Cover Cavalcade

 

MARCH IS GIANT MONSTER MONTH!

The original 1932 dust jacket for the novelization of King Kong. 

Cover Cavalcade

The novelization of the original King Kong was actually released before the film, so its technically Kong's first appearance.

Cover Cavalcade

I don't know why Gold Key decided to adapt the movie into a comic book 35 years late, but I'm glad they did.

Friday's Favorite OTR

King Kong


I recently got hold of a copy of a very nicely done audio adaptation of the best movie ever made—the original King Kong. I don’t think this is actually an old-time radio production. My understanding is that is was produced for release on a long-playing record in the early 1960s.



But what the hey—it’s close enough to OTR and it really is pretty good. With a running time of 36 minutes, it has to condense and rearrange the story somewhat. But it manages to do so intelligently and effectively.



Captain Englehorn, the skipper of the ship that takes everyone to Skull Island, is the narrator and point-of-view character. That makes him a more active character than he was in the movie as he accompanies the rescue party into the jungle after Ann Darrow is taken by Kong. (In the movie, he stayed behind at the native village to keep the gates open.)



There another small change from the movie that’s interesting to analyze. In the movie, movie-maker Carl Denham was a long-time friend of Englehorn and first mate Jack Driscoll. In this version, though, he’s hired them for the first time and his personality clashes with both seamen (especially Driscoll) much more strongly than in the film. In fact, he and Driscoll get into a fist fight at one point.




This change works quite well in this shorter version of the story, as it acts to build up a sense of tension even before they all reach the island.



There are other differences in details between the film and the audio play, but the play keeps the general plot intact. Writing, acting and sound effects are all good and we are left with an alternate but still entertaining version of the saga of the world’s most famous giant ape.

Click HERE to listen or download.

Still the best dino fight ever!

The original 1933 version of King Kong is one of my favorite films. The 1976 version with Jessica Lange simply does not exist in my universe. And, though I appreciated a lot of the visual artistry that went into the 2005 version, it was too long, had too many unnecessary story arcs for the supporting characters, tried too hard to shove the idea that we were supposed to sympathize with Kong, and used the annoying modern hyper-editing techniques that effectively ruined what would otherwise have been some really cool dinosaur fight scenes. It tried too hard to be an epic, whereas the original became an epic by simply telling a straightforward adventure story so well.


I still like Willis O'Brien's stop motion special effects. They have a charm and personality to them that neither of the remakes come close to capturing.  And in terms of coherent editing and story logic, it beats the overdone 2005 version by a mile.


I make a point to watch King Kong only once per year. I do so on Superbowl Sunday, since I'm not a football fan, but the big game makes it an easy date to remember. That way, I never really get used to it--it remains a treat every time.


But there's no harm in occasionally giving the best dinosaur fight scene ever an extra viewing every once in a while, is there?

Dinosaur Movies: Part 3

When King Kong proved to be a huge hit for RKO Studios, the executives in charge quite naturally wanted a sequel as soon as possible. This was rushed through production and arrived in theaters before the end of 1933.

The character of Carl Denhem, running from countless lawsuits brought against him after Kong's rampage through the Big Apple, runs off to the South Pacific. Not surprisingly, circumstances soon bring him back to Skull Island.

Once there, he meets Kong Jr., a small (well, about 12 feet tall) albino version of his dad. He's not as grumpy as his dad, either. When a guilt-ridden Denham helps save little Kong from a pit of quicksand, the ape returns the favor by saving Denham and his friends from several different monsters.










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Son of Kong doesn't have any thing close to the dramatic power of King Kong, but it's a fun film all the same. It's a little too slow in getting started and its increased emphasis on humor sometimes falls flat. Also, the ending is somewhat contrived, invovling the most conveniently timed earthquake ever. But little Kong's fights against a small sauropod and a cave bear are both imaginatively choreographed. Special effects wizard Willis O'Brien wasn't happy with the movie, but the quality of his work is still enormously high.

Making a sequel to a great film is always a dangerous proposition--the filmmakers have so much to live up to. If we compare Son of Kong with the King Kong in terms of overall quality, then the later film doesn't stand up at all.

But if we look at it for what it is--a good B-movie with some nifty stop-motion fight scenes--then it holds up perfectly well. It has the same sense of pure, simple fun infused through it as did the B-movie detective films of the same decade.

Dinosaur Movies: Part 2

The original King Kong (1933) wasn't trying to be an epic. It just kinda turned out that way.

With Willis O'Brien's wonderful stop-motion animation giving the movie backbone and heart, this fairly straightforward adventure story is perhaps the single most entertaining and entrancing film ever made.

Everyone knows the plot--or if you don't, you should be taken outside and shot. A filmmaker named Carl Denham, famous for shooting jungle pictures on location, sponsors a trip to a previously undiscovered island. He isn't sure what might be there at first--but he's pretty sure it'll look good on film.

Boy, was he ever right. Not that he gets a chance to do much photography. He and Jack Driscoll (first mate of the ship that brought them to the island) are soon hip deep in dinosaurs, desperately trying to save leading lady Ann Darrow from the clutches of a giant ape named Kong.

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The two heroes (along with a rapidly shrinking group of sailors) encounter a stegasaurus and a brontosaurus before Kong knocks most of them into a pit. Kong himself then battles--in rapid succession--a tyrannosaur, an elasmosaur and a pteradactyl. Eventually, the big ape is gassed unconcious and brought back to New York for exhibit. That proves to be a very bad idea.

The special effects are backed up by strong direction and photography. The dinosaur stuff is so much fun it makes your toes curl--especially Kong's classic fight against the T-Rex.

It's interesting to compare the original film to Peter Jackson's 2005 remake. (We will, of course, pretend the 1976 remake does not exist.) The 1933 film sets out to be a simple (in terms of story and theme) adventure film. It was done so well it became an epic story on its own merits.

Jackson (a brilliant filmmaker who did a great job with Lord of the Rings) tries to make an epic and largely fails. His King Kong demonstrates that CGI special effects can be a work of art (Skull Island looks fantastic), but he practically beats us over the head with the idea that we are supposed to be sympathetic to Kong, rather than trusting to the story to make this point. He adds a number of unnecessary characters and the film as a whole runs far too long.

And he jiggles the stupid camera all over the place during Kong's fight with a couple of big carnosaurs, so you can't really follow the action. NOTE TO ALL CONTEMPORARY FILMMAKERS: HOLD THE CAMERA STEADY!!!!!!!!!!

So its the original film that is still the true classic. It's still the best darn dinosaur film ever.