Steve Calvert
Encyclopedia
Steve Calvert born Steven Stevens 28 June 1916 died 5 March 1991 in Los Angeles
was a prolific gorilla suit
performer in many Hollywood films and television shows. He took the name Calvert from Calvert Whisky.
at Ciro's
a Sunset Boulevard
nightclub and work as a stand in and stunt performer
. Amongst them was Robert Lowery
who Calvert acted as a stand in for. Lowery was able to get Calvert membership in the Screen Actor's Guild in 1948.
In the same year the aging Ray Corrigan whom Calvert knew and admired, sold Calvert his gorilla suit that he had used in a multitude of Hollywood films and provided some pointers for a down payment of $1800. Calvert began to follow in Corrigan's paw prints in lesser Hollywood fare making his debut in the first Jungle Jim
film earning the amount of the down payment.
Calvert appeared in Bride of the Gorilla
, The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters
, the serial Panther Girl of the Kongo
, Ed Wood Jr's The Bride and the Beast/Queen of the Gorillas, with Bob Hope
and Bing Crosby
in Road to Bali
and appeared in the second part of the title role of Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla
. In the tradition of other gorilla men playing space monsters, Calvert played a robot that was meant to be an entire army of robots in Target Earth
as well as the robot in The Bowery Boys Meets the Monsters in scenes which did not involve the ape. Circus clown Billy Small frequently came aboard when Calvert needed a second "ape," such as in Bride and the Beast. .
Dismayed by a lack of steady work and suffering a heart attack, Calvert retired from film work in 1960, turning down Herman Cohen
's Konga
;. He had sold the ape suit to Western Costume
, and producer Cohen was forced to rent an alternate ape suit from stuntman/actor George Barrows.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
was a prolific gorilla suit
Gorilla suit
Gorilla suits or ape suits are full-bodied costumes resembling gorillas or other large primates.Gorilla suits have been used both to represent real gorillas in film and on stage, and also as a source of humour...
performer in many Hollywood films and television shows. He took the name Calvert from Calvert Whisky.
Biography
Calvert knew many film stars from his career as head bartenderBartender
A bartender is a person who serves beverages behind a counter in a bar, pub, tavern, or similar establishment. A bartender, in short, "tends the bar". The term barkeeper may carry a connotation of being the bar's owner...
at Ciro's
Ciro's
Ciro's was a nightclub in West Hollywood, California, at 8433 Sunset Boulevard, on the Sunset Strip, opened in January 1940, by entrepreneur William Wilkerson. Herman Hover took over management of Ciro's in 1942 until it closed its doors in 1957...
a Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...
nightclub and work as a stand in and stunt performer
Stunt performer
A stuntman, or daredevil is someone who performs dangerous stunts, often as a career.These stunts are sometimes rigged so that they look dangerous while still having safety mechanisms, but often they are as dangerous as they appear to be...
. Amongst them was Robert Lowery
Robert Lowery (actor)
Robert Lowery was an American motion picture, television, and stage actor who appeared in over seventy films.-Early life:...
who Calvert acted as a stand in for. Lowery was able to get Calvert membership in the Screen Actor's Guild in 1948.
In the same year the aging Ray Corrigan whom Calvert knew and admired, sold Calvert his gorilla suit that he had used in a multitude of Hollywood films and provided some pointers for a down payment of $1800. Calvert began to follow in Corrigan's paw prints in lesser Hollywood fare making his debut in the first Jungle Jim
Jungle Jim
Jungle Jim is the fictional hero of a series of jungle adventures in various media. The series began in 1934 as an American newspaper comic strip chronicling the adventures of Asia-based hunter Jim Bradley, who was nicknamed Jungle Jim...
film earning the amount of the down payment.
Calvert appeared in Bride of the Gorilla
Bride of the Gorilla
Bride of the Gorilla is a 1951 B-movie film directed by Curt Siodmak and starring Raymond Burr, Lon Chaney Jr. and Barbara Payton. The pre-release working title was The Face in the Water.-Plot:...
, The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters
The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters
The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters is a 1954 comedy film starring The Bowery Boys. The film was released on June 6, 1954 by Allied Artists and is the thirty-fourth film in the series.-Plot:...
, the serial Panther Girl of the Kongo
Panther Girl of the Kongo
Panther Girl of the Kongo is a Republic movie serial. It used a lot of stock footage from the 1941 Republic serial "Jungle Girl". This was the penultimate serial produced by Republic...
, Ed Wood Jr's The Bride and the Beast/Queen of the Gorillas, with Bob Hope
Bob Hope
Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...
and Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
in Road to Bali
Road to Bali
Road to Bali is a 1952 comedy film starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. It was released by Paramount Pictures and is the sixth of the seven Road to … movies...
and appeared in the second part of the title role of Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla
Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla
Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla is a 1952 comedy film directed by William Beaudine and starring horror veteran Béla Lugosi and nightclub comedians Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo in roles approximating Martin and Lewis.-Plot:...
. In the tradition of other gorilla men playing space monsters, Calvert played a robot that was meant to be an entire army of robots in Target Earth
Target earth
Target Earth may refer to:* Target Earth, the video game also known as Assault Suits Leynos* Target Earth , a 1954 Science Fiction B-Movie*Target Earth is also a 1998 TV-Movie starring Christopher Meloni and Marcia Cross...
as well as the robot in The Bowery Boys Meets the Monsters in scenes which did not involve the ape. Circus clown Billy Small frequently came aboard when Calvert needed a second "ape," such as in Bride and the Beast. .
Dismayed by a lack of steady work and suffering a heart attack, Calvert retired from film work in 1960, turning down Herman Cohen
Herman Cohen
Herman Cohen was a producer of B-movies during the 1950s, who helped to popularize the teen horror movie genre with films like the cult classic I Was a Teenage Werewolf....
's Konga
Konga (film)
Konga is a 1961 British science fiction film directed by John Lemont and starring Michael Gough, Margo Johns and Austin Trevor. It was distributed in the United States by American International Pictures....
;. He had sold the ape suit to Western Costume
Western Costume
Western Costume is a costume warehouse in Hollywood, California which supplies costumes and costuming supplies to the film and TV industry. One of the oldest businesses in the industry, the company outdates any studio or production company currently in operation.The company was founded in 1912 by...
, and producer Cohen was forced to rent an alternate ape suit from stuntman/actor George Barrows.