The Making Of King Kong by George E. Turner and Dr. Orville Goldmer expanded by Michael W. Price (book review)
The 262 page number tends to ignore the 31 pages of various introductions, including ones by Ray Bradbury and Ray Harryhausen covering previous editions. Both authors, George E. Turner and Dr. Orville Goldmer, are no longer with us, and Michael W. Price points out that although both researched and wrote extensively about the 1933 film ‘King Kong’, further information had also come to light. Price’s own introduction does tend to look at the film as a whole, but probably to show his own credentials. Not having read the original release, I can only go by what I see here rather than work out who did what in this edition. I suspect that the opening and closing chapters, which cover other films featuring gorillas, dinosaurs, and creators, were likely new, especially since they cover films up to 2018 and include the latest Kong remake.
Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack’s history reveals that they had a background in award-winning nature films known as ‘natural dramas’, and they were in the right place at the right time to make ‘King Kong’. They had already worked with actors Fay Wray and Robert Armstrong. The high cost of the film ‘Creation’ diverted animator Willis O’Brien from his work on it. What I hadn’t known was that his models were made by Marcel Delgado, and his history is interesting because this was primarily a sideline.
Find yourself plenty of time to read the production details. Actor Nobel Mark Johnson, who played the Polynesian in ‘Moby Dick’, plays the lead native.
The ‘Modern Mechanix & Inventions’ magazine reported a lot of misinformation about the special effects, but by the end of that chapter, the studio press office also provided false information, indicating that the reporters’ beliefs weren’t solely based on their own imaginations. I suspect a significant portion of the misinformation was intended to mislead other studios, even though everyone was aware that they were working on ‘Kong’, with ‘King’ arriving much later.
Reducing the length of genre films to 100 minutes also involves removing a significant amount of material. The removal of a significant portion of the animation highlights the novelty of this approach.
Willis O’Brien desired recognition for his nine staff members at the Oscars, but he didn’t receive it. The book includes extensive profiles of all the films Merion, Schoedsack and his scriptwriter wife, Rose, and O’Brien worked on, demonstrating that they were not just one-hit wonders.
This book will leave you with a deep understanding of the 1933 classic film, a breakthrough hit in its era and a multi-decade re-release. ‘King Kong’ showed what was possible with stop-animation, and I suspect the main reason other studios didn’t follow it was more to do with time and cost.
GF Willmetts
July 2024
(pub: Pulp Hero Press, 2018. 262 page illustrated small enlarged paperback. Price: varies. ISBN: 978-1-68390-154-9)
check out website: www.PulpHeroPress.com
