Le Singe justicier

Original title: The Monster and the Girl

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Ellen Drew and Charles Gemora in Le Singe justicier (1941)

After a young woman is coerced into prostitution and her brother framed for murder by an organized crime syndicate, retribution in the form of an ape visits the mobsters.After a young woman is coerced into prostitution and her brother framed for murder by an organized crime syndicate, retribution in the form of an ape visits the mobsters.After a young woman is coerced into prostitution and her brother framed for murder by an organized crime syndicate, retribution in the form of an ape visits the mobsters.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.0/10

815

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos20

+ 15

‘Snow White’ Stars Test Their Wits

Rachel Zegler, Gal Gadot, and director Marc Webb take our Ultimate Disney Quiz.

Watch now

9:57

Storyline

Edit

Did you know

Edit

Trivia
One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since. It was first telecast in Omaha Friday 7 November 1958 on KETV (Channel 7), followed by Asheville, North Carolina 13 June 1959 on WLOS (Channel 13), and by Pittsburgh 23 October 1959 on KDKA (Channel 2). Other airings remained infrequent, apparently due to sponsor resistance to what was perceived as unsavory subject matter. It was released on DVD 16 October 2012 as part of the Universal Vault Series, and premiered on Turner Classic Movies, thanks to guest programmer John Landis, Monday 10 December 2018.

Goofs
When the dog comes out into the alley and looks up at the ape/monster the camera tilts up the side of the apartment building. However, mid-tilt the scene apparently jumps to another shot/location as there is a break in the shot.

Quotes
Henchman: Looks like I'm not the only thorn in your side.
W. S. Bruhl: Yes, but you're my favorite thorn.

Connections
Featured in Landis, Baker and Burns (2011)

User reviews28

Featured review

7/10

"This is a trial for murder not a girls' dormitory gabfest!"

This one's weird in the best way. Starts off like some kind of urban drama about a small town girl (Ellen Drew) who comes to the big city and, as often happens in films, finds herself forced into prostitution. Her brother (Phillip Terry) comes to the city to rescue her and winds up framed for murder. This was all interesting enough but the movie really kicks into high gear when it becomes a horror movie as "mad" scientist George Zucco transplants Drew's brother's brain into the body of an ape. The ape brother then seeks revenge against the men who turned his sister into a hooker and framed him for murder.

Really good cast for this little B gem. George Zucco is always worth the price of admission but you also have Paul Lukas, Joseph Calleia, Robert Paige, Onslow Stevens, Marc Lawrence, and Gerald Mohr! Also Edward Van Sloan in an uncredited part as the warden. This is a pretty amazing lineup for a little-known B horror flick. The bad guys are so completely rotten you can't wait to see them get theirs from the killer ape. Speaking of killer apes, that's often a particularly anemic subgenre of horror. This one's exceptional of its kind. The ape suit is really good. Just compare it to "The Ape" or "The Ape Man," made from around the same time, and you'll see what I mean.

Seedy subject matter mixed with fun horror staples -- the mad scientist and the guy in an ape suit. Very cool stuff. If you're a fan of old school B horror and gangster pictures you should like this one a lot.