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I'm seein' double !

October 26, 2012, 8:27 pm
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Just in time for a little Halloween weirdness, is this delightful fellow from the "classic" film,
The Thing With Two Heads (1972) starring Ray Milland and big Rosie Grier.
Early in the movie, mad scientist Ray Milland, perfects his head transplantation technique on a
poor confused gorilla. The poor critter was created and played by a very young Rick Baker.

This was Ricks first outing in a film as a gorilla, albeit a very strange one.

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Lucy...you got a lot of splainin to do !

November 20, 2012, 4:03 pm
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Lucille Ball tussles with Hungarian monkey man Janos Prohaska, on the set of "The Lucy Show".
This was Janos's white gorilla suit known affectionately as "Snowpuff".
Snowpuff, was also featured on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea as a rampaging albino gorilla, and most famously,as the fierce "Mugato" on the classic Star Trek episode "A Private Little War."
The appearance on the Lucy show, got to show some of Janos Prohaskas comedy skills for a change of pace, and a considerably gentler side of "Snowpuff".



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O.K. Bull...Go and Get It !

November 29, 2012, 6:24 pm
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( photo courtesy George E-gor Chastain)


Bull Montana.....A name that strikes awe in the most devoted of gorilla men !
Where other ape actors worked their primate wonders with elaborate costumes and
mechanized masks, Bull Montana played apes... without a mask !
In the 1920 film " Go and Get It" Bull plays a fierce ape man named Ferry.
Ferry it seems, was a poor gorilla who had a human brain transplanted into his harry noggin by a mad scientist. (is there any other kind?)
To help Bull channel his inner ape, he was teamed with skilled make-up artist Cecil Holland.
Using materials of cotton, colodian, yak hair, and hand carved gorilla dentures, Holland skillfully transformed the hulking ex-boxer into a gruesome gorilla.

The beastly team were so successful in their efforts, that five years later, they teamed up again for
" The Lost World" 1925.
In the Lost World, Bull played an early ancestor of man, who terrorized the Challenger expedition.
Bull was filmed fairly close-up, drooling horrifically while peering from behind rocks.
This was a true testament to Cecil Holland's incredible artistry !


A very special thanks to our great friend, and fellow gorilla man fan, George Chastain for sending us the fantastic photo of Bull Montana in the Wids Daily Newspaper !


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John Carradine meets the gorilla

December 13, 2012, 5:55 pm
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In the popular 60's TV show, Land of the Giants, John Carradine did exacly that.
The Gorilla in question was none other than TV primate Janos Prohaska as an ape owned by an unscrupulous movie producer.
Carradine and Prohaska terrorized the little people for the camera crew.




This particular gorilla suit was one of the worst of Prohaska's ape suits,with it's oversized dopey looking head, altho it was also used in Escape from the Planet of the Apes.
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Happy Holidays Gorilla Gang !

December 21, 2012, 3:14 am
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We at Hollywood Gorilla Men would like to join Pongo Claws in wishing everyone a
very
 Happy Holiday Season,
and a fantastic New Year!

Nothing brings out the Holidays like Gorillas and Rockettes !

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Mighty Kogar...model citizen !

January 5, 2013, 5:30 pm
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Hey my manic monkey minions !
Were off to a great start in this new year, with a Holiday addition to the Bongo household,
The Mighty Kogar !
That's right, another gorilla in my midst, in the form of a fantastic 1/12th scale model kit from Moebius models !
The beauty of the kit ( other than the fact that it's my buddy Bob Burns) is that it's actually 3 kits in one !
the kit comes with the basic Kogar body, Bob Burns happy smiling face, Kogar, and all time fan favorite...Tracy the gorilla !The sculpting is top notch and perfectly captures all the likeness's.
The level of detail is incredible, and even more so when it's on a kit little more than 6 inches tall !
Kogar is perfectly to scale with the vintage Aurora "Monsters of the Movies" kits, and the
great "Monster Scenes" kits.
Mobius has re-issued both of these classic lines of kits, and brought them to a new generation of fans.
But back to the fun !
The kit is a very simple build, in a snap together format.
It builds up quite quickly, and for a snap together, it has nice tight seam lines.
You can of course glue and finish it to your hearts content.
I chose to leave it unglued , for like his predecessors, Kogar comes with interchangeable parts,
the three heads AND an extra lower left arm, for straight and bent arm poses.
Also not gluing preserved a certain nostalgic feel I had from building "Monster Scenes" kits as a kid.

I choose to build old Kogar as he would have appeared in the early 70's when Bob was playing Tracy the gorilla, in the classic Saturday morning television series, "Ghost Busters".
Tracy was a highpoint for Bob, and he has many fond memories of working with co-stars Forrest
"Kong"Tucker , and Larry"Spenser" Storch.
Using photos of Bob from the filming,I settled on a shot that perfectly captures the true heart of a Hollywood Gorilla Man.
Bob sitting serenely in a chair, covered from head to toe in sweat, black eye make-up smudged, and Tracy's fur suit at his feet.
Having been in the same position many times, this photo struck a special chord with me, and I knew instantly that this would be the face of my Mighty Kogar model !

I later added an acrylic sculpting gel to mini-Bobs hair to give him the messed up hair from the photo.

I'm quite happy with the way it turned out, and Bob was quite amused and pleased by the photos of it I sent him.

I want to extend a special thanks to Frank Winspur of Moebius models and Steve Iverson from Cult TV man.
Without the efforts of these gentlemen, and a shared fandom of Bob and Kathy Burns, these great kits would not have been possible.


You can get this great kit for yourself here !


http://www.culttvmanshop.com/The-Mighty-Kogar--Monsters-of-the-Movies-from-Moeibus-Models-_p_2401.html

tell 'em Bongo sent you !





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Men in Suits....a brilliant documentary!

January 22, 2013, 4:28 pm
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If you've ever wondered what it's like to be a gorilla man, or any kind of monster man for that matter,
then this is the documentary for you !
I got this incredible film from my dear gorilla brother Kogar as a gift, and I can't stop praising it.
The steps one goes through, both physically and mentally in preparing for a suit performer role,
are brilliantly spelled out through a series of interviews by the biggest names in the business.
Not only does writer/director Frank Woodruff introduce you to a host of modern practitioners of this fantastic art form, but you are also treated to the reminisces of some of the legendary monster masters as well.
Men who's creature alter egos have terrorized and thrilled audiences for over 60 years!
And who are these mad men? On film you may know him as Godzilla, but now you can meet Haruo Nakajima, and hear his stories of destroying Tokyo as not only Godzilla, but many of the other famous Toho Studios monsters as well!
You will also hear hilarious tales of monkey madness, with master Gorilla Men, Bob"Kogar"Burns, John"Gorillas in the Mist"Alexander,and Don"American Tourister" Mcleod.
Don's story of his gorilla's encounter with Minnie Mouse, is worth the price of the disc alone!
There is touching tribute to the monster men of old as well, men like Charles Gemora, Ray"Crash"Corrigan, Ben Chapman, Regis Parton, George Barrows, and a host of others too numerous to list here.
You will also be introduced to the new generation of the creature crew in the likes of Doug" Abe Sapien"Jones. Tom "Aliens"Woodruff Jr., Misty "Congo"Rosas, and the really big guys, Doug Tait, and Brian"Hellboy"Steele.


You will also witness the creation of a state of the art creature called Abominog, from the casting of actor Douglas Tait, to footage of the actual filming of this awe inspiring eight foot terror from the depths of hell! If you see a creature in a current film, that's over seven feet tall, it's likely Douglas Tate, or Brian Steele!
But this being a site about Gorilla men, I am of course, a bit biased toward the furrier members of this crowd, and Gorillas are well represented !
Besides the legendary Gorilla Man Bob Burns, you get the equally legendary Don Mcleod, you get current monkey masters, John Alexander and Tom Woodruff Jr.!
And as a special treat, we'll meet Hollywood Gorilla Woman, Misty Rosas!
There is a great deal of behind the scenes footage of these great actors doing what they do best, and keep a sharp eye out for Verne "Mini-Me"Troyer as a Baby Gorilla in footage from the movie "Instinct".
This film runs the gamut from rampaging reptiles to Robby the Robot, from Creature from the Black Lagoon, to Alien. If it's ever creeped, lumbered, slithered, swam, flown, or loped across the screen, chances are you will find the guy who played it here!

You can buy this great film here...
http://www.amazon.com/Men-Suits-Doug-Jones/dp/B00A5DJKWQ
 
Your gonna love it, it's Gorilla Men approved!
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Happy National Gorilla Suit Day !

January 31, 2013, 4:01 pm
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                                          Grab your gorilla suit and join the fun !!!




We would like to thank the late great Mad Magazine artist Don Martin for creating this important Holiday !
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E-gor's Gorilla Goodies!.....The Ghost Busters!

February 5, 2013, 3:35 pm
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Hiya gorilla gang!
This will be the first in a series, showcasing the premium primate contributions of the
 great George "E-gor" Chastain.
George has been instrumental in finding a ton of gorilla goodies and simian signatures as he tirelessly scours the web, and auction sites for an undiscovered gorilla treasure, and generously shares them here!
So lets get E-gors Gorilla Goodies kick-started with autographs of two of the stars of the classic Saturday morning series...Filmation's, The Ghost Busters!
The show that made Tracy the gorilla a household name, and introduced an entire generation to the coolness of Gorilla Men!

This great photo is autographed by Larry Storch and Bob Burns, "Spenser and Tracy" respectively.
They are on either side of the late Forrest Tucker as the leader of the Ghost Busters, "Kong".


Keep watching here gang, for more monkey madness from old "E-gor"!
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Charlie Chan at the Circus

February 6, 2013, 5:54 pm
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Here is a very cool poster, for Charlie Chan at The Circus, starring Warner Oland.
The artwork is beautifully done in classic noir-ish style.
The brightly colored hero and heroine are being watched over by the somber toned looming visage of Charlie Chan. They are all being stalked by a monstrous beast  of a gorilla emerging from the shadows.....Now that's a poster!!!
From what I was able to make out on this print on YouTube, the gorilla appears to be one of Charlie Gemora's gorilla suits.
Who's in the suit? Well...I've come to realize that you can't judge an ape by it's cover.
There have been recent discoveries of other men wearing Charlies outfits, and those who had suits built by Charlie.
Because of this confusion,(the norm for gorilla men) it's damned hard to say who exactly this little gorilla is.
Whoever it is, he does one hell of a good job as this fierce Little beastie!

At any rate, the great detective, found himself embroiled in a monkey mystery with our even more mysterious little gorilla friend in.....


 
Have fun at the circus kids!
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E-Gors Gorilla Goodies....Tarzan and Munchkin Monkey!!!

February 7, 2013, 3:02 pm
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Here is a great example of some of the cool photos our grave-digging friend E-Gor has unearthed .
This is very interesting, because all of the apes are "little People".
It has been autographed to E-Gor by Clarence Swensen, who is the ape performer kneeling to the left of Johnny Sheffield in the front row, in that gathering.
Clarence is best remembered as one of the Munchkin gaurds in the classic, "Wizard of Oz".
Also VERY interesting is that the photo was original autographed TO Clarence by Tarzan himself, Johnny Weissmuller!
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Beast my Valentine!

February 14, 2013, 5:32 pm
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                                         Happy Valentines to all lovers of gorilla movies!

     To help celebrate, here are a random batch of photos of girls, and the gorillas that love them.












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The Ape Douglas Show!

February 15, 2013, 10:34 pm
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As a kid, I would stop in my tracks at the first sign of anything ape related on TV.
I lucked out one day when my mother called me into the living room to look at the show she was watching.
There on the tube,was an Orangutan interviewing an older gentleman about the make-up from the Planet of the Apes. I listened for a while, and discovered that the simian interviewer was Mike Douglas himself !
This was one of many TV appearances the denizens of the monkey planet made during the 70's.

The smiling gentleman to the left of Mike Douglas is master Make-up artist Dan Striepeke.
Striepeke and John Chambers received a special Oscar for their work on Planet of the Apes.
This episode of the Mike Douglas Show originally aired on 9/17/1974.
The world was a wonderful place for monkeys back then!
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E-Gor's Gorilla Goodies....Acquanetta !!

February 17, 2013, 11:53 am
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Good old E-gor has dug up a real beauty of a photo this time !
Here is Ray "Crash "Corrigan capturing wild woman, Acquanetta in a promo shot for
Captive Wild Woman.
Acquanetta played Paula Dupree, a mysterious beauty created from a gorilla by mad scientist John Carradine.
I'll not comment on dear Acquanetta's acting, but lets just say she was really pretty to look at!
Acquanetta also appeared in the sequel called "Jungle Woman", but was replaced for the third and final film in the series" Jungle Captive" by actress Vicky Lane.
E-Gor's great photo features an autograph by Acquanetta, and a great view of Crash Corrigan doing what he does the best !
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Hair Raising Gorilla tid-bits!

February 22, 2013, 4:30 pm
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Hi gorilla gang,
Wow, where to start.
First, old Bongo has finally stepped his furry foot into the wild and woolly world of Facebook.
I resisted temptation for many years, dismissing Facebook as a juvenile wast of time. Well folks, I was wrong. Sure there are plenty of brain cell popping games and diversions.
Not to mention millions of teens, and pre-teens favoriting photos of puppies pooping in peoples shoes.
But why would I finally give in and sign up you ask?
It's E-Gor's fault !

My evil hunch-backed co-conspirator George"E-Gor" Chastain, tipped me to an amazing group on Facebook called Ape Suit Cinema.
The group is the creation of Craig Scott Lamb, who is every bit as crazed, and ridiculously knowledgeable about movie gorillas as I am! ( Hard to fathom, I know)
Craig graciously welcomed me into the group with open furry arms, and made me feel at home.
Hollywood Gorilla Men uber fan Mark Holmes has gone above and beyond to welcome me to the group, and has posted several great photos of old Bongo from the various Nyoka films and personal appearances.
I've been "friended" by a who's who of devoted monkey movie aficionados, both professional, and fans.
Now for the REALLY cool news....
One of the folks I've met is the one and only Mr. Don McLeod !
I hardly need to mention to the loyal readers of this humble blog, who Don is...But for those who may be new to our group, Don is the American Tourister Gorilla!
Don has also played gorillas in "Trading Places", "The Man With Two Brains", and "Mom, Can I Keep Her?".
Don's wildest role has been as the beast "Blue" to D.D. (Vanity)Winters ,beauty, in the cult classic ;
"Tanya's Island"

Worry not my magnificent monkey minions, old Bongo won't leave you for newer pastures!
If anything, this new found interaction will bring more great new gorilla features !
We've got a lot of exciting things in store for you coming soon to Hollywood Gorilla Men :
More of E-Gor's Gorilla Goodies !
The name game....were we will get to know the gorilla men and their furry counterparts !
And the piece I'm most excited about...."So you want to be a Gorilla".
This will be a series of posts documenting the creation of a classically styled, movie quality gorilla suit, and how to build your own!
So hang in there, gang! it's about to get VERY interesting here at Hollywood Gorilla Men!

And for those on Facebook, be sure to check out Ape Suit Cinema!
It's Hollywood Gorilla Man approved !

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Mr. Pickles....a new gorilla in our midst!

February 27, 2013, 3:58 pm
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Hi Gorilla Gang !
Old Bongo wants to take a moment to introduce you to a new gorilla friend for us to play with!
While browsing through the Classic Horror Film Board a couple of years ago,I happened upon an amazingly talented gentleman named Jeff Carlson. Jeff was displaying an incredible assortment of monster related designs based on the classic Mani-Yack iron on transfers from the 60's.















The artwork and designs were all new, but so faithful in design and execution, that they were indistinguishable from the originals. Jeff was making these available both as vintage style vinyl wallets, or as t-shirts.
The design that REALLY caught my eye was none other than dear brother Kogar! Bob Burn's great apes Kogar AND Tracy, were brought to vivid colorful life by Jeff's skilled hands.




 I stared at those delightful images for countless minutes like a kid with a new Sears Christmas Catalog. A short while later, I got an email from Bob about a fellow who was working on a suit of his own , and would I mind giving him a little input. I'm always ready to support a fellow gorilla man, so I readily agreed. To my surprise, this seeker of gorilla knowledge was the self same Jeff Carlson!
 
Jeff had already sculpted a wonderfully comic interpretation of a gorilla, with a look of un-adulterated mischief , thus was born Jeff's alter ego...Mr. Pickles!

I could tell immediately that this was a labor of love for Jeff, and he was well on his way with it.
I think I may have offered a few pointers about padding, but Jeff had everything else already accommodated for. His solution for the padding was eventually his own interpretation as well, and looked absolutely brilliant!
I got an email from Jeff a short time later telling me that he was treading in Emil VanHorn's footsteps by booking a gig at a burlesque show, in the classic beauty and the beast style.




The rush of your first professional, or semi professional outing as a gorilla man is an unforgettable experience, and I think I was as excited as Jeff was!
Jeff has kept at this new found addiction of being a gorilla, and participated with several more burlesque shows, and other promotional events.
Jeff continues to produce amazing artwork as well as his appearances as Mr. Pickles and you can find Jeff's great T-shirt designs here....

http://www.facebook.com/l/LAQGXwrmyAQHg8F2LVIIhJ8lLSN6I8I6Tvuq7q7PaFMhNJg/robotmonkeypirate.spreadshirt.com/mr-pickles-A9185680/customize/color/325

The design that currently catches my eye, (besides the Mr.Pickles shirt is this beauty!


If this doesn't capture the essence of a gorilla man fan, I don't know what does!
No die hard gorilla fan should be without one!







Mr. Pickles, doing his best Tracy the Gorilla impression!
So kick back and enjoy these photos of Jeff Carlson's ......Mr. Pickles !
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E-gor's Gorilla Goodies....Spook Show Gorilla!

March 2, 2013, 6:22 pm
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Hiya Gorilla Gang,
Old E-gor has unearthed a gaggle of ghostly goodies for us with these great shots from Dr. Silkini's Asylum of Horrors!
Silkini, a great stage magician, made a specialty out of live Spook Shows, appearing at theaters across the country.
The shows usually consisted of a series of skits, and full size stage illusions performed in a macabre setting.
No floating ladies here folks...floating heads, yes. Frankensteins monster ? Absolutely! . One of the highlights was a classic Peppers Ghost illusion, where a girl turns into a gorilla. The gorilla, or Apeman as he was billed ,was played by Bob Smith , and you'll never find a ghastlier Apeman .


 E-gor is the proud owner of the Ape-mans autograph, as well as Silkini himself, Frankenstein, and Silkini's evil assistant Egor....Any relation E-Gor?
 
 

Feast your eyes here folks, on the magic of Silkini !
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Mad Science...

March 3, 2013, 8:59 am
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Charlie Gemora in "Stark Mad" 1929.
 
 
 
 
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E-Gor's Gorilla Goodies...A pre-Crash Corrigan !

March 12, 2013, 7:14 pm
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Old E-Gor has dug to the deepest depths of monkey memories to unearth this fantastic Crash Corrigan autograph...with a twist!
This is PRE-Corrigan,,,that's right, long before he came to be known by the moniker Crash Corrigan, he was known as Ray Benard!
Ray wrote on the autograph,"Double for Johnny Wiesmuller", which with his size and athleticism Ray was ideally suited for.
In the interest of keeping things Ape-ish, here is a nice shot of Rays original suit (Bonga) from around this same time.
What will E-gor dig up next ?.....Only Bonga Corrigan knows...
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Twistin' gorilla

March 16, 2013, 5:10 am
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Like most movie gorillas, I have a decided weakness for a pretty girl...or Three!
Burlesque and gorillas have gone together like apple pie and ice-cream for decades, and the concept is still going as strong as ever.
Now throw in some awesome surf guitar performed by guys wearing Mexican Wrestler Masks, and you have an impossibly cool combination that's hard to beat!
The burlesque cuties in this equation are "The World Famous Pontani Sisters".
The band, "Los Straightjackets".
The gorilla here is our old friend, "Gorilla Bob". http://www.hollywoodgorillamen.com/2010/03/i-dream-of-bananas.html
Stir these ingredients together and top with the great Coney Island Amusement park, and you have,
Twistin" Gorilla !




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