IMDb > Bedtime for Bonzo (1951)

Bedtime for Bonzo (1951) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
5.1/10   433 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 21% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Writers:
Ted Berkman (story)
Raphael Blau (story)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Bedtime for Bonzo on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 September 1951 (Finland) more
Genre:
Comedy | Family | Romance more
Tagline:
The funniest new idea on film since "FRANCIS!"
Plot:
College prof Peter Boyd tries to salvage his professional and personal reputation by using a lab chimp to prove that environment trumps heredity in behavioral development. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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NewsDesk:
(3 articles)
Tarzan Chimp Makes Hollywood Comeback
 (From WENN. 30 June 2008, 9:07 AM, PDT)

Former President Ronald Reagan Dies at 93
 (From IMDb News. 6 June 2004)

User Comments:
this movie is better than all the negative hype makes it sound more (14 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Ronald Reagan ... Prof. Peter Boyd
Diana Lynn ... Jane Linden
Walter Slezak ... Prof. Hans Neumann
Lucille Barkley ... Valerie Tillinghast
Jesse White ... Babcock
Herbert Heyes ... Dean Tillinghast
Herb Vigran ... Lt. Daggett (as Herbert Vigran)
Harry Tyler ... Knucksy Breckenridge
Edward Clark ... Professor Fosdick (as Ed Clark)
Edward Gargan ... Policeman Bill (as Ed Gargan)
Joel Friedkin ... Mr. DeWitt
Brad Browne ... Chief of Police
Elizabeth Flournoy ... Miss Swithen
Howard Banks ... Policeman
Perc Launders ... Fireman
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Additional Details

Runtime:
83 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
Finland:S | Sweden:Btl

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
During the 1980 US Presidential campaign when Ronald Reagan was the Republican nominee; this film suddenly became extremely popular again and was frequently shown on television. The joke in Washington was that "Bedtime for Bonzo" was a "favorite of old movie buffs and Democrats". more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Bonzo is passed through the window, he has a skirt on that soon disappears. more
Quotes:
Hans Neumann: [to Bonzo] What am I going to do with you? Papa is in jail, and by now they're giving him the 13th degree. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in 1st Annual Mystery Science Theater 3000 Summer Blockbuster Review (1997) (TV) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
11 out of 12 people found the following comment useful.
this movie is better than all the negative hype makes it sound, 9 June 2005
7/10
Author: planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida

Am I going to say this is a fantastic movie or high art? Of course not. However, over the years a sort of lore has emerged that is WAY OUT OF PROPORTION to the quality of the movie. Mostly because of Johhny Carson's repeated jokes at the expense of the movie during the Reagan years, people have incorrectly assumed it is a bad flick and that is far from true! It is, in fact, a cute family movie that's amazingly good for what it is. The story is very simple and engaging despite it being a chimp movie. A professor (Reagan) wants to show that people are a product of their upbringing not genetics. This is because the professor's father was a criminal and he desperately wants to prove that goodness is a learned choice, not pre-determined. He gets the idea to bring a chimp into his home and try to teach him right from wrong BUT because he is just a single man, he hires a woman (Diana Lynn) to pose as the mommy and he becomes Bonzo's surrogate dad. It's actually quite well-made fluff, and the President had no reason to be ashamed of this movie (though there were several films that I would argue might have brought him SOME shame).

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