Interesting! I remember seeing it posted here first. There's enough motivation and open-ended plot there to do it right. I hope it's as good as the short!
I really loved this article because Eddie told a lot about the movie and it's stars I didn't know about.
Being around Dean Martin for many years, I had to watch this film many years ago just to satisfy my own curiosity. I heard all the stories about Jerry not liking Petrillo and that he hated the movie, so I had to see it for myself. He was right... the film kinda sucks... but it's an interesting 'take' on the Martin & Lewis phenomenon - and to see Bela Lugosi out of his Dracula character was intriguing.
I never did ask Dean about the movie, but knowing him... I don't think he even gave it a thought. Besides, by the time "Brooklyn Gorilla" was released, Dean was just starting to become weary of his own partnership with Jerry. Just four short years later, Dean walked away from his own partner and characterization. He had other sights in mind.
At my worst job interview, the interviewer insisted that I had been abused a child and refusing to admit to this was tantamount as evidence. This was for a hospital chaplaincy internship in Orlando.
I later learned that this type of emotionally manipulative and abusive interview was common in CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education).
Around 1918 my Father, while chopping wood for kindling, nearly chopped off the tip of his finger. My Grandmother wrapped up the injured finger with a rag soaked in turpentine and then took my Father to the Dr. The Dr. unwrapped the finger, wrapped it back, and told them that was as good as it gets. Finger stayed and I was always in awe of the scar.
Hey, author here; it's mentioned in here—same magazine as the Consumers' Research Bulletin, its name just evolved over time. If it was the 1970s, it was before Consumers' Research became an astroturfing organization.
I think Jerry was really overreacting to the whole Petrillo thing. It would be one thing if Mitchell and Petrillo used the same Martin and Lewis sketches and dialogue but it sounds like they had their own.
Carol Burnette hired Vicki Lawrence for her TV show mostly because of how much Vicki looked like her. Jerry should have used the eerie resemblance to his advantage and made movies using Petrillo.
WOW! Never knew ANY of this! Could this possibly explain why Jerry Lewis, while meeting certain people who resembled him in some manner, might have been less than kind???? Hmmmm. So this film was worse than Plan 9 From Outer Space? I'll HAVE to see it now! And I'd love to see old footage of Sammy Petrillo's act! Thanks, Eddie, for another great article.
I used to work part-time as a 'go-fer' at our local public library back in the early-mid 1970s, and I seem to recall that the library received copies of TWO different consumer guide/product ratings magazines. One was the well-known 'Consumer Reports' magazine that seems to be the subject of this article; the other, if I remember correctly, was called 'Consumer Bulletin'.
I had a boss who was something like 6th or 7th generation Floridian. She said that as a kid, she and other girls her age dreamed of being a mermaid for the show, and would stick their heads in a sink full of water to practice holding their breath.
Being around Dean Martin for many years, I had to watch this film many years ago just to satisfy my own curiosity. I heard all the stories about Jerry not liking Petrillo and that he hated the movie, so I had to see it for myself. He was right... the film kinda sucks... but it's an interesting 'take' on the Martin & Lewis phenomenon - and to see Bela Lugosi out of his Dracula character was intriguing.
I never did ask Dean about the movie, but knowing him... I don't think he even gave it a thought. Besides, by the time "Brooklyn Gorilla" was released, Dean was just starting to become weary of his own partnership with Jerry. Just four short years later, Dean walked away from his own partner and characterization. He had other sights in mind.
I later learned that this type of emotionally manipulative and abusive interview was common in CPE (Clinical Pastoral Education).
I didn't get an offer and am glad that I didn't.
Carol Burnette hired Vicki Lawrence for her TV show mostly because of how much Vicki looked like her. Jerry should have used the eerie resemblance to his advantage and made movies using Petrillo.
He once wrote a poem in response to a reddit comment I made. It was flattering.