‘Her clothes torn away, screaming in terror!’
Bride of the Gorilla is a 1951 American horror-tinged drama film about a jungle rubber plantation foreman who marries the dead owner’s wife. However, he is plagued by a strange curse which transforms him into a gorilla.
Written and directed by Curt Siodmak (Curucu, Beast of the Amazon; Donovan’s Brain; The Wolf Man).
The Jack Broder Productions movie stars Barbara Payton, Lon Chaney Jr, Raymond Burr (Godzilla), Tom Conway, Paul Cavanagh, Gisela Werbisek, Carol Varga and Paul Maxey.
Choice dialogue:
Doctor Viet: “White people shouldn’t live too long in the jungle. Brings out their bad side, their jealousies and impatience.”
Plot [contains spoilers]:
Deep in the Latin American jungles, plantation manager Barney Chavez (Burr) kills his elderly employer in order to get to his beautiful wife Dina Van Gelder (Payton). However, old native witch Al-Long (Gisela Werbisek) witnesses the crime and puts a curse on Barney, who soon after finds himself turning nightly into a rampaging gorilla-like beast.
When a wise but superstitious police commissioner Taro (Chaney) is brought in to investigate the plantation owner’s death and a rash of strange animal killings, he begins to suspect that all is not as it seems. Taro interviews local farmers who have seen the bloodthirsty animal; they identify it as the “Sukara,” a mythical jungle demon resembling a gorilla.
Meanwhile, Dina is also becoming suspicious of Barney, who seems to be more in love with the jungle than with her. She follows him one night into the jungle, only to be attacked by the feral Barney. Taro and his friend Dr Viet (Conway) follow her screams in the jungle and shoot Barney. Before he dies, Barney peers into his reflection from a pond and sees sukara staring back at him.
Cast and characters:
Barbara Payton … Dina Van Gelder
Lon Chaney Jr … Police Commissioner Taro
Raymond Burr … Barney Chavez
Tom Conway … Doctor Viet
Paul Cavanagh … Klaas Van Gelder
Gisela Werbisek … Al-Long
Carol Varga … Larina
Paul Maxey … Van Heusen
Woody Strode … Nedo, Policeman
Martin Garralaga … Native
Felippa Rock … Stella Van Heusen
Moyna MacGill … Madame Van Heusen
Steve Calvert … Gorilla
Filming locations:
The Lot, 1041 N. Formosa Avenue, West Hollywood, California
Film facts:
During filming, Barbara Payton’s husband, Franchot Tone, had a private detective spy on her to try to catch her cheating on him. He managed to take a picture of her and Woody Strode in bed together.
Trailer:
Full film – free to watch online on YouTube [4K]:
Full film – free to watch online on YouTube [1080p premium]:
Full film – free to watch online on YouTube [720p]:
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