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Showing posts with label Robert Armstrong. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robert Armstrong. Show all posts
September 4, 2023
September 15, 2020
20,000 vinyl LPs 240: King Kong & Fay Wray
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Today is the birthday of "Scream Queen" Fay Wray who wailed her way through the 1933 fantasy film, King Kong as Ann Darrow, enamored by the gigantic gorilla, Kong.
King Kong is an American pre-Code monster adventure film directed and produced by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. The screenplay by James Ashmore Creelman and Ruth Rose was developed from an idea conceived by Cooper and Edgar Wallace. In addition to Fay Wray it starred Bruce Cabot and Robert Armstrong as Carl Denham. It opened at the at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on March 2, 1933, to rave reviews. It has been ranked by Rotten Tomatoes as the fourth greatest horror film of all time and the thirty-third greatest film of all time (link below).
The film portrays the story of a huge, gorilla-like creature dubbed Kong who perishes in an attempt to possess a beautiful young woman, Ann Darrow (Wray) (link to plot below).
Canadian-born, September 15, 1907, Wray played bit parts in Hollywood until cast as the lead in the Erich von Stroheim silent film, The Wedding March (1928). She met Kong co-directors Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack when cast as Ethne Eustace in The Four Feathers (1929). Cooper cast her as Eve Trowbridge in The Most Dangerous Game (1932). After the RKO board approved the Kong test, Cooper decided a blonde would provide contrast to the gorilla's dark pelt. Dorothy Jordan, Jean Harlow, and Ginger Rogers were considered, but the role finally went to Wray who wore a blonde wig in the film and was inspired more by Cooper's enthusiasm than the script to accept the role. According to her autobiography, On the Other Hand, Wray recounts that Cooper had told her he planned to star her opposite the "tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood". She assumed he meant Clark Gable until he showed her a picture of Kong climbing the Empire State Building. On the film's 50th anniversary in 1983, one New York theater held a Fay Wray scream-alike contest in its lobby. Through an acting career that spanned nearly six decades, Wray attained international recognition as an actress in horror films. She has been dubbed one of the early "scream queens".
Although the score for King Kong, written by Max Steiner, gets funky at a couple of places, considering the times, it is quite remarkable and was the progenitor of the Fantasy/Sci-Fi film scores to follow. He also wrote the score to the Kong sequel, Son of Kong.
King Kong was remade in 1976, produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Guillermin. Jessica Lange played the role of the blond love of the giant ape but her name was changed to Dwan. The film was Lange's first and it made her a major film star.
King Kong has been translated into many languages . . .
In 2004 Fay Wray was approached by director Peter Jackson to appear in a small cameo for the 2005 remake of King Kong. She met with Naomi Watts, who was to play the role of Ann Darrow. Wray politely declined the cameo, and claimed the original "Kong" to be the true "King". Before filming of the remake commenced, Wray died in her sleep of natural causes on August 8, 2004 in her apartment in Manhattan, five weeks before her 97th birthday. Two days after she died, the lights of the Empire State Building were dimmed for 15 minutes in her memory.
detail photo of album cover by Styrous®
Today is the birthday of "Scream Queen" Fay Wray who wailed her way through the 1933 fantasy film, King Kong as Ann Darrow, enamored by the gigantic gorilla, Kong.
Fay Wray (Ann Darrow)
detail photo of album cover by Styrous®
Kong & Ann Darrow
publicity photo
King Kong is an American pre-Code monster adventure film directed and produced by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. The screenplay by James Ashmore Creelman and Ruth Rose was developed from an idea conceived by Cooper and Edgar Wallace. In addition to Fay Wray it starred Bruce Cabot and Robert Armstrong as Carl Denham. It opened at the at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on March 2, 1933, to rave reviews. It has been ranked by Rotten Tomatoes as the fourth greatest horror film of all time and the thirty-third greatest film of all time (link below).
photo of album cover by Styrous®
The film portrays the story of a huge, gorilla-like creature dubbed Kong who perishes in an attempt to possess a beautiful young woman, Ann Darrow (Wray) (link to plot below).
Fay Wray - 1933
publicity photo
Canadian-born, September 15, 1907, Wray played bit parts in Hollywood until cast as the lead in the Erich von Stroheim silent film, The Wedding March (1928). She met Kong co-directors Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack when cast as Ethne Eustace in The Four Feathers (1929). Cooper cast her as Eve Trowbridge in The Most Dangerous Game (1932). After the RKO board approved the Kong test, Cooper decided a blonde would provide contrast to the gorilla's dark pelt. Dorothy Jordan, Jean Harlow, and Ginger Rogers were considered, but the role finally went to Wray who wore a blonde wig in the film and was inspired more by Cooper's enthusiasm than the script to accept the role. According to her autobiography, On the Other Hand, Wray recounts that Cooper had told her he planned to star her opposite the "tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood". She assumed he meant Clark Gable until he showed her a picture of Kong climbing the Empire State Building. On the film's 50th anniversary in 1983, one New York theater held a Fay Wray scream-alike contest in its lobby. Through an acting career that spanned nearly six decades, Wray attained international recognition as an actress in horror films. She has been dubbed one of the early "scream queens".
detail photo of album cover by Styrous®
The graphics for the album design were by Bob Cato an American photographer and graphic designer whose work in record album cover
design contributed to the development of music and popular culture for
five decades. He was vice president of creative services at Columbia Records, and later at United Artists.
King Kong contains stop-motion animation by Willis O'Brien and a music score by Max Steiner. In 1991, it was deemed "culturally, historically and aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
The film's romantic angle (rather than its jungle or animal angle) was played-up after animal films fared poorly at the box office in the early months of 1933. One exhibitor displayed a promotional still of Wray swooning in Armstrong's arms with the caption, "Their Hearts Stood Still...For There Stood Kong! A Love Story of Today That Spans the Ages!". Although the film's romantic subplot belongs to Cabot and Wray, established star Armstrong was chosen for the ad rather than the unknown Cabot.
detail photo by Styrous®
The film's romantic angle (rather than its jungle or animal angle) was played-up after animal films fared poorly at the box office in the early months of 1933. One exhibitor displayed a promotional still of Wray swooning in Armstrong's arms with the caption, "Their Hearts Stood Still...For There Stood Kong! A Love Story of Today That Spans the Ages!". Although the film's romantic subplot belongs to Cabot and Wray, established star Armstrong was chosen for the ad rather than the unknown Cabot.
Fay Wray & Robert Armstrong - 1933
publicity photo
Bruce Cabot & Fay Wray - 1933
unused publicity photo
While on the subject of her loves, in her book, On the Other Hand, Wray mentions an affair with writer Clifford Odets and that the writer Sinclair Lewis fell in love with her and wrote poems to her which she has included in the book.
Before King Kong entered production, a long tradition of jungle films existed, and, whether drama or documentary, such films (for example Stark Mad) generally adhered to a narrative pattern that followed an explorer or scientist into the jungle to test a theory only to discover some monstrous aberration in the undergrowth. In these films, scientific knowledge could be subverted at any time, and it was this that provided the genre with its vitality, appeal, and endurance.
From the first time I saw King Kong when I was a little kid, each and every time I see it I feel great sorrow for the King who loved too well.
Producer Merian C. Cooper explained the deeper meaning of the film. The inspiration for the climactic scene came when,
Fay Wray - On the Other Hand
Before King Kong entered production, a long tradition of jungle films existed, and, whether drama or documentary, such films (for example Stark Mad) generally adhered to a narrative pattern that followed an explorer or scientist into the jungle to test a theory only to discover some monstrous aberration in the undergrowth. In these films, scientific knowledge could be subverted at any time, and it was this that provided the genre with its vitality, appeal, and endurance.
King Kong - 1933
From the first time I saw King Kong when I was a little kid, each and every time I see it I feel great sorrow for the King who loved too well.
Producer Merian C. Cooper explained the deeper meaning of the film. The inspiration for the climactic scene came when,
" . . as he was leaving his office in Manhattan, he heard the sound of an airplane motor. He reflexively looked up as the sun glinted off the wings of a plane flying extremely close to the tallest building in the city... he realized if he placed the giant gorilla on top of the tallest building in the world and had him shot down by the most modern of weapons, the armed airplane, he would have a story of the primitive doomed by modern civilization."
photo by Styrous®
King Kong was remade in 1976, produced by Dino De Laurentiis and directed by John Guillermin. Jessica Lange played the role of the blond love of the giant ape but her name was changed to Dwan. The film was Lange's first and it made her a major film star.
King Kong has been translated into many languages . . .
In 2004 Fay Wray was approached by director Peter Jackson to appear in a small cameo for the 2005 remake of King Kong. She met with Naomi Watts, who was to play the role of Ann Darrow. Wray politely declined the cameo, and claimed the original "Kong" to be the true "King". Before filming of the remake commenced, Wray died in her sleep of natural causes on August 8, 2004 in her apartment in Manhattan, five weeks before her 97th birthday. Two days after she died, the lights of the Empire State Building were dimmed for 15 minutes in her memory.
photo by Styrous®
photo by Styrous®
Tracklist:
Side 1:
A1 - Main Title 2:12
A2 - At The Ship's Rail / Mysterious Seas - 1:01
A3 - The Last Port Of Call - 3:26
A4 - Approaching Kong's Island / Love Theme - 1:46
A5 - Jungle Dance / Anne Is Offered To Kong - 4:47
Side 1:
B1 - Rescue Team Follows Kong And Meets Brontosaur - 3:43
B2 - The Cave And The Snake - 2:52
B3 - Rescue Of Anne And Capture Of Kong - 3:04
B4 - And That Children, Is Why There Is No 6th Avenue "L" Today - 2:22
B5 - Death On The Empire State - 2:57
Notes:
Features "Steiner Out Of Kong By Cooper, a recognition by Ray Bradbury" editorial on the back of the album. Inner sleeve contains images of other United Artists Records releases. Vinyl label refers to sides as "Side 1" and "Side 2."
Max Steiner – King Kong - The Original Motion Picture Score
Label: United Artists Records – UA-LA373-G
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1975
Genre: Stage & Screen
Style: Soundtrack, Score
A1 - Main Title 2:12
A2 - At The Ship's Rail / Mysterious Seas - 1:01
A3 - The Last Port Of Call - 3:26
A4 - Approaching Kong's Island / Love Theme - 1:46
A5 - Jungle Dance / Anne Is Offered To Kong - 4:47
Side 1:
B1 - Rescue Team Follows Kong And Meets Brontosaur - 3:43
B2 - The Cave And The Snake - 2:52
B3 - Rescue Of Anne And Capture Of Kong - 3:04
B4 - And That Children, Is Why There Is No 6th Avenue "L" Today - 2:22
B5 - Death On The Empire State - 2:57
Notes:
Features "Steiner Out Of Kong By Cooper, a recognition by Ray Bradbury" editorial on the back of the album. Inner sleeve contains images of other United Artists Records releases. Vinyl label refers to sides as "Side 1" and "Side 2."
Max Steiner – King Kong - The Original Motion Picture Score
Label: United Artists Records – UA-LA373-G
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1975
Genre: Stage & Screen
Style: Soundtrack, Score
Viewfinder links:
Max Steiner
Net links:
Plot
CBR ~ A Brief History of Kong
Fandome ~ King Kong
Hollywood Reporter ~ How the Giant Gorilla Has Evolved Since 1933
Language Log ~ Nias, Komodo, and "Kong"
Life ~ King Kong: When the Awesome One Showed His Might
NY Daily News ~ Original Review: King Kong captures Radio City
NY Times ~
Fay Wray, Star Who Stole Kong's Heart, Dies at 96
Fay Wray Writes The Story of Her Life
NPR ~ King Kong: The Eighth Wonder of the World
Publisher's Weekly ~ On the Other Hand: A Life Story
Roger & Ebert ~ King Kong
Rotten tomatoes ~ King Kong
Time ~ How King Kong Gripped Audiences, Despite Ham-Handed Effects
USA Today ~ Why King Kong is one of the greatest films of all time
Vanity Fair ~ The Monkey and the Metaphor
The Washington Post ~ A Hollywood love story
CBR ~ A Brief History of Kong
Fandome ~ King Kong
Hollywood Reporter ~ How the Giant Gorilla Has Evolved Since 1933
Language Log ~ Nias, Komodo, and "Kong"
Life ~ King Kong: When the Awesome One Showed His Might
NY Daily News ~ Original Review: King Kong captures Radio City
NY Times ~
Fay Wray, Star Who Stole Kong's Heart, Dies at 96
Fay Wray Writes The Story of Her Life
NPR ~ King Kong: The Eighth Wonder of the World
Publisher's Weekly ~ On the Other Hand: A Life Story
Roger & Ebert ~ King Kong
Rotten tomatoes ~ King Kong
Time ~ How King Kong Gripped Audiences, Despite Ham-Handed Effects
USA Today ~ Why King Kong is one of the greatest films of all time
Vanity Fair ~ The Monkey and the Metaphor
The Washington Post ~ A Hollywood love story
YouTube links:
King Kong ~
movie & music ~
Full Movie HD (1 hr. 16 mins.)
King Kong Theme! (1933)
King Kong Full LP Album (Max Steiner Score) (1933) (47:39)
Documentary & Scenes ~
History of Kong Censored Scenes Documentary (25:53)
The Bride of Kong Scene
Kong vs. T-Rex Scene
Kong Undresses Ann & Unensored Scenes
Something in the Water Scene
Jack Rescues Ann Scene
Rampage Ravine Scene
The Lost Spider Pit Sequence
Kong Escapes Scene
Climbing the Empire State Building Scene
Beauty Killed the Beast Scene
movie & music ~
Full Movie HD (1 hr. 16 mins.)
King Kong Theme! (1933)
King Kong Full LP Album (Max Steiner Score) (1933) (47:39)
Documentary & Scenes ~
History of Kong Censored Scenes Documentary (25:53)
The Bride of Kong Scene
Kong vs. T-Rex Scene
Kong Undresses Ann & Unensored Scenes
Something in the Water Scene
Jack Rescues Ann Scene
Rampage Ravine Scene
The Lost Spider Pit Sequence
Kong Escapes Scene
Climbing the Empire State Building Scene
Beauty Killed the Beast Scene
"It was Beauty killed the Beast!"
~ Carl Denham
~ Carl Denham
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