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A Tribute To
King Kong
The Original Kong That Is.

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Kong: Bibliography

Kong Evidence

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The birth of King Kong is the direct result of two movie craftsmen, Merian C. Cooper and Willis O'Brien, that fate somehow brought together.

This tribute to King Kong couldn't have been done without a lot of help and information gathered from many sources. Here's where the vast majority of it was gleaned from and to all contributors, I say, thanks.

Films

Oddly enough, I had the entire plot and history of King Kong committed to memory long before I ever actually saw the film. Expectation is a a harsh mistress seldom satisfied but the picture delivered. Now would someone please get this thing out on DVD!

King Kong

I'll argue with anyone, even despite it's flaws, that it's the greatest fantasy film ever made and a technical masterpiece especially considering when it was made. Watch and see for yourself.
Son of Kong

Rushed into production right after Kong hit big and it shows. Denham and Englehorn flee their creditors because they're liable for all the damage Kong caused and make a return trip to Skull Island and make a startling discovery.
King Kong vs. Godzilla

Was there really two separate endings each with a different victor? No not really. The major consensus now is that the Japanese version ends slightly different in that Kong still surfaces as the victor but as he swims away his theme music fades and Godzilla's asserts itself meaning he will return too.
King Kong Escapes

Another Japanese production where an oddly proportioned Kong must do battle with a robot version of himself to save the world from the Dr. Who. Check out my review of it right here.
King Kong '76

(bleaugh!)

"No one cry when Jaws die. But when the monkey die, people gonna cry. Intellectuals gonna love Kong; even film buffs who love the first Kong gonna love ours. Why? Because I give them no crap. I no spend two, three million to do quick business. I spend 24 million on my Kong. I give them quality. I got here a great love story, a great adventure. And she rated PG. For everybody."

Dino De Laurentis - Time Magazine '76
The Legend of King Kong?

A lot of people don't remember but Universal also had a remake in the works in the mid-'70s but it was scrapped due to budget restraints and fear of legal hassles from Laurentis.
King Kong Lives

The first Kong feature that I actually saw in a theater. *sigh* I will say it's a helluva lot more fun then Big D's much ballyhooed remake. Awful but fun nonetheless.
King Kong '05

You bet your sweet bippy! After the amazing success of his Lord of the Rings trilogy director Peter Jackson gets to make his dream film: A remake of King Kong. All indications bear out that he's going to make it a period piece set in the '30s and that's a huge step in the right direction. I know we've had one dreadful sequel already but I really do trust Jackson on this one and can't wait to see what he does with it.

 

Books

Over the years I have read countless magazine articles and chapters in Horror and Science Fiction books and compendiums that pertained to Kong. There names have mostly been forgotten but the information taken from them is engrained forever. Those that I actually do remember are still way too many to list completely but here are few that I think are essential.

King Kong
by Delos Lovelace

The novelization of the script was actually published in 1932 a year before the film was even released. It was reprinted in 1976 to cash in on the King Kong remake buzz.
The Making of King Kong
by Orville Goldner & George E. Turner

An absolute must for Kong fans. Tons of pictures and production sketches. It's been out of print for awhile but it's not that hard to track down a copy.

Exhaustive tomb of monsters from the Acromegalic to Zuma from all media: films, literature, comics and myth. Most notably it lists all the monsters from Willis O'Brien's silent films.
King Kong
by Donald Simpson

A six-issue comic adaptation illustrated by Simpson for Monster Comics that's pretty faithful to the script meaning all the unfilmed and censored scenes are all here.
King Kong
by Ian Thorne

Although it's written for the younger crowd these books take a lot of heat for skewering the facts but just as many obscure tidbits prove out to be true. As with all the books in the series it's the amazing collection of photos and production stills, in this case one spectacular shot of Kong twirling Godzilla around by the tail, that makes the entire series well worth tracking down.

 

Websites

King Kong: The Eight Wonder of the World

The King Kong FAQ

King Kong Lost & Found

Willis H. O'Brien: Special Effects Pioneer

Cinerama Adventurer - Merian C. Cooper

 

Sounds

 

King Kong Your Song
by 
Bobby "Boris" Picket
& Peter Ferrara

Yup. The same guy who brought you "The Monster Mash" entreats us to another odd gem this time with a definitive disco beat! It's available on a 45 from Polydor Records and featured on the compilation Goofy Gold.

- Here's how the song went -

On an island with a mountain in the shape of a skull. There lived a bunch of natives, beneath a towering wall. A giant bolted door stood at least a half a mile tall. Behind it lived the mightiest creature of them all! 

Refrain

King Kong! King Kong! 

The white man done you wrong! 

And so we sing this song to you. 

Mighty Kong. 

Kiiiiiing - Hunga! Hunga! Hunga! Kong! 

Get a load of mighty Kong! 

Million Natives can't be wrong. 

Hunga! Hunga! Hunga! Kong!

On a callipering ship of iron, across the sweltering sea, Robert Armstrong set sail to enslave the greatest of the free.

"I'll catch the Eighth Wonder of the World for all mankind to see." - Armstrong

He even brought a blonde along to keep Kong company.

"My names Fay Wray!"*

"Why do you run away?"  - Kong

"Kong only wants to play with you." - Armstrong

"So come on Fay? Whaddya say?" - Kong

(Fay screams!)

"Hey!" - Kong

With gas bombs they captured Kong and brought him back alive. Though very few of Armstrong's crew were destined to survive. 'Til finally on the Broadway stage the mighty Kong arrived. But broke his chains and wrecked some trains so great was his sex drive.

"At the sight of the Empire State. I climbed with my Fay Wray. Until the planes done gunned me down the sun set on my day." - Kong

"T'was beauty killed the beast at last."

"I heard Rob Armstrong say." - Kong

And Kong we all were really impressed you made a big hit on Broadway. (You hear the sound of something big falling - and crashing - and then everyone joins in on the refrain.)

 

 * I honest to god have no idea what the lady is actually saying here but this rhymes so I always sub it in when I'm singing it in the shower.

 

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Our Kong Tribute
Continues! 
 
Posted: 09/26/03. Copy and paste at your own legal risk.
 
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