Bedtime for Bonzo

Are we a product of our surroundings or are we born the way we are going to be? This issue is the driving force behind this intelligent and thought-provoking film that delves into what other films only think about doing.

Okay, now really. If you want a pleasant, family-oriented fun little film, then this is for you. Been made fun of as one of Reagan's bombs, it's not nearly as bad as it might sound.

When a university professor is judged for his father's criminal tendencies, he is insulted and proceeds to conduct an experiment with Bonzo, the college lab "mascot" to see if a chimp can be taught right and wrong. Diana Lynn (from Martin & Lewis' "My Friend Irma" and "You're Never Too Young") is perfect as the "nanny" hired to help out with Bonzo. Reagan is engaged to the dean's daughter, but well, you can guess the rest. So, sit back and let Bonzo swing from tree to tree and forget your troubles.

RONALD REAGAN had his fair share of comedies during his stay at Warner Bros. as a contract player--but it wasn't until he went to Universal for BEDTIME FOR BONZO that he took so much kidding for appearing in what is actually an amusing comedy co-starring him with a chimp, especially after he became president. However, the film does have a good share of laughs and Reagan acquits himself in professional fashion.

What little plot there is hinges on Reagan's determination to raise Bonzo in a loving environment and prove that with nurturing and a sense of family, he can teach the chimp to respect rules and develop a moral sense of behavior. He and pretty Diana Lynn play the mama and papa roles with Diana gradually falling in love--and Reagan not realizing he's engaged to the wrong gal.

It's all very predictable but fun while it lasts, mainly because Bonzo gets to wreck havoc in a number of amusing scenes.

It's strictly for laughs and emerges as a harmless trifle in Reagan's career. Best segment is the last part of the film which has Bonzo robbing a jewelry store and then, because of his reformation by Reagan and Lynn, able to obey their command to return the necklace to the store which has everyone mystified as to how he accomplished it. It makes for a good finale--and so does the romantic happy ending.

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).

I put on this movie expecting to mock it for how ridiculous it is and laugh out loud at it stupidity. Surprisingly I actually found myself caring for the characters and what will happen to them. Yes, this movie is quite dumb and yes, it is entirely predictable but it has a certain charming quality to it that makes it entertaining. I don't recommend it to bad movie lovers as it's not terrible, I recommend it to those looking for a harmless, lighthearted movie that will make you smile a few times.

Sure, it's a bit corny and "preachy" by today's standards, but when I watched it for the first time, I was somewhat impressed. When taken in the context of it's time (the early fifties), it stands up fairly well. Ronald Reagan was a better actor than he is given credit for by many people.