Bedtime for Bonzo

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Bedtime for Bonzo

1951,

1h 23m,

Comedy

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67%

12 Reviews

Tomatometer

37%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

67%

Tomatometer

12 Reviews

37%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

A professor (Ronald Reagan) hires a nanny (Diana Lynn) to help him raise a chimp, hoping to decide nature vs. nurture.

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Sara Michelle Fetters

MovieFreak.com

Dec 5, 2022

2.5/4

Bedtime for Bonzo is funny enough, and as dated as elements of the film may be, overall it’s pretty harmless.

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Bosley Crowther

New York Times

Mar 25, 2006

3/5

As is, it is a minor bit of fun yielding a respectable amount of laughs but nothing, actually, over which to wax ecstatic.

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Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

Jan 1, 2000

A dim sitcom of the kind Universal turned out by the dozens in the early 50s, distinguished -- if that's the word -- by the presence of Ronald Reagan.

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TV Guide

Aug 2, 2011

2.5/4

For once Reagan is in synch with his costar, but Bonzo the chimp proved the more able farceur.

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Aug 24, 2007

C+

Its bland star, Ronald Reagan, survived playing second banana to a chimp to become the 40th President of the United States.

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Sean Axmaker

Turner Classic Movies Online

Jul 29, 2007

... you might be surprised to discover that the modest little comedy is actually an enjoyable piece of light entertainment.

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Jan 27, 2019

The best comedy movie ever made!

Han S

Jun 15, 2018

Funny, cute and loveable. A good family film.

Draco L

Oct 15, 2017

The Ronald Reagan classic, Bedtime for Bonzo is a wacky goofball comedy that's full of laughs. When Professor Peter Boyd's father-in-law to be objects to his heredity, Peter attempts to prove nurture trumps nature by raising a chimp named Bonzo to have good morals; and to assist him he hires a nanny to care for Bonzo as she would a child. Reagan gives a strong performance as a straight-man and Diana Lynn has a natural charm and charisma. But of course Bonzo has to carry the film, and you couldn't ask for a cuter, funnier chimp than Peggy (aka Bonzo). Most of the comedy relies on physical slapstick, and the writers come up with a number of wild and crazy antics for the chimp to get into (without seeming overly contrived). For what it is, Bedtime for Bonzo is incredibly entertaining and fun.

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Frederick De Cordova

Director

Ronald Reagan

Prof. Peter Boyd

Diana Lynn

Jane Linden

Walter Slezak

Prof. Hans Neumann

Lucille Barkley

Valerie Tillinghast

Jesse White

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Synopsis

A professor (Ronald Reagan) hires a nanny (Diana Lynn) to help him raise a chimp, hoping to decide nature vs. nurture.

Director: Frederick De Cordova
Producer: Michael Kraike
Screenwriter: Lou Breslow, Val Burton
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Universal/Universal Int, Universal International Pictures (UI)
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 5, 1951, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 30, 2016
Runtime: 1h 23m

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