40 Films in Robotech: King Kong (1933)

Yes, Kong has appeared on Digging Star Wars before this entry. But look what new info we have for you……

 ROBOTECH MENTION:  

The following shot which mentions several films including King Kong (1933) is from Jack McKinney’s novelization Robotech: The Macross Saga - Battlehymn (1987)…

Four films mentioned in the Page 76 excerpt above are in the 40 Films in Robotech. So far, I covered: One Touch of Venus (1948), The Devil-Doll (1936), and King Kong (with this post). Next week, I'll feature Attack of the 50 Foot Woman (1958). 

 SYNOPSIS:  

As written in The Rough Guide to Cult Movies (2004): “…a re-imagining of the Beauty and the Beast fable, a director heads off with his leading lady (Fay Wray) to a remote island to coerce a giant ape into starring in his film, only for the ape to fall for Wray.”

 AWARDS & KUDOS:  

King Kong is listed as one of “The Essentials – 52 Must-See Movies” by TCM (2016). Kong has also won the “Best Movie to Watch at the Drive-In” TV Land Award (2008) and “OFTA Film Hall of Fame Motion Picture” Award from the Online Film & Television Association. It was added to the National Film Registry in 1991 by the National Film Preservation Board of the USA. Digging Star Wars featured King Kong in a 2022 entry concerning The Book of Boba Fett.

 OTHER COOL FACTS:  

After Kong’s release, the film's writer/director/producer Merian C. Cooper wrote a treatment for his next film project that promised to be “Bigger than King Kong!”. The project was called War Eagles and stalled forever once Cooper joined Claire Chennault’s Flying Tigers volunteer aviators in World War II. While the film never materialized, War Eagles (2008) found life in the novelization written by none other than the Robotech creator himself,  Carl Macek. Ray Bradbury called the book “wonderful” and Ray Harryhausen authored the book’s foreword. I own a Carl Macek-autographed copy of War Eagles.

 ROBOTECH REASON:  

The Zentraedi are humanoid aliens battling Earthlings in the first Robotech war. On numerous occasions, these giant warriors scoop up a helpless female character – often to be saved by pilots in their Robotech planes. This repeated circumstance in Robotech is similar to the character of Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) being saved by biplane pilots attacking the beast in King Kong’s final act. And, like the big ape in Kong, many Zentraedi are irresistibly drawn to one human female starlet – a singer/actress known as Minmei. 

To read my ⭐⭐⭐ (out of a possible 5 star) rating for King Kong on Letterboxd, click here.