Why Gorillas Leave Home is a weirdly fun time capsule

You should probably watch this if you have fifteen minutes to kill and you like seeing how people used to make jokes 100 years ago. It’s for the folks who find old-school slapstick charming rather than annoying.

If you hate grainy footage or plots that are basically just 'a thing happens and everyone runs,' you will probably hate this. It’s not deep at all.

The Ape in the Room

The main reason to even care about this is Charles Gemora. He’s the guy in the gorilla suit, and honestly, he’s a legend for a reason.

Most movie gorillas back then looked like a carpet that had been left in the rain. But Gemora actually studied how apes move at the zoo.

There is a moment where he climbs a wall and it’s actually kind of impressive. You can tell it’s a guy in a suit, but he’s trying so hard that you almost believe it. 🦍

Bobby Vernon is in this too. He’s got that classic 1920s face where his eyes look like they’re about to pop out of his head whenever he gets scared.

It’s a bit much sometimes. Like, okay Bobby, we get it, you’re startled.

The plot is thin as a cracker. Basically, there’s a gorilla, and it leaves home (like the title says), and then chaos happens in a way that feels very staged.

Wait, what just happened?

There is this one scene with a window that feels like it goes on forever. It’s supposed to be suspenseful, I think? But it mostly just feels like they were trying to fill the runtime.

The lighting is also pretty bad in some spots. I don't know if it's the version I watched or just how it was filmed, but everything gets real muddy for a second.

It’s way more energetic than The Mysterious Rider, which felt like it took a decade to finish. This one at least moves fast.

I wonder if the actors were actually scared of the suit? Probably not, but Gemora was known for prankin people on set while wearing it.

• The gorilla suit has weirdly realistic ears.
• The furniture in the house looks incredibly uncomfortable.
• Bobby Vernon's hat stays on way longer than it should.

I found myself thinking about Motor Trouble while watching this. Both of them have that frantic energy where nobody can just sit still for five seconds.

The writers, like Frank Roland Conklin, didn't really care about logic. They just wanted to see a gorilla mess stuff up.

And honestly? Fair enough.

There's a reaction shot from Judith Barrett that is so dramatic it made me laugh out loud. She looks like she’s seeing the end of the world, not just a guy in a fur coat.

It’s definitely better than some of the other stuff from that year, like maybe Crack Your Heels, which is a bit of a slog. This at least has the gorilla.

Some Final Notes

Is it a masterpiece? No way. But it’s a fun little look at what people thought was peak comedy before sound really took over everything.

The way the short ends is very abrupt. Like they just ran out of film or the gorilla got tired of being in the suit. 🎬

If you're a fan of Charles Gemora, it's a must-see just for the history of it. If you're just a normal person, you might find it a bit repetitive after the first five minutes.

I still can't get over how good that suit is for 1929. It’s better than some of the stuff I’ve seen in movies from the 50s.

Anyway, it’s short, it’s silly, and it has a gorilla. What more do you want from a Tuesday night?