O2D I want to start by saying that this movie came to my attention because of Ray Harryhausen, not because of the 90s remake.I didn't even know about the remake until after I discovered this. Anyway, I had to try three times before I could make it past the first scene.It's so unrealistic and filled with bad acting that I kept rewinding and couldn't make it any further.For some reason a little white girl lives in the African jungle and her father leaves her alone all day, already off to a bad start.Of course the girl doesn't have a mother, children in old movies never do.Two savages walk past the house carrying a small basket on a large stick.The basket contains a monkey but that doesn't even matter.Why would it take two of them to carry the basket?It could have easily been carried in one hand.And why do they wear diapers?So the girl runs out to stop them and see what they have and here's where any sign of reality goes out the window.She wants to buy the monkey and runs back in the house to get jewels. Even though they don't speak English, they seem to understand everything she says.They turn down the deal of jewels for the monkey and turnaround, heading back in the direction they came from.WHAT??!?!?Then she adds a flashlight to the deal and they immediately agree!WHAT??!?!I guess they know where to get batteries in the 1940s jungle.But the real shocker is that the savages don't rape, murder or kidnap the little girl.Which is mind blowing.I don't see how anyone could ever watch this movie.

Jackson Booth-Millard I had already seen the 1998 Disney remake with Charlize Theron and Bill Paxton, so I had a rough idea what to expect with this black and white original version, directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack (King Kong). Basically in 1937 Tanganyika Territory, Africa, eight-year- old Jill Young (Lora Lee Michel) lives with her father John Young (Regis Toomey) on his ranch, she and two Africans come across an orphaned baby gorilla, Jill really wants a pet, her father allows her to care for for the gorilla. Twelve years later, talkative and persuasive promoter Max O'Hara (Robert Armstrong) with his sidekick, Oklahoma cowboy Gregg (Ben Johnson), are on a trip to Africa looking for new animal attractions to headline O'Hara's new Hollywood nightclub. They capture several lions and prepare to leave, but then out of the blue they see a huge 12 foot gorilla, they try to capture the creature, but are stopped when now teenage Jill Young (Terry Moore) rescues them from the beast harming them. Jill explains about her connection with the gorilla, named Joseph "Joe" Young , Gregg is smitten with ill, while Max seduces her with the thought of a fancy life, fame and fortune if she signs a contract for her and Joe to come with them and become the star attraction of his nightclub. A short time later, back in Hollywood, the nightclub opens and Joe makes his stage debut, with Jill by his side to keep him calm, the audience reaction is staggering and Joe's popularity grows, but the high life is not quite what Jill pictured. Jill realises that Joe is unhappy and asks Max to arrange her return to Africa, he does persuade to stay a little longer in show business, but three alcoholic customers give booze to Joe, causing him to rage and break out of his holding cage in a violent temper. Joe is sentenced by the justice to be destroyed, Jill, Max and Gregg do everything possible to find him before the authorities, it comes to a point when Joe reaches an orphanage that gets set on fire, he rescues some of the children and appears to be harmed, but in the end he is safe and sound, and returns to Africa with Jane, and Gregg joins them, they send a goodbye message to Max. Also starring Frank McHugh as Windy, Douglas Fowley as Jones, Denis Green as Crawford, Paul Guilfoyle as Smith and Nestor Paiva as Brown. The story is a obviously a variation on the King Kong tale, made much more schmaltzy, but it does have the fantastic work of stop- motion animation genius Ray Harryhausen to create the giant gorilla and his movements, all in all I prefer the remake, but this classic original is an alright fantasy adventure. It won the Oscar for Best Effects, Special Effects. Worth watching!

Edgar Allan Pooh . . . seldom has been more truthfully depicted on the big screen than in 1949's MIGHTY JOE YOUNG. Seduced by limelight, applause, and booze, this "Gorilla Ironman" (G.I.) Joe does ALL of the work and is given NONE of the profits. Hollywood's infamous accounting methods subject him to abject poverty in an appalling condition of solitary confinement. His career is on track to be shorter than James Dean's, River Phoenix', or Heath Ledger's, as a judge orders his summary execution by firing squad at his first hint of Union Activism. Always the Rich Man's stooges, the L.A. cops are only too happy to oblige The Man. But before these murderers-by-proxy can carry out their ghastly orders, G.I. Joe detours from his escape-back-to-Africa route to rescue a handful of young girls from a burning orphanage--the only thing preventing his liquidation by the Oppressors' Tools. A few years later John Garfield (GENTLEMEN'S AGREEMENT), Dalton Trumbo, and the rest of the "Hollywood Ten" martyrs would NOT fare so well!

utgard14 An African girl (Terry Moore) is best friends with a twelve-foot tall ape named Joe she grew up with. American promoter Max O'Hara (Robert Armstrong) persuades the girl to bring her ape to America to take part in his show. You can pretty much guess how this will go wrong even if you haven't seen King Kong.First big role for Ben Johnson as a cowboy who falls for Moore. He's pretty wooden here but then again he was a fairly wooden actor throughout his career. He does his usual John Wayne, Jr. routine. Lots of "Yassir" and "Ah reckon" type stuff. Robert Armstrong plays a role very much like Carl Denham from King Kong, although a little more comedic. Terry Moore is more Helen Mack than Fay Wray. That is to say she's cute but not much screen presence.Re-teaming of many of the King Kong team for a story that is very similar to that film, although different enough to keep this from being considered a remake. The story is mostly kid stuff and fluff but cute nonetheless. The Willis O'Brien/Ray Harryhausen special effects alone are worth checking this movie out.