MIGHTY JOE YOUNG

(vt Mr Joseph Young of Africa) Film (1949). Argosy/RKO. Dir Ernest B. Schoedsack, starring Terry Moore, Ben Johnson, Robert Armstrong. Screenplay Ruth Rose, from a story by Merian C. Cooper. 94 mins. B/w, with some tinted sequences.

   A virtual remake, though on a smaller scale, of KING KONG (1933), by much the same team that produced that classic. The heroorganizes a cowboy expedition to Africa to capture animals for his new night-club. Once there they encounter a 12ft (3.7m) gorilla and, after failing to lasso it, discover it is a girl's pet. They persuade her to return with the ape to the USA, where it is exhibited in a nightclub. Finally it goes berserk, but redeems itself by rescuing children from aburning orphanage. Special-effects genius Willis H. O'BRIEN had few successes after King Kong but at least MJY, on which he supervised the model animation, won him some belated recognition as well as an Academy Award. Also working on the film was the young Ray HARRYHAUSEN.

   JB