As Australia prepares to have their hearts melted by the super cute students at the Orangutan Jungle School, streaming soon on Stan, what better time to look at the Top 10 performances on TV and film by the finest primate thespians.
We can’t get over the cute students at Orangutan Jungle School!
Get ready to go ape! Hey hey, here are the monkeys…
Every Which Way But Loose (1978)
Clyde rides with Clint Eastwood.
When was the last time that Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood was upstaged? Well, you have to look back to Every Which Way But Loose (1978) and its sequel Any Which Way You Can (1980) and an orangutan called Clyde. The Dirty Harry star played Philo Beddoe, a brawling trucker roaming the American West in search of a lost love with his brother Orville (Geoffrey Lewis), and wise-cracking, high-fiving Clyde (played by primate performer Manis).
Raiders Of the Lost Ark (1981)
Harrison Ford and ‘Snuff.’
Forget Harrison Ford, we all know the true star of Raiders Of the Lost Ark is Snuff, the sieg-heiling Nazi monkey who has a date with death… sorry, when he eats a “bad date” aimed for Indiana Jones. Since coming to a sticky end, the capuchin has become typecast as a bad guy.
Project X (1987)
Matthew Broderick and Willie.
Virgil the chimp and his co-star Matthew Broderick star in the family sci-fi flick about an Air Force pilot who joins a top secret military experiment involving chimps, but soon discovers that “Project X” is not all that it seems. Virgil is played by Willie the chimp who gets to fly a plane. Probably.
Dunston Checks In (1996)
Jason Alexander with Sam.
The story of a young boy who befriends a light-fingered orangutan in a luxury hotel is family friendly fun full of big laughs. And primate larceny. And an orangutan thespian called Sam.
The Hangover Part II (2011)
Crystal is a mega star.
More Capuchin shenanigans as Crystal joined Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis when the boys headed to Thailand for more outrageous fun. Starting her acting career as a baby monkey in the 1997 film George Of The Jungle. Since then she has portrayed the irritating monkey Dexter in the Night At The Museum franchise, before landing the part of the drug-dealing monkey in The Hangover Part II.
Link (1986)
Locke starred as an evil ‘chimp.’
Described by Aussie director Richard Franklin as “a sort of Jaws with chimps”, Link is a horror film about a malicious and super-intelligent orangutan starring Elisabeth Shue and Terence Stamp. Despite being referred to as a chimp throughout the movie the titular ape is played by Locke the Orangutan.
Monkey Shines (1988)
Boo stars as Ella.
Monkey Shines saw director George A. Romero take a break from zombies to tell this terror filled tale of Ella, a monkey trained to aid a paralyzed man. Being a Romero film things get messy when the chimp Ella telepathically links with her owner and begins to wreak revenge on those who have down him wrong. Ella is played by Boo.
Gorillas In The Mist (1988)
Sigourney Weaver in Gorillas in the Mist.
The true story of naturalist Dian Fossey and her work in Rwanda with mountain gorillas. Nominated for five Academy Awards, the film mixed footage of real gorillas with stunning simulated simians created by latex legend Rick Baker to stunning effect.
Tarzan (various)
Cheetah was played by numerous monkeys.
For decades on television and the big screen the king of the swingers had a side-kick, a chimpanzee called Cheetah. Played by numerous chimps over the years, the main monkey who took the role was called Jiggs.
Monkey (1978 – 1980)
The nature of Monkey was irrepressible! I’ll get my coat.
Orangutan Jungle School streams on Stan from November 1.
