Bonzo Goes to College

Bonzo Goes to College
1952 film poster
Directed by	Frederick de Cordova
Produced by	Ted Richmond
Written by	Jack Henley Leo Lieberman
Starring	Maureen O'Sullivan Edmund Gwenn Charles Drake Gigi Perreau Gene Lockhart Bonzo
Music by	Frank Skinner
Cinematography	Carl E. Guthrie
Edited by	Ted Kent
Distributed by	Universal-International
Release date	September 11, 1952
Running time	80 min
Country	United States
Language	English

Bonzo Goes to College (1952) is the sequel to Bedtime for Bonzo. Like that film, it was directed by Frederick De Cordova but has a different cast and writers.

Former lab chimp Bonzo, suddenly literate, runs away from a carnival sideshow. He lands in the college town of Pawlton, where young Betsy mistakenly believes the chimp is a gift from her grandfather, Pop Drew, the football coach at Pawlton.

Betsy wants to formally adopt Bonzo, something her parents, Marion and Malcolm Drew, aren't too sure about. A judge goes along with the idea, pretending to officially approve an adoption, just to humor the girl. Betsy then writes her other grandfather, millionaire Clarence Gateson, to inform him she now has a baby brother. Gateson is thrilled until he arrives in Pawlton and finds the truth.

Gateson warms up to Bonzo and even takes him golfing. Discovering what a natural athlete the chimp is, an idea is hatched that Bonzo could play quarterback for the college, where Pop is desperate for good players. A couple of con men, Edwards and Crane, kidnap the chimp just before the big game and replace Bonzo with one that can't play ball. Before they can collect their bets, the real Bonzo turns up and wins the game.