King Kong
Tit. It.: “King Kong”; Scen.: James A. Creelman, Ruth Rose Da Un Soggetto Di Merian C. Cooper, Edgar Wallace; F.: Eddie Linden, Vernon Valker, J.O. Taylor; M.: Ted Cheesman; Scgf.: Carroll Clark, Al Herman; Cost.: Walter Plunkett (Non Accr.); Mu.: Max Steiner; Eff. Spec.: Willis H. O’ Brien; Prod. Artistica: Mario Larrinaga, Byron L. Crabbe; Int.: Fay Wray (Ann Darrow), Robert Armstrong (Carl Denham), Bruce Cabot (John Driscoll), Frank Reicher (Capitano Englehorn), Sam Hardy (Charles Weston), Noble Johnson (Capo Indigeno), Steve Clemente (Stregone), James Flavin (Briggs), Victor Wong (Charley, Non Accr.), Paul Porcasi (Socrates, Non Accr.), Merian C. Cooper (Pilota D’aereo, Non Accr.), Ernest B. Schoedsack (Artigliere Nell’aereo, Non Accr.); Prod.: Merian C. Cooper, Ernest B. Schoedsack Per Rko; 35mm. D.: 100’. Bn.
Film Notes
And the prophet said: “And lo, the beast looked upon the face of beauty. And it stayed its hand from killing. And from that day, it was as one dead”.
Old Arabian proverb (invented by Merian C. Cooper)
Hardly a day goes by without a reference to Kong. Its existence grew out of the expeditions for Grass and Chang. One should not overlook the genius of Willis H. O’Brien, who made Cooper’s dream possible. “Those who knew him say he was Kong”, wrote George Turner, “recognisable on the screen in every gesture and reaction”. Maybe so. But when Cooper was planning his memoirs, just before his death, and asked me to work on them with him, his title was I’m King Kong. Asked why he dreamed up the story, Cooper replied “To thrill myself”. And it was his idea; he gave Edgar Wallace credit, but Wallace died early in production. Cooper gave the job of writing the script to Ruth Rose, who had never written for the screen. “Give it the spirit of a real Cooper-Schoedsack expedition”, he said. Cooper’s first image, which he had an artist turn into a powerful drawing, was of a gigantic ape on top of a skyscraper, battling fighter planes. Cooper’s friend Douglas Burden, producer of The Silent Enemy, brought back to New York the legendary dragon lizard from the jungle island of Komodo. Cooper, having read his book, wanted his story to have the same appeal, and his ape to have the hard K of Komodo in his name. The inspiration for the look of the film were the engravings of Gustave Doré. The composer Max Steiner was the last of the great contributors to King Kong; he worked day and night until he was near collapse. A sensational ad campaign swept New York in March 1933. It was a smash hit.
Kevin Brownlow