1976’s King Kong remake was fraught with problems.
But when the monkey die, people gonna cry.
Intellectuals gonna love Kong.
A version ofKongretold with top-of-the-line actors and cutting-edge special effects.
This, at any rate, was the version of the story put forward by Michael Eisner.
Exactly what happened next became the subject of a bitter and expensive legal battle.
The tussle centred around the precise events of the April 15, 1975.
The project even had a name:The Legend of King Kong.
Needless to say, neither studio was pleased when they discovered the existence of the othersKongproject.
Lawyers were scrambled, and Universal fired first.
Another advert cheekily billedKing Kongas The Most Exciting Original Motion Picture Event of All Time.
DuringKing Kongs hasty pre-production, De Laurentiis assembled an eclectic cast and crew.
He would later compare building Kong to the United States space program during the race to the moon.
Others seemed to think it was De Laurentiis idea screenwriter Lorenzo Semple Jr. being among them.
I realize nowKing Kongwas probably a doomed venture, Semple said in a 1980 interview withStarlogmagazine.
But thats also the fun of working with Dino.
No studio could possibly do what he did.
For example, millions of dollars were wasted in constructing a 40-foot tall mechanical ape.
That was Dinos grandiose dream, but it was technically impossible to execute…
Nevertheless, the attempt was made.
Glen Robinson, whod worked on the special mechanical effects on such films asTora!
If the mechanical hand was temperamental, the full-size Kong was downright noncompliant.
Even in the handful of scenes where the full-sized Kong was used, it still caused problems.
Among the extras were heads of Paramount, watching expectantly.
Awkwardly, a huge covering was lifted away to reveal the manacled Kong.
Its mouth opened and closed.
The audience cheered appreciatively.
Then a voice cried out from the crowd: Oh my God!
He just got excited seeing the girl!
John came over and assured me the leg would miss my by plenty, Grodin later wrote.
The problem was, the legs tendency to malfunction didnt exactly fill Grodin with confidence.
The hairy foot came down and missed him.
In spite of Johns assurances, we got some pretty good photographed fear out of me, Grodin wrote.
I was through with the picture and alive.
All told, the full-sized King Kongs appearance in the movie amounted to around 15 seconds.
The overlooked party in the whole thing, however, was Rick Baker.
King Kong offered the one chance to do a really perfect gorilla suit, Bakerlamented.
With the money and the time, it could have been outstanding.
Unfortunately, it wasnt.
There were compromises and forced deadlines.
A once in a lifetime opportunity was lost.
The critical reaction was more mixed, with many criticizing its dialogue and camp tone.
Most agreed thatKing Kongfailed to match the quality of the 1933 original.
YetKing Kongwas, in a strange way, something of a pioneer in blockbuster terms.
An estimated $10 million was spent on marketing another uncommonly high amount for the era.
This was, after all, a film where Kongs given amechanical heart and a wife.
As for Universal, it finally got to make itsKing Kongmovie in 2005.
