A new movie and play gives us an ice skating chimp, his trainer and a serial killer
CHICAGO — In the rarefied realm of monkey movies, “He Went That Way” is not likely to rank with such cinematic triumphs as “Planet of the Apes” and its many sequels, Clint Eastwood’s “Every Which Way But Loose,” various King Kong romps or even Ronald Reagan’s “Bedtime for Bonzo.”
But this movie, which has been playing in theaters across and streams Jan. 12, is nevertheless worthy of our attention, especially given its inherent weirdness and strong local connections.
It is a based-on-fact story of how, in 1964, animal trainer and Evanston native Dave Pitts was traveling by car with his trained chimpanzee named Spanky.
Before this journey, Pitts
