40's. Surprisingly, this suit has appeared in just a handful of films though Art Miles has dozens of credits for bit roles from the early 30's until 1950. I have a notion there may be a few more out there waiting to be discovered since he employed it over nearly a decade.
The trailer below has a quick glimpse of Art about 2/3rd's of the way through, so be sharp.

GORILLA VS STUART

2010-04-01T00:14:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 5-21-2009

It's a damn shame MadTV has finally bit the dust while SNL chugs along with consistent mediocrity. One character that never fails to delightfully creep me out is the demented man-child Stuart.

WHERE'S THE CRAYONS?

2010-04-01T00:12:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 5-20-2009

GORILLA VS GRANDMA'S

2010-04-01T00:09:00.001-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 5-19-2009

Found at bighappyfunhouse via hugo-strikes back via RETrOZONe

PAGAN LOVE IN THE JUNGLES!

2010-04-01T00:07:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 5-19-2009

Released under a variety of titles, FORBIDDEN ADVENTURE, ANGKOR, GORILLA WOMAN and others, this depraved tale of African ladies coupling with jungle apes, is 99% rambling travelogue and 1% unnatural interspecies mating. Although the material seems camp and surreal to a modern viewer, it has a truly despicable premise, perpetuating racist portrayals of native women as sub-human creatures willing to submit to the will of jungle beasts. However, having actually seen the SOMETHING WEIRD dvd release, it's hard to keep that reality in mind while plodding through the flick waiting for the monkeys to come for their maidens. Time has dulled the ugly edges of this well worn exploitation road show staple. I have a pressbook from one of the later re-releases, GORILLA WOMAN and have scanned much of the material for your perusal. The one sheet for FORBIDDEN ADVENTURE and GORILLA WOMAN were pulled from Heritage Auctions.
Enjoy!

PRIMARY PRIMATE

2010-04-01T00:04:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 5-18-2009

Is he available for adoption?

FALSE ADVERTISING

2010-04-01T00:03:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 5-18-2009

When I began to get serious about creating a catalogue of gorilla suit films, I quickly discovered there were a number of films that appeared to be promising candidates but actually had a trained chimp as the menacing beast or pasted in some stock jungle shots of apes in the wild. THE HAIRY APE has a great one sheet featuring a gruesome looking suit but as far as I have been able to discern - does not appear in the film at all.
Despite the fact that THE MONSTER WALKS (1932) falls into this category of gorilla-free flicks, the poster has a wonderful silhouette of the ambulatory ape.

ORIGINAL GORILLA

2010-04-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 5-14-2009

I have been meaning to get this scanned and up for consumption for bloody ages. Many moons ago I missed out on an Ebay auction for an issue of THEATRE MAGAZINE that featured a wonderful photo spread of the stage production of THE GORILLA. The dark house mystery comedy was immensely popular with the theatre crowd and critics, leading to no less than 3 direct film adaptations. Before Ebay made bidding completely anonymous, the winning bidder realized he had beat me out for the mag and dropped me a line. I am kicking myself that I can't recall exactly who it was but I am pretty damn sure it was Gary Prange. I believe that Gary was gathering research for his stellar article APE FIENDS OF THE SILENT ERA for MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT and he shot me an email mentioning he would be happy to pass it along once he was finished with it. I would have been perfectly pleased with a decent scan but true to his word, he sent me the book we had sparred over and HE had purchased with his hard earned dollars - even paid for the darn shipping. Now you can see why I am feeling like a wee bit of a twat for not having a 100% recall about the act of generosity. Anyhow - check out Gary's article in MFTV #22 and #23, they are still available on the site.

CATHARSIS THROUGH APE

2010-03-31T23:55:00.001-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 5-16-2009

Now doesn't that feel better?

THE GORILLA OF THE GAS-BAGS

2010-03-31T23:54:00.001-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 5-15-2009

Nothing like a perfect convergence of two passions - no, not peanut butter and chocolate, but rather dastardly apes and airborne dirigibles. Why zeppelins thrill me so, is hard to define. Like the fine men who tried to conquer the air in this mammoth, awkward, inevitably doomed form of transport, I am enthralled by the titanic majesty of the graceful behemoths. Never mind that if you get caught by a nasty storm you can kiss your inflatable keister goodbye.
But I digress...
Aeronautic apes..
ahhhhhhhh!...

NOT THE JOE I KNOW

2010-03-31T23:53:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 5-14-2009

My daughter went through a charming phase of obsessively watching MIGHTY JOE YOUNG for a month or two this past year and gave her loving father great hope that she might prove to be a kindred spirit. I'm thrilled to say that we now regularly watch Monster Movies like THEM! or THE MOLE PEOPLE. When I caught a glimpse of this fearsome face, I was struck by how unlike Joe this beastie is. I must confess, even when the little lady insisted we watch MJY again and again, my enthusiasm and love for the charming tale was never diminished. Harryhausen created one of cinema's most beloved animals -with his hands and imagination. Truly stunning..

STILL GORILLA

2010-03-31T23:51:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 5-14-2009
As promised, more silent gorilla thrills with a still from 1927's THE GORILLA. The shot itself is somewhat lacking, with the fearsome beast slouching and blankly staring at the lens. I have seen other images from the same sitting that are more theatrical than this one, however, I appreciate the opportunity for a nice full frontal gander at this suit.

GORILLA THRILLA

2010-03-31T23:49:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 5-11-2009

I have a number of early items from THE GORILLA I am planning on posting in the coming days. This still purports to depict a screening of the silent thriller at the Monkey House of the Pittsburgh Zoo - damned if I know whether or not the scenario is genuine but shouldn't there be a screen in front of the trio that constitutes the audience? I assume the shot is somewhat tongue in cheek but pretty weak for my modern sensibilities.
I love the bold graphics of the accompanying poster and the suggestion the titular hairy bugger is one gigantic, ugly bastard.
Now I'm pumped to buy a ticket!

PERVERSE GORILLA POLKA

2010-03-31T20:59:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 5-10-2009

This mag's been kicking around the Gorilla Den for some time now - hell, it was already sitting in the scanner waiting for me to get my ass in gear.
Truly awful title for the photo spread - polka doesn't quite capture the essence of provactive interspecies courting. The text names the gorilla as Scotty Roche, who apparently learned the craft from his Hungarian poppa who also performed a similar act back in the homeland. Scotty's wife, Diane Revere, is the Beauty to his Beast.
I haven't come across any other references to this particular act outside of this men's mag but the duo worked the Sunset Strip and there is likely local publications of the period that mention them.
Enjoy!

MEAN LOOKIN' MONKEY MAN

2010-03-31T20:57:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 5-9-2009

Gorgeous George, Kotsonaros was not. This Greek wrestling dynamo has one major ape-man credit from THE WIZARD (1927) but I have a sense there may have been others. The still perfectly illustrates that George had one mean mug and made for a striking heavy.
More about George Kotsonaros.

PULSATING CAGES OF HORROR

2010-03-31T20:54:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 5-8-2009

Oh, sure, it sounds promising, but instead of fiendish , we get fidgety furball.
I watched this Grade Z schlock slog some years ago and was immediately crestfallen over the brief gorilla bit and the fact that it was mostly out of focus.
At least the poster's cool...

Who wants their money back?

THE GORILLA IS COMING!

2010-03-31T20:51:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 5-7-2009

I had entertained the notion of redesigning the family letterhead but I will venture a guess the wife will not allow any damn, dirty apes on her correspondence.
This beautiful piece turned up on Ebay recently - a unique scrap of ephemera from what was reportedly Charles Gemora's entry into the world of cinema simians, although he only created the suit and did not slip into it.

I LOVE NEW YORK

2010-03-31T20:50:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 5-6-2009

I have had the pleasure of seeing various images originating from GORILLA MEN over at MONSTER CRAZY, a superbly engaging horror/sci-fi photo blog but I thought I would pinch an image from MC to hang on my wall.

And where the hell have I been?
Goddamn busy with the BS brutha... a recent trip to the ER for heart palpitations was a nice reminder that the stress and load of my white collar alter ego needs to balanced out with pharmaceuticals and a return to the inane, self gratifying pursuits of old. Time must be made for my furry brethren before the sands run out or I get too bloody old to bother.
With an ever increasing torrent of mind twisting crap that typically occupies my work hours, I feel the imperative to ogle those avid ape men of old and boggle at that the fact that despite the discomfort and misery they endured to perform in those damn suits, myself and others like you, still pause and smile at their monkeyshines.

Be seeing you.

HOUSE OF THE RISING PUN

2010-03-31T20:48:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 3-12-2009

It's only page three and already my appetite for these fumetti type ape photos is beginning to wear thin. "Rock Concert?", good grief..
Though I can maintain regular output with a trickle of these scans - I may annoy myself into a state of indifference!

BEHIND THE APE BALL

2010-03-31T20:46:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 3-10-2009

I'm home for the morning with a sick little monkey so I thought I would take the opportunity to continue on with more pics from BEHIND THE APE BALL. Once again, horribly lame joke, but an interesting shot of Charles Gemora in a very early suit. It's difficult to nail what film it is from but it likely pre-dates RUE MORGUE(1932).

RETURN FROM SKULL ISLAND

2010-03-31T20:42:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 3-8-2009

I think eluding dinosaurs, giant insects and a temperamental gargantuan ape would have been preferable to the first couple months of 09'. Though my problems are trite relative to the grief many are experiencing across North America and elsewhere, it is hardly consoling when you're in the thick of your own difficulties. Unfortunately, the day to day drama has seriously deflated my efforts to maintain the blog. I thought that the scan posts would allow me to post semi-regularly but I end my days passed out on the couch as soon as the opportunity presents itself.
It also follows that when you don't have the time, a flurry of fun Gorilla Men newsworthy items surface. I want to speak about them in detail but a short synopsis is all I can muster presently.
Firstly, my chimpy chum, Chris (aka Bongo) appears to have solved the Persona Page mystery. After receiving some high res scans of TARZAN stills, the gorilla man spotted the key features of the mystery ape. Somewhat familiar with how the initial suit might be later altered to suit the individual production, Chris makes a very strong case that the ape went toe to prehensile toe with Weismuller. I have not yet been able to do some detailed blow-up comparisons but I don't doubt Chris' instincts; the man knows his Gorilla Men;-)
Second, some fair chap dropped me a line that the apparently unattainable ABC TV film THE IVORY APE was actually available for purchase at SUPER STRANGE VIDEO - two weeks passed and the disc went straight to the player when I arrived home from work. Though far from a classic, the ape is pretty damn cool and Jack Palance steals the film with a powerful monologue that stands heads above the soggy cardboard acting of his fellow stars. More on that another time.
And finally, GORILLA MEN was added to the roster of nominees for a RONDO! I have not had the time to try and muster up any votes or even mention the nomination until now but it is a blast getting the notice from George - Thanks bub!

So - how can I try and get my ass in gear? I have started scanning a goofy kid's book from the seventies BEHIND THE APE BALL that doctors up film and television stills featuring gorillas with truly awful quips. Some are mildly amusing, MOST are definitely not, however, there are a lot of rare images to be found amongst the pages and well worth passing along.
If you happen to know the original source please pipe up and email a tired, busy, aging gorilla man so he can sleep peacefully at night.

TORN BY STRANGE DESIRES!

2010-03-31T20:38:00.000-07:00

ORIGINALLY POSTED 1-18-2009

Another great one sheet in grand detail from the Universal B pic, CAPTIVE WILD WOMEN. The close up of Corrigan's ape visage is particularly fun!