The Gorilla(Film, 1927)

The Gorilla is an American 1927 silent mystery film directed by Alfred Santell based on the play The Gorilla by Ralph Spence. It stars Charles Murray, Fred Kelsey, and Walter Pidgeon. Following the success of Spence's play on Broadway, production on a film adaptation was set to start on March 1927, while principal photography only began in August 1927. The Gorilla premiered in Cleveland and Toledo, Ohio and in St. Louis, Missouri on November 5, 1927. The film received positive reviews from The Chicago Tribune, Variety, and Harrison's Reports while being dismissed by The New York Times. The play was adapted again as The Gorilla in 1930 and The Gorilla (1939). Prior to its 2024 restoration and reissue, the 1927 version of the film was considered a lost film. ()