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Bedtime for Bonzo

Play trailer Poster for Bedtime for Bonzo Released Apr 5, 1951 1h 23m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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67% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 38% 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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Bedtime for Bonzo

Critics Reviews

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Sara Michelle Fetters MovieFreak.com Bedtime for Bonzo is funny enough, and as dated as elements of the film may be, overall it’s pretty harmless. Rated: 2.5/4 Dec 5, 2022 Full Review Bosley Crowther New York Times As is, it is a minor bit of fun yielding a respectable amount of laughs but nothing, actually, over which to wax ecstatic. Rated: 3/5 Mar 25, 2006 Full Review Dave Kehr Chicago Reader 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. Jan 1, 2000 Full Review TV Guide For once Reagan is in synch with his costar, but Bonzo the chimp proved the more able farceur. Rated: 2.5/4 Aug 2, 2011 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Its bland star, Ronald Reagan, survived playing second banana to a chimp to become the 40th President of the United States. Rated: C+ Aug 24, 2007 Full Review Sean Axmaker Turner Classic Movies Online ... you might be surprised to discover that the modest little comedy is actually an enjoyable piece of light entertainment. Jul 29, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Gregg W This movie starring Ronald Reagan is such a good, clean, family friendly film. Some parts are really funny. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/03/24 Full Review Audience Member The best comedy movie ever made! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Audience Member Funny, cute and loveable. A good family film. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member 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. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member It's funny that you can take a hot button topic like whether criminal behavior is learned or innate behavior and make possibly the most innocuous comedy imaginable out of it. No matter where you stand on the controversial issue, I guarantee you won't care how this movie turns out. That said, it's not exactly a bad movie. It's the kind of live action comedy Disney made in the 60s and 70s ... extremely bland, but entertaining. Like everyone else in the movie, Reagan is extraordinarily uninteresting. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Funny and silly moie. Pure family entertainment. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Bedtime for Bonzo

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Cast & Crew

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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

Babcock

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Bedtime for Bonzo

Bedtime for Bonzo (1951) Bedtime for Bonzo (1951) Bedtime for Bonzo (1951) Bedtime for Bonzo (1951) View more photos

Movie Info

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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