King Kong (1933) | |
| Director(s) | Merian C. Cooper (uncredited), Ernest B. Schoedsack (uncredited) |
| Producer(s) | David O. Selznick (executive), Merian C. Cooper (uncredited), Ernest B. Schoedsack (uncredited) |
| Top Genres | Adventure, Fantasy, Horror |
| Top Topics | Animals, Exotic Lands, Monster, New York, Pre-Code Cinema |
Featured Cast:
King Kong Overview:
King Kong (1933) was a Adventure - Fantasy Film directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack and produced by David O. Selznick, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack.
SYNOPSIS
A masterpiece of movie exotica and one of the top moneymakers of the '30s. Fortune hunters travel to Skull Island in search of the fabled giant ape "King Kong." Enticing him with the lovely Wray, they capture Kong and bring him back to New York to become a sideshow attraction. The rampaging ape escapes and ransacks the city searching for Wray, ending his quest swatting biplanes as he dangles from the Empire State Building in one of the most famous images in movie history. Directors Cooper and Schoedsack met as fliers in WWI Poland. They specialized in exotic documentaries and then adventure films with far-flung locations. Cooper later became a producer for David O. Selznick, and then produced John Ford masterpieces such as Fort Apache (1948) and The Quiet Man (1952), and one of the biggest hits of the '50s, This Is Cinerama (1952). Followed by Son of Kong (1934), a 1976 remake, and the related monkeyshines of Mighty Joe Young (1949). The special edition video includes archival footage, such as the scene in which Kong peels Wray like a banana and the excised giant spider scene. The laserdisc includes a second audio track with historical commentary from film historian Ronald Haver.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
.King Kong was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1991.
King Kong BlogHub Articles:
Win Tickets to see ?TCM Big Screen Classics: King Kong? (Giveaway runs now through Feb 22)
By Annmarie Gatti on Feb 2, 2020 From Classic Movie Hub BlogWin tickets to see ?King Kong? on the Big Screen!In Select Cinemas NationwideSun March 15 CMH continues into our 5h year of our partnership with Fathom Events ? with the 4th of our 15 movie ticket giveaways for 2020, courtesy of Fathom Events! That said, we?ll be giving away FOUR PAIRS of tick... Read full article
Classic Movie Tourism: King Kong on Broadway
By Jennifer Garlen on Jan 16, 2019 From Virtual ViragoSome 85 years after the great ape's original screen debut, King Kong has made a triumphant return to New York City, this time as the star of his own Broadway musical. There have been plenty of sequels, reboots, revisions, and reincarnations featuring the oversized cinema gorilla, but I've never seen... Read full article
King Kong Escapes (1967, Honda Ishir?)
By Andrew Wickliffe on Jun 10, 2017 From The Stop ButtonDespite lacking special effects and a phoned in score from Ifukube Akira (reusing his previous Godzilla themes to various effect), King Kong Escapes has quite a bit of charm to it. The film opens with Kong enthusiasts?really, they?re sitting around drawing pictures of him?Rhodes Reason and Takarada ... Read full article
1001 Classic Movies: King Kong (1933)
By Amanda Garrett on Mar 6, 2017 From Old Hollywood FilmsKing Kong (1933) is one of the 1001 classic movies you should see. Each Monday, I'm going to recommend a classic movie you should see (for the reasons behind the 1001 series and reviews of earlier films covered go here). The new film, Kong: Skull Island (2017) has brought the monkey movie back in... Read full article
Classic Films in Focus: KING KONG (1933)
By Jennifer Garlen on Jun 23, 2015 From Virtual ViragoKing Kong rules as the alpha ape among a crowd of cinematic simians, and the original 1933 movie that bears his name has influenced countless other films. Many of our modern blockbusters can trace their roots to King Kong; its special effects work and emphasis on big action sequences showed later fi... Read full article
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Quotes from King Kong
[Carl Denham wants to capture Kong]
Jack Driscoll: Why, you're crazy. Besides that, he's on a cliff where a whole army couldn't get at him.
Carl Denham: Yeah, if he stays there.
[Looking at Ann Darrow]
Carl Denham: But we've got something he wants.
Jack Driscoll: One thing we haven't thought of...
Police Lieutenant: What?
Jack Driscoll: Airplanes. If he should put Ann down, and they can get close enough to pick him off without hitting her...
Police Lieutenant: You're right! Planes! Call the field!
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Facts about King Kong
Executive Producer David O. Selznick left RKO midway through production of this film. But Selznick's last act of business at RKO - and probably his biggest contribution to the film - was to write a memo changing the name of the production from 'Kong' to King Kong.
One of the characters in line to see Kong complains to his lady companion, "These tickets cost me twenty bucks." At presumably $10 per ticket, this would have been a tremendous cost in Depression-wracked 1933. In contrast, a ticket to see the 1933 New York Yankees, which featured Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, or to this movie itself, would have been about thirty-five cents.
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