King Kong - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of King Kong or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to King Kong

[wallace]

The movie was shipped to theaters in the U.S. under the name "Tiny Dancer". For added security, the eighth reel was shipped separately from the rest of the print.

[sophie]

(At around two hours and fifty-five minutes) Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, the producer and director of the 1933 version, planned on creating a single shot of Kong falling into the distance from the top of the Empire State Building. Unfortunately, technology at the time didn't allow for this shot, and it looked unrealistic. The idea was scrapped. Peter Jackson paid homage to Cooper's original idea by creating this shot at the end.

[alyssa]

Andy Serkis was very adamant that King Kong should not be a carnivore since gorillas in real life are herbivores.

[melinda]

After searching worldwide for the right boat to be the S.S. Venture, Peter Jackson found and purchased the Manuia in the South Pacific island of Tonga. Several set pieces were added to the fifty-year-old vessel to make it resemble a 1930s freighter. The film crew was forced to abandon the boat during filming in March 2005 when it sprang a leak and began to take on water off New Zealand's Kapiti Coast. Emergency repairs were carried out, and it sailed back to Wellington, where the remaining boat scenes were shot without further incident.

[kristen]

The pages of script that Jack gave to Carl in the ship were actually part of Peter Jackson's personal copy of the King Kong (1933) script itself. As proof, Jackson revealed it in one of the film's post-production diaries "Pick Up Wraps".

[richard]

King Kong's roar is a lion's roar played backwards at half speed.

[kim]

The role of "Jimmy", played by Jamie Bell, was created specifically for him.

[janice]

Jack Black and Colin Hanks both starred in Orange County (2002).

[sophie]

At the very end of the closing credits, the movie is dedicated to "The original explorers of Skull Island..." followed by the names of the actors and actresses who played major roles in the 1933 original.

[tom]

(At around twelve minutes) In the dialogue near the beginning, when Carl Denham mentions that the actress "Fay" (Fay Wray) is filming something for "R.K.O." (R.K.O. Pictures) and "Cooper". The Cooper, of whom he speaks, is Merian C. Cooper, who produced the original King Kong (1933). On the soundtrack at this point, we hear the original three-note Kong motif, which was used many times throughout the 1933 film.

[ivan]

(At around two hours and thirty-five minutes) One of the Times Square shop signs reads "Joseph Berlinger & Co. Silks." This is a reference to Joe Berlinger, who co-directed three documentaries about the West Memphis 3, a trio of teenagers who were falsely imprisoned, for over a decade, for a murder they did not commit. While they were jailed, Peter Jackson was one of the most prominent celebrity activists fighting for the release of the three teens.

[mathew]

The non-profit organization with which producer and performer Anthony Begonia volunteers was featured during the New York City depression feeding scenes.

[michele]

(At around twenty-seven minutes) Jimmy Jamie Bell is seen reading "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad and even has a conversation with Hayes Evan Parke about it. The book and the story of King Kong have similar themes.

[edgar]

For the New York City scenes, the few hundred extras used each had three different costumes that they would wear for different exterior scenes. At one time during production, as many as one hundred people were working in the costume department alone.

[lynn]

Shot over a period of six months.