Part of the reason that Son of Kong did well in Asian territories is because Charlie was one of the first Asian characters in Hollywood to be portrayed in a decent light. He stands up to the bully, secures provisions, fights the styracosaurus, and even claims a share of the treasure at the end. It's a big step up from his role in the first film.
I always loved how Son of Kong focused so much on Denham the capt. and crew of the Venture and the other human characters giving Denham and Hildy a nice little romance in the aftermath of King Kong's epic events in a very low key footnote kind of way. It always struck me as the very welcome sad little crumbs of it's much grander predecessor and it's comedic zaniness combined with it's latent melancholy. It always invoked The Our Gang/Little Rascals shorts in my mind for some reason, LOL!
SON OF KONG was whipped out in the latter of 1933, the same year as KING KONG was released. Restricted by a smaller budget than its predecessor, scriptwriter Ruth Rose (scriptwriter for KING KONG and producer/director Ernest Schoedsack’s wife) was encouraged to write a lighter ‘serio-comedy’ that could be released theatrically by the end of the year while the going was hot. Special effects pioneer and stop-motion animator Willis O’Brien, disheartened by the comedic direction that the film had taken (along with other various reasons), requested that his name be removed from the credits. During filming, O’Brien’s wife shot their two sons and then turned the gun on herself. Her suicide attempt failed, but their sons died from their wounds. There is a famous publicity photograph of O’Brien that was taken, on insistence of Merian C. Cooper, on the same day that he learned of the murder/suicide, that he promptly ripped to pieces. The photo was retrieved by a set worker, taped together (samples of this photo found on the internet have, the tear lines digitally repaired, but the ‘Scotch taped’ version exists in books). You can see the devastating anguish on his face, and this is why Kong’s son flips the bird; it’s intended for Cooper. Though he’s never referred to by name in the film, Kong’s son is famously known as Kiko (the words ‘king’ and ‘Kong’ combined). Actor Robert Armstrong, who portrayed film producer Carl Denham in both films, has stated that he enjoyed working in SON OF KONG more than the original, as Denham’s character was more fully developed and given a love interest. The Styracosaur was the same stop-motion model (sculpted by Mexican artist Marcel Delgado) that was used in a deleted scene in KING KONG, that chased the sailors onto the log before Kong shook them off into the ravine. The sea serpent was a refurbished version of the mechanical sauropod model used in the swamp scene in KING KONG. Kiko, himself, was built from one of the armatures of Kong. Stop-motion animator Pete Peterson did most of the hands-on animation, and later worked with O’Brien on the film THE BLACK SCORPION. Some of the creature models used in the famously lost ‘spider pit scene’ from KING KONG also appear in THE BLACK SCORPION. KING KONG, SON OF KONG and MIGHTY JOE YOUNG were aired annually on Thanksgiving day back in the ‘70s. Taken on its own merits, SON OF KONG is a highly entertaining film!
The Peter Jackson version of Skull Island also canonically sank beneath the sea (mentioned in the DVD documentary and companion book), which is also directly taken from Son of Kong
Maybe the Mother Kiko died. Probably before the movie King Kong occurs; but possibly after Kong was taken. If after then without Kong on Skull Island she would have to defend Kiko from the dinosaurs & other beasts of the island. Perhaps she died & that's why Kiko was so wanting a surrogate family unlike Kong who saw the outsider humans as a problem.
Perhaps Kong's mate had perished, explaining the islanders offerings. And maybe she was light furred, explaining the sons white look and Kongs attraction to Ann Darrow.
It's no Empire Strikes Back or Road Warrior but I think it's a lot better than Return Of The Jedi and Thunder Doom. A worthy B side entry...an easy recommendation..
There's a point during Arlo Guthrie's famous 14-minute ramble, 'Alice's Restaurant,' where he pauses his narrative and says, "Remember Alice? It's a song about Alice."
It may not be great, but its still one I enjoy and better that the King Kong and King Kong Lives from the 70s. The Styracosaurus was my favorite creature from it. Here is an unpleasant thought. Kiko's mom could have been one of the previous brides for kong. In the novel After King Kong fell, the narrator goes into detail of how small a male gorilla's reproductive organs are, and even at king kongs propotions relations should be possible. People were trying to breed humans and apes as far back as Ilya Ivanov in the 1920s. If this were true it would not be the only time fake or pseudo science was used as fact in a movie.
Funny how the climatic ending of Skull Island sinking into the sea because of an earthquake would end up influencing the downfall of Peter Jackson's Skull Island. Since in their Natural History tie-in book and bonus feature, that after WW2 ended, Skull Island sunk to the bottom of the ocean.
Is it possible they could remake Son of Kong? Maybe take the elements that were deleted like the dinosaur stampede, them attacking the natives and the village. Maybe remake it to what Cooper wanted or is there probably not enough interest?
I admit that I was shocked to have learned of this sequel, even more so to know that Kong actually had a son, even though he was said to be the last of his kind.
Great review entry and lol at the perfect song choice for the intro. I enjoyed this one too but really felt bad for Kiko at the end. Little guy definitely deserved better but protected his new friends to the bitter end
when it comes to Kongs in the original movie, I've had the (I guess you could call it fanfiction idea) that male Kongs live alone while the females live in tightly knit troops with their offspring. like elephants.
He is an ape not a person. The relationship with Ann i like that of a dog, if the dog was dominate. That is it can't actually be romance. She is either a fun toy, or a pet that he loves. Or and this is, the scary idea, Little Kong is half human. Because Kong had many wives offered to him. All that is to say, dont think so hard about it, like geez man. Its an animal, like Old Yeller or Lassie, we love them but not like that.
Could say that the real big problem is that while the different halves of the movie are competent enough, it's just that they don't intertwine that well into eachother and thus the movie doesn't become much more than the sum of its parts?
I really like Carl Denham to be the focus of this story. Also I like Hilda very much. Too bad, the story gets forgettable after they returned to the island. And why had the little one to die? Very sad, but an enjoyable film none the less.
THE SON OF KONG is a very entertaining film when taken in its own right, without comparing it to its predecessor. Unlike Ann Darrow, Hilda has moxie! I’d actually recommend to the uninitiated (who haven’t seen either film), to watch SoK first, then view KK as a prequel. This way, the dynamics rise as opposed to dropping.
surprised you didn't mention how Kiko and Suko (the "son" character from GxK) have very such similar sounding names. probably changed because Suko isn't Kong's biologic son thus a different character. but still inspired by him
Great video! Did not know about the condom wrapper miniature projection screens ha ha ha! Son of Kong is the perfect bridge between King Kong and Mighty Joe Young! I watch them every Thanksgiving, just like I did when I was kid and Channel 9 in NYC would run them every Thanksgiving!
Great video. I love this movie. It has a lot of heart, and Kiko is such a loveable little guy, which makes for a heartbreaking end. Also, I appreciate the lack of music when you were discussing what happened with O'Brien and his family toward the end of the production. Having the groovy music playing when talking about all of that would've been pretty tone deaf, so you did good.
I have a theory that kong had a family but the she kong died and he didn't know about kiko (that's the name of his son by the way) and then found that tribe and they worshipped him so that could work remember there button of predetors on the island
Loving this series so far, great work! Also, while I know the deadbeat dad Kong was a joke, I do think the inclusion of Kiko can add to the lore of Kong in the first movie. Like, we can say that Kong did have a queen, but that she died prior to the events of the first movie, likely shortly after Kiko was born. Kong then begins to rampage in anger and maybe even grief, thus leading to the island natives to begin offering him brides in hopes of calming him down, and replace his missing partner. Just an idea.
If there was a baby Kong it stands to reason there was Lady Kong, as for the rest who knows maybe lady Kong died giving birth to baby Kong or maybe she was attacked by one the many dinosaurs on the island
Do you plan on covering the Fleischer Studios Superman short, "The Arctic Giant"? It is very similar to Godzilla, except it was created 13 years before Gorjira was produced.
Absolutely! I intend to address that in a dinosaur movie episode because the monster is classified as a Tyrannosaurus while being very different from how we view it today.
Uhhg - Hate Godzilla! Biggest Mary Sue ever! I can't think of a greater Mary Sue character other than Superman. No personality, bore of the monster universe. (no consistency what-so-ever, There's multiple Godzillas and then there's only one, and then one is funny, and then one is evil, and then one is heroic - Then the breath is forever changing as well, and then he can fly and then he can't ... BORING! They don't even know what to do with it. Piss-Poor written monster) There was even a time when Toho actually started hating Godzilla too - until the Americans started shelling out money to watch it. They were going to end Godzilla with King Kong vrs. Godzilla - Kill him off - use his dead husk as an amusement museum in the next Toho monster film (and two more Kong movies were being developed but licensing changed that.) But with that said, It's Team Kong all the way! I can't get enough of the big Monke'. Godzilla X Kong was awesome rollercoaster popcorn fest! It's what movies were made for. Silliness aside, It was entertaining and that's all that movie was meant to do. Godzilla didn't need to be in it at all - They wrote it in just to please "Godzilla Fans." At least Kong has personality, has to really fight his way through a story, has likes and dislikes, goals and learning curves. His character / characters have growth. Because of his primate emotions he can be read, he appeals to "human" nature and people can empathize with him. Godzilla is just a big dumb disaster, like an earthquake or a tornado, and other than that, he is pretty worthless. Sure, the destruction he causes is entertaining, but any other Kiju can do that. Sorry to hurt the "fan boys" feelings, (and believe me I use to be biggest Godzilla fan there was when I was a kid - but ... I grew up and saw it for what it was.
An interesting thing to note is that Son of Kong came out 33 years before the first (and so far only) actual albino gorilla was discovered.
Part of the reason that Son of Kong did well in Asian territories is because Charlie was one of the first Asian characters in Hollywood to be portrayed in a decent light. He stands up to the bully, secures provisions, fights the styracosaurus, and even claims a share of the treasure at the end. It's a big step up from his role in the first film.
I always loved how Son of Kong focused so much on Denham the capt. and crew of the Venture and the other human characters giving Denham and Hildy a nice little romance in the aftermath of King Kong's epic events in a very low key footnote kind of way. It always struck me as the very welcome sad little crumbs of it's much grander predecessor and it's comedic zaniness combined with it's latent melancholy. It always invoked The Our Gang/Little Rascals shorts in my mind for some reason, LOL!
SON OF KONG was whipped out in the latter of 1933, the same year as KING KONG was released. Restricted by a smaller budget than its predecessor, scriptwriter Ruth Rose (scriptwriter for KING KONG and producer/director Ernest Schoedsack’s wife) was encouraged to write a lighter ‘serio-comedy’ that could be released theatrically by the end of the year while the going was hot.
Special effects pioneer and stop-motion animator Willis O’Brien, disheartened by the comedic direction that the film had taken (along with other various reasons), requested that his name be removed from the credits. During filming, O’Brien’s wife shot their two sons and then turned the gun on herself. Her suicide attempt failed, but their sons died from their wounds. There is a famous publicity photograph of O’Brien that was taken, on insistence of Merian C. Cooper, on the same day that he learned of the murder/suicide, that he promptly ripped to pieces. The photo was retrieved by a set worker, taped together (samples of this photo found on the internet have, the tear lines digitally repaired, but the ‘Scotch taped’ version exists in books). You can see the devastating anguish on his face, and this is why Kong’s son flips the bird; it’s intended for Cooper.
Though he’s never referred to by name in the film, Kong’s son is famously known as Kiko (the words ‘king’ and ‘Kong’ combined).
Actor Robert Armstrong, who portrayed film producer Carl Denham in both films, has stated that he enjoyed working in SON OF KONG more than the original, as Denham’s character was more fully developed and given a love interest.
The Styracosaur was the same stop-motion model (sculpted by Mexican artist Marcel Delgado) that was used in a deleted scene in KING KONG, that chased the sailors onto the log before Kong shook them off into the ravine. The sea serpent was a refurbished version of the mechanical sauropod model used in the swamp scene in KING KONG. Kiko, himself, was built from one of the armatures of Kong.
Stop-motion animator Pete Peterson did most of the hands-on animation, and later worked with O’Brien on the film THE BLACK SCORPION. Some of the creature models used in the famously lost ‘spider pit scene’ from KING KONG also appear in THE BLACK SCORPION.
KING KONG, SON OF KONG and MIGHTY JOE YOUNG were aired annually on Thanksgiving day back in the ‘70s.
Taken on its own merits, SON OF KONG is a highly entertaining film!
I think its so funny how the storm that flooded Skull Island in the monsterverse was inspired by this film.
The Peter Jackson version of Skull Island also canonically sank beneath the sea (mentioned in the DVD documentary and companion book), which is also directly taken from Son of Kong
Robert Armstrong was always one of my favorite actors. He basically plays the same character, but he is usually a fun watch.
There's only three real monsters: Dracula, Blacula, and Son of Kong.
Now quit picking your nose and get back to work!
Definitely!
LOL
What about Blackenstein? 😕
I’ve heard that quote before and I like it.
What a beautiful voice Ruth rose has
Maybe the Mother Kiko died. Probably before the movie King Kong occurs; but possibly after Kong was taken. If after then without Kong on Skull Island she would have to defend Kiko from the dinosaurs & other beasts of the island. Perhaps she died & that's why Kiko was so wanting a surrogate family unlike Kong who saw the outsider humans as a problem.
Perhaps Kong's mate had perished, explaining the islanders offerings. And maybe she was light furred, explaining the sons white look and Kongs attraction to Ann Darrow.
It's no Empire Strikes Back or Road Warrior but I think it's a lot better than Return Of The Jedi and Thunder Doom.
A worthy B side entry...an easy recommendation..
Thank for this informative video on King Kong and Son of Kong!!!!! My all-time favorite movie.
King Kong did live
There's a point during Arlo Guthrie's famous 14-minute ramble, 'Alice's Restaurant,' where he pauses his narrative and says, "Remember Alice? It's a song about Alice."
I loved this movie as a kid and still do, but it doesn't compare to the prequel. This could've been a lot better if they didn't rush it.
Return To Kong Island
It may not be great, but its still one I enjoy and better that the King Kong and King Kong Lives from the 70s. The Styracosaurus was my favorite creature from it.
Here is an unpleasant thought. Kiko's mom could have been one of the previous brides for kong.
In the novel After King Kong fell, the narrator goes into detail of how small a male gorilla's reproductive organs are, and even at king kongs propotions relations should be possible.
People were trying to breed humans and apes as far back as Ilya Ivanov in the 1920s.
If this were true it would not be the only time fake or pseudo science was used as fact in a movie.
Funny how the climatic ending of Skull Island sinking into the sea because of an earthquake would end up influencing the downfall of Peter Jackson's Skull Island. Since in their Natural History tie-in book and bonus feature, that after WW2 ended, Skull Island sunk to the bottom of the ocean.
Is it possible they could remake Son of Kong? Maybe take the elements that were deleted like the dinosaur stampede, them attacking the natives and the village. Maybe remake it to what Cooper wanted or is there probably not enough interest?
I seen this movie back in day, but not in long time
The perfect way to start a morning at 4:38 AM
What I've always hated about this movie is what is the purpose of killing off baby Kong at the end.
It brings down the whole movie. They should have just sailed off with him waving from the trees
@@oaf-77 exactly!
I always assumed kongs previous partner simply died before the events of the first film as we have no clue how old Kong or baby Kong are
Son of Kong did well in Asian Countries because the Character Charlie had a bigger role in the Sequel.
Great video but some slight ignorance to Denham calling Hilda "kid". We use terms like "babe" or "baby" in modern times and no one bats an eye.
I admit that I was shocked to have learned of this sequel, even more so to know that Kong actually had a son, even though he was said to be the last of his kind.
Great review entry and lol at the perfect song choice for the intro. I enjoyed this one too but really felt bad for Kiko at the end. Little guy definitely deserved better but protected his new friends to the bitter end
Did not expect to hear about THAT detail.
Good god…
That little ad from Japan with a Raskin style Kiko is so adorable. I’d buy a stuffed animal like it.
when it comes to Kongs in the original movie, I've had the (I guess you could call it fanfiction idea) that male Kongs live alone while the females live in tightly knit troops with their offspring. like elephants.
He is an ape not a person. The relationship with Ann i like that of a dog, if the dog was dominate. That is it can't actually be romance. She is either a fun toy, or a pet that he loves. Or and this is, the scary idea, Little Kong is half human. Because Kong had many wives offered to him. All that is to say, dont think so hard about it, like geez man. Its an animal, like Old Yeller or Lassie, we love them but not like that.
Could say that the real big problem is that while the different halves of the movie are competent enough, it's just that they don't intertwine that well into eachother and thus the movie doesn't become much more than the sum of its parts?
I really like Carl Denham to be the focus of this story. Also I like Hilda very much. Too bad, the story gets forgettable after they returned to the island. And why had the little one to die? Very sad, but an enjoyable film none the less.
THE SON OF KONG is a very entertaining film when taken in its own right, without comparing it to its predecessor. Unlike Ann Darrow, Hilda has moxie! I’d actually recommend to the uninitiated (who haven’t seen either film), to watch SoK first, then view KK as a prequel. This way, the dynamics rise as opposed to dropping.
Shame for the quick 'n cheap production. You could see if the crew had more time, they really could've gave us something special
surprised you didn't mention how Kiko and Suko (the "son" character from GxK) have very such similar sounding names. probably changed because Suko isn't Kong's biologic son thus a different character. but still inspired by him
Great video! Did not know about the condom wrapper miniature projection screens ha ha ha! Son of Kong is the perfect bridge between King Kong and Mighty Joe Young! I watch them every Thanksgiving, just like I did when I was kid and Channel 9 in NYC would run them every Thanksgiving!
Can't wait for the Japanese King Kongs!
Please review gamera rebirth you’ve reviewed all the gamera movies & you did Godzilla singular point so do rebirth okay
Thanks for this series! Def one of the best on RUclips!!
20:09 Oh my goodness! That’s truly awful. Glad that O’Brien was able to pick myself up after that, but that was something I was not expecting. Jesus…
Loving this series of yours! So glad to have a new entry on a late Sunday night too!
This is the video I’ve been waiting for. The pinnacle of kong movies.
Still waiting for Peter Jackson to remake it.
Ok but what was the kiko commercial at the end please someone tell me
Great video. I love this movie. It has a lot of heart, and Kiko is such a loveable little guy, which makes for a heartbreaking end.
Also, I appreciate the lack of music when you were discussing what happened with O'Brien and his family toward the end of the production. Having the groovy music playing when talking about all of that would've been pretty tone deaf, so you did good.
Great video Paper Finz 👍🏻.
Ann Darrow is absent from the movie and little Kong has blonde hair. Hmmm...
You just had to go there . . . 😊
@@BebeLush2 Lo,,, eww!
I figured 'Kiko' was a Forrest Ackerman-created name, like
'Tadzilla' for Minilla
I have a theory that kong had a family but the she kong died and he didn't know about kiko (that's the name of his son by the way) and then found that tribe and they worshipped him so that could work remember there button of predetors on the island
Loving this series so far, great work!
Also, while I know the deadbeat dad Kong was a joke, I do think the inclusion of Kiko can add to the lore of Kong in the first movie. Like, we can say that Kong did have a queen, but that she died prior to the events of the first movie, likely shortly after Kiko was born. Kong then begins to rampage in anger and maybe even grief, thus leading to the island natives to begin offering him brides in hopes of calming him down, and replace his missing partner. Just an idea.
Clearly not as good as the original, but far, far better a sequel than King Kong Lives!
If there was a baby Kong it stands to reason there was Lady Kong, as for the rest who knows maybe lady Kong died giving birth to baby Kong or maybe she was attacked by one the many dinosaurs on the island
Don’t know why people hate this movie?
we need like Son of Kong vs Son of Godzilla tbh
Oh great! New video!
I really appreciate what you do and always look forward to these.
Once you get to the big G, I kinda hope it continues ;)
Is there a reason why the nicer Kong has white fur? Just saying.
HES BACK
Do you plan on covering the Fleischer Studios Superman short, "The Arctic Giant"? It is very similar to Godzilla, except it was created 13 years before Gorjira was produced.
Absolutely! I intend to address that in a dinosaur movie episode because the monster is classified as a Tyrannosaurus while being very different from how we view it today.
Oh goodness, the intro XD
It’s “Monke Month” here at Paper Finz.
I keep forgetting the original king kong had a sequel.
Can you make a Video About King Kong Indian Movie And Analys About Dogorasaurus😊
Another excellent documentary, Paper Finz! Solid work! Thanks for doing this kind of wonderful content!
HA! FIRST! SAW IT AT 5 SECONDS!
🦍🦍🦍🦍🦍👍👍👍👍👍！！！💪💪💪💪💪！！！
yoo
Uhhg - Hate Godzilla! Biggest Mary Sue ever! I can't think of a greater Mary Sue character other than Superman. No personality, bore of the monster universe. (no consistency what-so-ever, There's multiple Godzillas and then there's only one, and then one is funny, and then one is evil, and then one is heroic - Then the breath is forever changing as well, and then he can fly and then he can't ... BORING! They don't even know what to do with it. Piss-Poor written monster) There was even a time when Toho actually started hating Godzilla too - until the Americans started shelling out money to watch it. They were going to end Godzilla with King Kong vrs. Godzilla - Kill him off - use his dead husk as an amusement museum in the next Toho monster film (and two more Kong movies were being developed but licensing changed that.) But with that said, It's Team Kong all the way! I can't get enough of the big Monke'. Godzilla X Kong was awesome rollercoaster popcorn fest! It's what movies were made for. Silliness aside, It was entertaining and that's all that movie was meant to do. Godzilla didn't need to be in it at all - They wrote it in just to please "Godzilla Fans." At least Kong has personality, has to really fight his way through a story, has likes and dislikes, goals and learning curves. His character / characters have growth. Because of his primate emotions he can be read, he appeals to "human" nature and people can empathize with him. Godzilla is just a big dumb disaster, like an earthquake or a tornado, and other than that, he is pretty worthless. Sure, the destruction he causes is entertaining, but any other Kiju can do that. Sorry to hurt the "fan boys" feelings, (and believe me I use to be biggest Godzilla fan there was when I was a kid - but ... I grew up and saw it for what it was.
Kid was a pretty looss term back then .the three stooges tended to call eachother kid a bunch of times all tehoighout the 30s and 40s.