“Monkey month” continues with MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (1949) this Thursday.
After the quick nine-month turn around between KONG and SONG OF KONG, 15 years later some of the same creative team returns to bring another story to life on the big screen.
Merian C. Cooper produced, Ernest B. Schoedsack directed, Ruth Rose wrote the screenplay, and Robert Armstrong (Carl Denham) all return from the two KONG movies. This time, Willis O’Brien will supervise the special effects while his apprentice, Ray Harryhausen, will perform the hands-on animation of the ape, which is not a colossal monster, but a large gorilla. (Ray will go on to have a most-celebrated career in stop-motion special effects in Hollywood)
It is the story of a young woman, Jill Young, living on her father's ranch in Africa, who has raised the title character, a large gorilla, from an infant and years later brings him to Hollywood seeking her fortune in order to save the family homestead.
This film will still bear the radio tower logo of RKO films, but much has occurred in careers, the industry, and indeed the world since 1933.
Merian C. Cooper didn’t last long as RKO’s head of production, leaving in 1934. He then began a filmmaking partnership with John Ford.
After making STAGECOACH together, the team decided to form Argosy Pictures, and produced THE LONG VOYAGE HOME in 1940. But WWII would intervene and both Cooper and Ford will join the war effort. After the war they picked up where they left off and began producing films under Argosy Pictures together, and at a regular pace: THE FUGITIVE (1947), FORT APACHE (1948), 3 GODFATHERS (1948), and also released SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON in 1949 along with YOUNG (though all other titles were directed by John Ford, YOUNG being the outlier project with Schoedsack)
I am excited to review this print and the film.
From last week:
SON OF KONG was tonally different than the first film, and spends much less time with the terrors on Skull Island, so it is not hard to imagine audiences feeling disappointed. But, it isn’t as bad as one might imagine when the creative crew was asked to produce a sequel for a third of the budget of KONG, and get it released withing the same calendar year (the film were Irish twins!).
Upcoming Archive Events:
The film restoration showcase is coming September 23rd at 7pm. These are films you can see nowhere else!
We are celebrating SILENT MOVIE DAY with a centennial screening of NOSFERATU on September 30th!