The first time I ever heard of this title I thought it was a joke; it was in reference to a movie poster for the film. Ever since, I've been on the lookout for the movie in any form, and today was my lucky day, in a manner of speaking. Not only did I find the DVD for just a buck, but the picture quality was excellent. That's where the superlatives end however, though as other reviewers have pointed out, this one merits viewing just because it's so goofy and entertaining.
The Martin and Lewis shtick gets stood on it's ear by Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo, a couple of characters I've never heard of, yet they appear here using their own names. Bela Lugosi gets to use HIS own name in the title, but portrays Dr. Zabor, a mad scientist working on experiments in evolution on the Pacific Island of Cola Cola. But the best casting decision in more ways than one was the role of Charlita as Nona, reminiscent of the part played by Zulu as Kono in the Hawaii Five-O TV Series of the late 1960's. I mean, what's the point, why not let them use their own names too.
Lest I forget to mention it, the plot (if there is one) involves the jealous Dr. Zabor injecting Duke with his monkey serum, turning him into a man in a gorilla suit. Talk about typecasting - if you needed a man in a gorilla suit in the 1940's, you called Ray "Crash" Corrigan, a veteran of a fair share of "B" Westerns who somehow wound up in such monkey shines as "The Ape" (1940), Nabonga (1944) and "The Monster and the Ape" (1945). As an ape, Corrigan is no Andy Serkis but he's fun to watch.
I guess fun is the operative word for this film. There's nothing here to be taken seriously at all, and Bela Lugosi must have known that too because he spends a good deal of time smiling broadly in the movie. For once I didn't feel victimized by the film's ending when it's revealed that the island action was all a dream. But it could after all have actually happened, since Passaic, New Jersey isn't that far from the Bronx Zoo!