The original Mighty Joe Young movie poster.

Mighty Joe Young is a RKO Radio Pictures film made in 1949 by the same design team responsible for King Kong. Written by Merian C. Cooper (who provided the story) and Ruth Rose (screenplay), and directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack, it tells the story of a young woman, 'Jill Young', played by Terry Moore, living on her father's farm in Africa, who ends up bringing the title character — a giant ape (not as large as King Kong - perhaps 10-12 feet tall) — to Hollywood. The movie co-stars Ben Johnson, as 'Gregg', in his first major role. Willis O'Brien, who created the animation for King Kong, was also the supervising animator on this film, although by some accounts the majority of the effects were created by Ray Harryhausen. The models (constructed by Kong's builder Marcel Delgado) and animation are more sophisticated than Kong's and contains more subtle gestures and even some comedic elements, such as one chase scene where Joe is riding in the back of a speeding truck and he spits at his pursuers. Despite this increased technical sophistication, this film, like Kong, features some serious scale issues, with Joe noticeably changing size between many shots. ImageMetadata File history File links 8373. ... ImageMetadata File history File links 8373. ... The classic logo of RKO Radio Pictures. ... Film is a term that encompasses individual motion pictures, the field of film as an art form, and the motion picture industry. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... The original 1933 King Kong model. ... Merian C. Cooper Merian Caldwell Cooper (October 24, 1893, Jacksonville, Florida, USA — April 21, 1973, San Diego, California, USA, died of cancer) was an American aviator, American Air Force and Polish Air Force officer, adventurer, director, screenwriter and producer. ... Ernest B. Schoedsack (June 8, 1893 - December 23, 1979) is probably best remembered for being the co-director of the 1933 film, King Kong. ... Moore on the cover of Playboy, August 1984 Terry Moore (born Helen Luella Koford, January 7, 1929) is an Oscar-nominated American actress. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... Families Hylobatidae Hominidae Apes are the members of the Hominoidea superfamily of primates, which includes humans. ... ... Ben Johnson Jr. ... Willis OBrien with his Academy Award. ... The original 1933 King Kong model. ... Ray Harryhausen (born June 29, 1920 in Los Angeles, California) is an American producer and, most notably, a special effects creator. ... Marcel Delgado, sculptor and model-maker born in Coahuila, Mexico, on January 16, 1901. ...

Joe is an instant hit in the Hollywood nightclub, The Golden Safari (on opening night he wins a tug-of-war with ten real-life strong men, including ex-boxer Primo Carnera, whom he throws into the audience), but the novelty wears off and he is tired and homesick after seventeen weeks of performing. An ill-conceived skit with Jill as an organ-grinder leaves Joe (and Jill) storming off-stage, and, to make matters worse, three drunks sneak backstage and ply Joe with liquor. He wrecks the place and a court orders him shot. Jill, Gregg, and O'Hara cook up a plan to get Joe out of the country--but on the way to a ship, they stop to rescue kids from a burning orphanage, and Joe redeems himself. Primo Carnera (October 26, 1906 – June 29, 1967) was an Italian boxer who became the World Heavyweight champion. ...

While Mighty Joe Young has its own following, it is generally not as highly regarded as Kong.

Trivia

Australian singer Pete Murray refers to the character in his single "So Beautiful": "Now you tell me why it's so, You're bigger than Mighty Joe, At least you think so." Pete Murray is an Australian singer-songwriter whose first album Feeler released on 21 July 2003 went to number one on the Australian charts on 29 March 2004 and has so far achieved six time platinum status. ...

A sequel called Joe Meets Tarzan was planned in 1950, where Mighty Joe Young would cross paths with Lex Barker's Tarzan. The sequel was never made due to the film's disappointing box office.^[1] Lex Barker (May 8, 1919 - May 11, 1973) was born Alexander Crichlow Barker, Jr. ... James H. Pierce and Joan Burroughs Pierce starred in the 1932-34 Tarzan radio series 1964 Edition of Tarzan of the Apes Tarzan, a fictional character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, first appeared in the 1912 novel Tarzan of the Apes, and then in twenty-three sequels. ...

In the scene where a hobo tries to bum a ride in the moving van and sees Joe when he opens the back door, and is then taken to the local police station, he speaks frantically to the desk sergeant in Polish, which the sergeant happens to know because his father spoke it. A performance artist dressed as a hobo Hobo is a term that refers to a subculture of wandering homeless people, particularly those who make a habit of hopping freight trains. ... Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organisations around the world. ...

Reference

1. ^ Willis O'Brien-Creator of the Impossible by Don Shay. Cinefex #7 R.B Graphics. 1982. Pg.57

See also

• Mighty Joe Young the 1998 remake
• List of stop-motion films
• King Kong

Mighty Joe Young is a 1998 family film starring Bill Paxton and Charlize Theron and directed by Ron Underwood. ... This is a list of stop-motion films from around the world organised in order of release date; theatrical releases as well as made-for-TV and direct-to-video movies. ... The original 1933 King Kong model. ...

External links

• Official site
• Mighty Joe Young (1949) at the Internet Movie Database