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The Gorilla is a 1927 American silent horror film directed by Alfred Santell based on the 1925 play The Gorilla by Ralph Spence. The film stars Charles Murray, Fred Kelsey and Walter Pidgeon. It was an early production of Edward Small.[2]

The Gorilla
Directed by	Alfred Santell
Written by	Alfred A. Cohn Harry McArthur
Based on	The Gorilla by Ralph Spence
Produced by	Alfred Santell Edward Small
Starring	Charlie Murray Fred Kelsey Alice Day Tully Marshall Walter Pidgeon
Cinematography	Arthur Edeson
Production companies	Ascher, Small & Rogers[1]
Distributed by	First National Pictures
Release date	November 13, 1927 (1927-11-13)
Running time	80 minutes
Country	United States
Languages	Silent film English intertitles

The plot of the film revolves around a series of murders committed by a man in an ape suit. The film today is considered lost. It was remade with sound in 1930 (The Gorilla) which is also a lost film, and again in 1939 (The Gorilla) starring Lionel Atwill and Bela Lugosi.[3][4][5]

The play was a huge success on Broadway, which led to producer Santell's making an almost immediate film deal. The story had the same mix of horror, suspense and comedy that made The Cat and the Canary such a hit with the public, in step with the "old dark house" films that were popular at the time. The film starred a young Walter Pidgeon who would years later win a number of Oscar nominations, and featured the work of cameraman Arthur Edeson who went on to shoot a number of classic horror films such as Frankenstein (1931) and The Invisible Man (1933).[5]

Plot

When a man is murdered by a killer wearing a gorilla costume, the victim's daughter Alice Townsend is accused of the crime.

Cast

• Charles Murray as Garrity
• Fred Kelsey as Mulligan
• Walter Pidgeon as Stevens
• Alice Day as Alice Townsend
• Brooks Benedict as Reporter
• Syd Crossley as Butler
• Claude Gillingwater as Cyrus Townsend
• Tully Marshall as William Townsend
• Gaston Glass as Marsden
• John Gough as Sailor
• Aggie Herring as Cook

Commentary

Variety commented "Except in a few serious instances, the story is done in broad comedy. Sets are highly atmospheric. Effective direction by Santell."[5]

The New York Times opined "Excitement and amusement are linked in (The Gorilla), Ralph Spence's burlesque on the mystery play....but here are there, this film slumps into horseplay and silly stunts. Very much as if Mack Sennett had turned to Edgar Allan Poe's Murders in the Rue Morgue and decided to adapt it to the screen."[5]

References

External links

• The Gorilla at IMDb
• The Gorilla at AllMovie

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