LIFE King Kong
LIFE: King Kong
Apes of Wrath • KING KONG MAY HAVE INFLUENCED MORE MOVIES THAN ANY OTHER. THAT’S BECAUSE KONG IS NOT ONLY FEROCIOUS, HE’S SOULFUL—A MONSTER WITH HUMAN DIGNITY.
The Eighth Wonder of the World • A VISUAL, AUDIO, AND SPECIAL-EFFECTS BREAKTHROUGH, KING KONG AND ITS LEADING MAN PUT THEIR GRIP ON THE WORLD’S TALLEST BUILDING, AND ON THE PUBLIC AT LARGE.
The Role of a Lifetime • FAY WRAY PLAYED MANY PARTS OVER MANY YEARS, BUT SHE NEVER LOST HER SPECIAL FEELING FOR KONG.
A Storied Skyscraper • ONE MEMORABLE MEMBER OF THE KING KONG CAST IS STILL WITH US. THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING HAS A PERSONALITY ALL ITS OWN.
The Hard, Historic Year of 1933 • KING KONG ARRIVED AT THE VERY DEPTH OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION, OFFERING AN ESCAPE FROM SO MUCH GRIM REALITY.
Descended from Apes • THE GREAT MOVIE SPAWNED MANY SEQUELS AND REMAKES—SOME FORGETTABLE, BUT SOME THAT BECAME CLASSICS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT.
21st Century Kong • EVEN MANY DECADES AFTER HIS BIRTH, KING KONG—AS ONE MONUMENTAL REMAKE AND SEVERAL OTHER VENTURES SHOW—WAS MADE FOR THESE TIMES.
On-Screen Simians • APES, CHIMPS, GORILLAS, ORANGUTANS—A CADRE OF FURRY PRIMATES HAVE FOUND CELLULOID SUCCESS.
Long Live the King • AS A CHARACTER, AS A CONCEPT, AND AS A METAPHOR, KING KONG REMAINS RESONANT. AND HE ISN’T GOING ANYWHERE.
The Real King Kong • HE ATE FRUIT INSTEAD OF AIRMEN, BUT HE ROAMED THE EARTH WEIGHING 1,000 POUNDS, AND HE MAY HAVE SPAWNED SOME LEGENDS OF HIS OWN.
LIFE Bookazines
LIFE: King Kong Photo Credits
The Hand of King Kong