A Jungle Full of Bali-Laffs!

Bill Sherman reviews the 1952 Mitchell and Petrillo epic Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla over at Pop Culture Gadabout. Check it out. Personally, I adore the film and think it's a pity Duke and Sammy just made the one picture instead of a string of Grade-Z comedies for producer Jack Broder. They couldn't have lost money at the height of Martin and Lewis Mania. Sammy's Jerry Lewis impression is, of course, amazing but Duke Mitchell, a singer with a reasonable following in 1952, comes across no great shakes here, choking out emotionless lines and looking generally disinterested in everything. However, both his singing and acting are on much better display in his very own not-to-be-missed 1978 exploitation masterpiece The Executioners, aka Massacre Mafia Style. Sage Stallone (Sylvester's son) and Jeffery Duke Mitchell (Duke's son) are reportedly helping to get Duke's lost Executioners sequel Gone With the Pope (!!) restored and released to DVD through Grindhouse Releasing.