Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!

LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

kapelusznik18 ****SPOILERS**** The movie "Gorilla at Large" is actually about three not one gorilla all played by human not primate actors. There's of course the gorilla in the movies title Goliath the biggest gorilla in captivity played by George Barrows in a loose fitting monkey suite. Then there's circus manager Cyrus Miller played by the gorilla like, before he lost 100 pounds for his role as Perry Mason Esq, Raymond Burr who in fact played a gorilla three years earlier in he movie "Bride of the Gorilla". And then there's Goliath's trainer and poker & gin playing partner, when he's not entertaining the audience, Kovacs played by unshaven and grizzled looking six foot three 275 pound Peter Whitney. As things turn out a number of people working for the circus end up with the necks broken by someone with enormous strength that only a gorilla, not human, could have. With Goliath the very obviously #1 suspect in these murders he's kept in his cage under around the clock observation by Det. Sgt. Garrison, Lee J. Cobb, to see if, by breaking out of his cage and killing someone, he's in fact the killer.With that going on full-time circus handy man and part time law student Joey Matthews, played by a bleach blond looking Cameron Mitchell, takes it upon himself to single handedly solve the murders in order to show up the police headed by Det. Sgt. Garrisoin and his partner Mister Mack, Warren Stevens. This has Joey uncontrollably fall for sexy trapeze artist Leverne Miller, Ann Bancroft, who's married to her boss Cyrus the manager of the circus as well as have been married to the other gorilla Kovacs whom she left for her trapeze partner the handsome Kewpie known as the human cannonball. That's until Kewpie died in a tragic accident when the swing he was doing his act with Laverne snapped causing to fall to his death.****SPOILERS**** It turns out that everyone including Goliath are falling all over Laverne with Cyrus who was totally innocent in Kewpie death confessing, like in those Raymond Burr dealt with in the Perry Mason series, to his murder! As it turned out Cyrus was covering up something that only he as well as the ape-like Kovacs knew about. Even if it meant for him being strapped into the state electric chair. As for Kovacs he wasn't so understanding and was more then willing to see justice is done in the case of the person who committed the latest murders and let the chips fall where they may. As for poor Goliath the innocent victim in all this he paid with his life for a crime or crimes that he didn't commit where at the end of the movie no one at all, but possibly his trainer Kovac, felt a bit sorry for!P.S Check out a young 30 year old Lee Marvin as the "Sleeping Policeman" Officer Shaughnessy who as luck would have it and without realizing it actually proved the very maligned gorilla Goliath totally innocent! That by him spending the night, by falling asleep drunk, in Goliath's cage without him getting his neck wrung!

jjnxn-1 One of the "gems" from Anne's first stab at Hollywood. Drive in fodder would be completely forgotten if not for its cast. Anne Bancroft, looking sensational in Technicolor, is as good as the script allows-meaning she manages to keep a straight face during the ridiculous contrivances that the movie presents. Raymond Burr and Lee J. Cobb also put in professional performances, although Lee must have been longing for the days of the Group Theatre during production of this lulu. It's fun to see Lee Marvin just starting out as a clumsy cop. The whole thing is nonsensical but harmless unless you count the mystifying decision to make the usually brunette Cameron Mitchell a bleached blond, it does him no favors.

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

Tom DeFelice "Gorilla At Large" is a very good example of a 1950's 3-D film. If you only see it in 2-D, you are literally seeing only half the picture. Why do you think the bars are in the foreground, the gorilla jumps at the screen, the girl is trapped in a house of mirrors, or the rockets are shot at the gorilla? Because it is supposed to be seen in 3-D. That's why.Having said that, 23 year old Anne Bancroft gives an interesting sex-pot performance. She spends most of the time either in her trapeze costume or in lingerie. Raymond Burr, known as a bad guy at this time, gives a very offbeat performance. And a very young Lee Marvin is extremely funny as a cop who doesn't have a clue.The 1950's saw a great many 3-D films that are no longer available in that format. It is really too bad we can't see "Gorilla At Large", "House Of Wax" and "Dial M For Murder" the way they were meant to be seen.