Search - The Bride & The Beast / The White Gorilla on DVD

"Loads of Fun Cult Favorites ... The Bride & The Beast (195

J. Lovins | Missouri-USA | 02/20/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"VCI Entertainment and Kit Parker Films presents "POSITIVELY NO REFUNDS DOUBLE FEATURE Vol 1" (The Bride & The Beast (1958) & The White Gorilla (1947) --- (Dolby digitally remastered) --- both releases have become cult favorites and classics ... featuring top performances from the '40s and '50s with outstanding drama and screenplays, along with a wonderful cast and supporting actors to bring it all together ... another winner from the vaults of almost forgotten Hollywood gems.

First up we have Allied Artist Pictures feature "THE BRIDE & THE BEAST" (1958) (78 mins/B&W) --- Under Adrian Weiss (Director/Producer), Louis Weiss (Producer), Adrian Weiss (Screenplay), Edward D. Wood Jr. (Screenplay), Les Baxter (Original Score), Roland Price (Cinematographer), George M. Merrick (Editor), Samuel Weiss (Editor), Harry Thomas (Makeup Artists), George Endler (Special Effects) ------ the cast includes Charlotte Austin (Laura Carson Fuller), Lance Fuller (Dan Fuller), Johnny Roth (Taro, Houseboy-Guide), William Justine (Dr. Carl Reiner), Gil Frye (Capt. Cameron), Jeanne Gerson (Marka, Cook), Steve Calvert (Gorillas), Trustin Howard (Soldier-Messenger (as Slick Slavin), Eve Brent (Stewardess (as Jean Ann Lewis), Bhogwan Singh (Man in Hut Killed by Tiger) ------ the story line Dan Fuller (Lance Fuller) who is the big game hunter takes his new bride Laura (Laura Carson) to his secluded country home on their wedding night ... He keeps a pet gorilla in a cage in the cellar ... Laura is entranced instead of fearful, and allows the dangerous ape to hold her hand and stroke her hair. During the night, the amorous gorilla breaks free of its cage, goes upstairs and practically starts petting with the captivated Laura, until Dan wakes up and shoots it dead. A hypnotherapy session with a country doctor (who entertains Bridie Murphy-style regression theories) produces an instantaneous reason for Laura's mad love - she was a great ape in an earlier life! ... soon they'll be on safari in Africa, which will put Laura back in contact with her gorilla clan - seems she's more interested in gorilla's ... It's revealed through hypnosis that she was Queen of the Gorillas in a previous incarnation, against whom Bwana Dan doesn't stand a ghost of a chance ... will Dan save and rescue Laura, don't leave the theater, you're in for a big surprise.

BIOS:
1. Charlotte Austin
Date of birth: 2 November 1933 - Charlotte, North Carolina
Date of death: Still Living
2. Lance Fuller
Date of birth: 6 December 1928 - Somerset, Kentucky
Date of death: 22 December 2001 - Los Angeles, California
3. Adrian Weiss (Director)
Date of birth: 1 May 1918 - New York, New York
Date of death: 27 October 2001 - Oxnard, California
4. Edward D. Wood Jr. (Director/Writer/Producer/Actor)
Date of birth: 10 October 1924 - Poughkeepsie, New York
Date of death: 10 December 1978 - North Hollywood, California

Second produced by Frase and Merrick Pictures on the double bill is "THE WHITE GORILLA" (1947) (62 min/B/W) --- Under Harry L. Fraser (Director), Louis Weiss (Executive Producer), Harry L. Fraser (Producer), George M. Merrick (Producer), Harry L. Fraser (Screenplay), Lee Zahler (Original Score), Robert E. Cline (Cinematographer), Bert Longenecker (Serial Footage), Adrian Weiss (Editor), Thomas Connoly (Set Decoration), George M. Merrick (Production Supervisor), Adrian Weiss (Production Manager), Glen Glenn (Sound Engineer), Wally West (Stuntman) ------ the cast includes Ray Corrigan (Steve Collins/Konga, the White Gorilla/Narrator), Charles King (J. Morgan, the Trader), Francis Ford (Mr. Stacey), George J. Lewis (Hutton), Lorraine Miller (Ruth Stacey), Harry Belmour (Alexander Marley), Budd Buster (Carter),Eugenia Gilbert (Phyllis Marley), Will Herman (Moto), Frank D. Hutter (Renee), Walter Maly (Stephens), Frank Merrill (Ed Bradford), Milburn Morante (Joe Marks), Bobby Nelson (Kimpo, The White Jungle Boy), Albert Smith ('Brute' Lou Hanley) ------ the story line with some clever editing from a 1927 silent serial, "Perils of the Jungle", starring Frank Merrill the fifth screen Tarzan and a 1947 drama footage ... the narrator Ray "Crash" Corrigan tells of his adventures to his trading post friends, of the dangers in the jungle with a White Gorilla ... our film has elephants, lions, tigers, black gorilla and of course the white gorilla thrashing around in just about every scene ... through many trials and tribulations our hero if we can call him that arrives at the trading post just bearly alive ... will the White Gorilla find him or can he elude this savage beast and keep the picture going for another reel ... don't touch that dial until the final chapter --- all courtesy of VCI Entertainment, who in my humble opinion is the best there is in restoring early serials and film noir features like this one.

BIOS:
1. Ray Corrigan
Date of birth: 14 February 1902 - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Date of death: 10 August 1976 - Brookings Harbor, Oregon
2. Harry L. Fraser (Director)
Date of birth: 31 March 1889 - San Francisco, California
Date of death: 8 April 1974 - Pomona, California,

BONUS FEATURES:
1. Advertising Galleries for both
2. White Gorilla: Photo Gallery of Bob Burns
3. Bride and the Beast: "Ballyhoo"
4. Bios
5. Tom Weaver And His Works
6. Bride and the Beast Commentary with Charlotte Austin, Bob Burns, Slick Slavin (Trustin Howard) and Tom Weaver.
7. White Gorilla Commentary with Bob Burns and Tom Weaver
8. Bonus Video: Surviving footage from "Perils of the Jungle" serial (1927) - Source for the stock footage used in "The White Gorilla"

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc), Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele"), Trevor Scott (Down Under Com) and VCI Entertaiment as they have rekindled my interest once again for B-Westerns and Serials --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '20s, '30s & '40s and B-Westerns ... order your copy now from Amazon or VCI Entertainment where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure --- if you enjoyed this set, why not check out VCI Entertainment where they are experts in releasing B-Westerns and Serials --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 141 mins on DVD ~ VCI Home Video KPF-564 ~ (2/27/2007)"