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Mighty Joe Young
USA 1949
produced by
Merian C. Cooper, John Ford (executive) for Argosy Picutres/RKO
directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack
starring Terry Moore, Ben Johnson, Robert Armstrong, Frank McHugh, Douglas Fowley, Denis Green, Paul Guilfoyle, Nestor Paiva, Regis Toomey, Lora Lee Michel, James Flavin, Primo Carnera, Phil Olafsson, Ian Batchelor, Karl 'Killer' Davis, William 'Wee Willie' Davis, Man Mountain Dean, Henry Kulky, Sammy Menacker, Ivan Rasputin, Sammy Stein, Selmer Jackson, Madame Sul-Te-Wan, Kermit Maynard
story by Merian C.Cooper, screenplay by Ruth Rose, music by Roy Webb, special effects by Willis O'Brien, first technician: Ray Harryhausen
review by
Mike Haberfelner
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Showman O'Hara (Robert Armstrong) and cowboy Gregg (Ben Johnson) go to
Africa to find attractions for O'Hara's next Hollywood show - and they
find a giant (10 to 12 ft) gorilla that seems to be as savage as can be,
but listens to a lovely girl, Jill (Terry Moore), who has been living in
the neighbourhood for all her life and who calls the gorilla, who's called
Joe, her best friend. Always the showman, O'Hara is quick to persuade her
to come with him to Hollywood and bring her gorilla, and soon they (well,
especially the gorilla) become a big attraction in his new Africa-themed
nightclub. Jill and Joe aren't happy in Hollywood though, especially Joe
who's kept in a cage when performing, and want to return, but O'Hara comes
up with one excuse after another to keep them. Then though, three drunk
customers of O'Hara's club sneak to Joe's cage and tease him until he is
so enraged that he escapes, laying the nightclub to ruins in the process,
until he can be calmed down by Jill. After that though, the law considers
the gorilla as public threat and wants him put to sleep. Upon this, O'Hara
has a change of heart, organizes a breakout with the help of Jill and
cowboy Gregg (whom Jill has long fallen in love with), and together they
try to get the Joe to the next ship, with the police inhot pursuit and
trigger happier than ever. Then though they pass a burning orphanage, and
after Joe saves a couple of orphans, nobody wants to shoot him anymore,
and he and Jill and Joe return to his home ... As most of you
might know, the most successful, most recognizable and most influential
film Ernest B.Schoedsack and Merian C.Cooper) were involved with was King
Kong from 1933. 16 years later, they made Mighty Joe Young,
which can best be described as a family friendly version of their biggest
success. Sure, the special effects have (vastly) improved in the 16 years
since King Kong was made and are
breathtaking even by today's standards, but the story is considerably
watered down, with the violence and sexual undercurrents of the original
gone, substituted with a squeaky clean couple (Jill and Gregg) and the
gorilla as their misunderstood kid - and thus they are all allowed to have
a happy ending. Would King Kong
have been like this, it would hardly have become a classic, and it is
actually a bit embarrassing how Schoedsack and Cooper treat their own
heritage. Except for the fine special effects this is definitely not worth
a look.
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find Mighty Joe Young at adultvideouniverse.com
