With Tim Burton's "Planet of the Apes," it's no wonder movie lovers have monkeys on their minds. We all know the big names among simian stars: King Kong, Mighty Joe Young, the primates of "2001: A Space Odyssey," Cheetah. Here are some lesser-known monkeyshines.
"Project X" (1987) — Long before he lit up Broadway in "The Producers" or married Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick starred in this underappreciated, family-friendly film that's as political, in its way, as "The Insider" and as pro-animal sentimental, in every way, as "Bambi." A daredevil Air Force pilot (Broderick) is grounded and reassigned to a top-secret military training program in which chimps are taught to perform in flight simulators. One of the "stars" of the program is Virgil (Willie). When Broderick discovers some very unsavory monkey business is going on (animal testing in a terrible way), he decides to rescue Virgil and his hirsute pals. Helping him out is a college research scientist played by a pre-"Mad About You," pre-Oscar Helen Hunt.
"Monkey Business" (1952) — Howard Hawks directed Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers in this screwball comedy about an absent-minded, fuddy-duddy scientist working on a youth serum and his practical, spirited wife. Trouble begins when, unbeknownst to Grant, a mischievous chimp (Esther) gets out of her cage and remixes his formula. Which Grant and Rogers unwittingly drink. And it works. Much chaos and silliness ensue. Though Grant and Rogers were the big stars, the film is mostly remembered as Marilyn Monroe's last appearance in a supporting role. She plays the quintessential dumb-blond secretary, hired for reasons other than her typing skills.
"Gorillas in the Mist" (1988) — When it comes to monkeying around with apes, Fay Wray had nothing on Dian Fossey. She spent 18 years in Africa studying the rare mountain gorilla and waging a one-woman war against poachers, who either sell the animals (alive) to zoos or (dead) to wealthy Americans with a yen for a gorilla-hand ashtray. Michael Apted's film is less a warts-and-all portrait of Fossey than a sweeping melodrama that's also an unabashed plea for the plight of endangered species. Fossey is played by Sigourney Weaver, who, like Katharine Hepburn, knows how to make hardheadedness appealing. When the Oscar nominations were announced, she became the fifth performer in history to be nominated in the same year for both best actress and best supporting actress ("Working Girl"). Amazingly, she lost both.
"Monkeys, Go Home!" (1967) — For something safe and little-kid-friendly, you can't do better than mid-'60s Disney. In this one, Dean Jones inherits an olive farm in France. In lieu of the large family that local priest Maurice Chevalier says any farmer needs at harvest time, he trains four chimps to be olive pickers. Vincent Canby of The New York Times saw the movie at a child-laden screening and noted, "their fun, it seems, is derived in direct proportion to the number of chimpanzees on hand." Alternative choice: "The Monkey's Uncle" (1965), in which Annette Funicello and the Beach Boys sing the title song.
"Bedtime for Bonzo" (1951) — Before he played our president, Ronald Reagan played opposite a cuddly chimp in this genial comedy about a college professor who takes in a chimpanzee to prove to his prospective father-in-law that nurture can overcome nature. Needless to say, it's also the Ronald Reagan joke movie.