Gorilla Men

I have been assembling an assortment of pics that give a decent sampling of the numerous suits that Charles Gemora built and altered over a period stretching past twenty years. Bob Burns pegs the total suits around six but it can be somewhat difficult to determine when Gemora was constantly tweaking the appearance and functionality of his wardrobe. It's fascinating to see the evolution of the image he was trying to communicate - initial constructions are crude, brutish and gruesome while his suits for THE MONSTER AND THE GIRL and AFRICA SCREAMS are thoroughly grounded in reality. This slideshow gives us a chance to appreciate the dedication Charles had to perfecting his craft while other gorilla men were content to wear the same suit year after year.

Here's another fine tip off from GLYPHJOCKEY that appeals to my baser urges.
Sarah Silverman certainly has an acid tongue and a warped comic intuition that often offends even me, but oh my goodness, whatta body! Smart and sexy is just too much, then factoring in the gorilla suit, puts this photo spread on the top of my ogle list.
Click on the pic to take you to MAXIM for the rest.

I was recently a victim of the age old axiom "If it's too good to be true, it probably is.", so although a new site advertising a Gorilla Suit Construction Workshop claims to be legit, the tongue in cheek copy style has me a wee bit suspicious. But really, how else can one approach a 3 day gorilla suit summit?

In October 2008, you will have the opportunity to make your very own gorilla suit to your own specifications. The two-day workshop will be held in sunny, beautiful West Chester, PA, and will allow you to construct your suit with exactly the items you need (integration with motorcycle helmet? Furry snowboard bindings? Scuba backplate?)

Participants will be provided with raw material (gorilla fur; fiberglass; two-part closed-cell foam; molds; sewing machines), basic patterns, and optional extras (patent reversible sit-on-and-mash'em operatic silk plug hats, monocles, spats, knee sliders for motorcycle racing.)

Participants will create their own suits, pooling their talents, efforts, ideas, and creativity. At the end of the workshop, prizes will be awarded, a fancy-dress ball will be crashed, and a safe full of jewels will be cracked. Yes, I'm perfectly serious.

Boy, I sure hope so! I beg of anyone in the area - attend and send me photos!

Whatever the ultimate attendance cost may be, I have little doubt that it will not be as pricey as HOLLYWOOD GORILLA's exquisitely crafted suits (and nowhere near the quality!). Speaking of HOLLYWOOD GORILLA, I just received a message that he is offering a crazy ass deal on his suits.
Here's what Steve had to say:

Order your complete suit now until May 15th and save $2000.00 off the regular price of a complete suit! Once our “bench” is full we will cancel this offer.
And Halloween season is guaranteed delivery! You will have your suit by September!
Go to www.hollywoodgorilla.com, and click on “Pre-Halloween Special” on the home page. That will take you to complete info!
Thanks for letting me intrude upon your email time!
Steve Myers

My thanks to GLYPHJOCKEY for the tip off about the G-Suit Workshop!

CHECK IT OUT!

If you haven't stumbled across the site TRAILERS FROM HELL do yourself a favour and head on over after you take a gander at this trailer for the Ed Wood scribed 'classic' THE BRIDE AND THE BEAST. Though Ed did not plunk his cross-dressing bottom into the directors chair for this odd tale of a mighty White hunter, his new bride and her strange connection to the savage jungle gorilla, an Angora sweater still makes an appearance. Steve Calvert fills the fur in this B-Movie gem, though sadly, it was his last big screen credit.
You can read more about Steve at this previous post: CONFESSIONS OF A HOLLYWOOD GORILLA

Unfortunately for anyone who bothers to take a peek at this site hoping for something new to appear has been sorely disappointed for some time. Slacking off was I? Not quite. The Gorilla Man companion site is essentially roughed out, but perhaps more importantly, a Charles Gemora tribute site has been created by both myself and his surviving daughter, Diana Fox Jones.
More on this development later.
Check out what I have so far...

I am thrilled to have added my two bits about Charles Gemora to the LOST SOULS page of the Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies website. One of the editors, who is also a board member over at the Classic Horror Film Board, caught me by surprise when she approached me about making a contribution to their Lost Souls section a couple of months ago. I somewhat nervously accepted - it's one thing to ramble about gorilla suits and films on my blog and the CHFB, but to have my scribblings alongside the essays and treatises of their very astute and learned contributors? Gave me a chill when I took a close look at what populated the pages of the Journal. Family and work held me back from getting down to brass tacks but I was given some extra time and for that opportunity I am greatly appreciative.
The challenge to meet another's expectations only serves to sharpen your focus and I think the piece is one of my better tracts on gorilla suits. I hope you will saunter over and have a read. The other materials posted are also quite stimulating!
I am indebted to Bob Burns and Tom Weaver for making a very personal record of Charlie's genius and also, to his daughter Diana, whose tales of her father's antics and adventures only sharpen my craving to know more of the man. Charles Gemora was more than just a guy in a suit and as humble as he was, he deserves our admiration and respect.

I am almost finished the basic structure for my new traditionally oriented Gorilla Men website and spent some time today working on a few remaining bios. Most of my attention is usually focused on gorilla men of old but I was stunned by a video clip that I came across in my web travels this afternoon. Performer Peter Elliot has spent over twenty years acting in gorilla suits and also choreographing simian appearances on film. His first major film GREYSTOKE may not be the greatest Tarzan outing but it was distinguished by incredible costuming by Rick Baker. Peter had not appeared on screen a la ape previous to his audition but he made such an impression that he was given the lead role in assembling the ape man's troop. According to his site, the films' production was postponed to allow him time to engage in research and development. I thought it sounded somewhat pretentious but the video below eliminated any doubt that he must have impressed studio execs. The clip originates from footage shot by a English Visual Arts post-grad student Tiago Carneiro da Cunha who entitled it Low Attention Span / High Curiosity Rate (portrait of Peter Elliot). The film maker explains on her blog that the title "refers to how Elliot defines his 'state of perception' while performing."
Elliot's nuanced performance is disturbing in that it quickly convinces you that you are watching a Mountain Gorilla, not a short British man with hand stilts. Bloody good stuff - proof a true gorilla man needs no suit. I recently caught the film BUDDY where he plays the titular role opposite Rene Russo. Another exceptional role for this Brit and reason enough to seek out his other films.

Enjoy!