[...] Celluloid Heroes: It took them sixteen years, but they finally made a real sequel to the original King Kong. Okay, Mighty Joe Young is not technically a sequel to the 1933 classic, but they definitely share [...]

So, I’m watching it now, and I was totally thrown off by the incredibly long overture that you can’t fast forward through. … but, man, do Fay and Naomi look alike!

Ahh, that is probably correct. I was trying to remember the information that came with a teacher’s edition for an Introduction to Literature text.

But they are similar enough that I always yoke the two together now.

An interesting side note to King Kong: After the film was in the can, director Schoedsack had 30 minutes of film left that he did not want to waste. He had on hand a screenplay for Richard Connell’s famous short story “The Most Dangerous Game.” The story had won the O’Henry Award in 1927. Schoedsack decided to shoot the script on the King Kong Skull Island sets with the some of the same Kong cast. The original script and story had no female role, so a part was added for Fay Wray. This short film has been credited with spawning many later versions, including Bloodlust!, Running Man, Surviving the Game, and even a Gilligan’s Island and Star Trek episode.

Thanks for the post!