Bedtime for Bonzo

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Bedtime for Bonzo

1951

1h 23m

Comedy

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Popcornmeter

67%

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12 Reviews

39%

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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

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Audience Member

The best comedy movie ever made!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

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Audience Member

Funny, cute and loveable. A good family film.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

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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

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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

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Audience Member

Funny and silly moie. Pure family entertainment.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

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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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