<<< December 16 - 18, 2005 >>>

There will also be King Kong Screenings & Events programmed at the Aero Theatre and Every Picture Tells A Story on December 3.

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Whoever thought that King Kong, a big ape on top of the Empire State Building way back in 1933, fueled by stop-motion animation and existing only on celluloid, would still be generating such an incredible film legacy? Sequels (SON OF KONG), sort-of-sequels (MIGHTY JOE YOUNG), variations (Japan’s KING KONG VS. GODZILLA and KING KONG ESCAPES, Britain’s KONGA, Hong Kong’s THE MIGHTY PEKING MAN, to name only a few), remakes (producer, Dino DeLaurentis’ KING KONG), sequels-to-remakes (the delightfully harebrained KING KONG LIVES where the the giant ape receives an artificial heart transplant!) have followed in the original KING KONG’s wake -- the mind boggles! To help celebrate the release of Peter Jackson’s much-anticipated new version of KING KONG and Warner Home Video's’ November 22 DVD release of the newly-restored original film, please join us for this cinematic jam session featuring all manner of tragically-misunderstood giant apes doomed by their friendships with vivacious, human women! We’ll be screening the classic original KING KONG (out of circulation for the last couple of years) as well as the brand-spanking-new documentary, I’M KING KONG – THE EXPLOITS OF MERIAN C. COOPER (about KING KONG filmmaker/adventurer, Cooper) directed by Kevin Brownlow and Christopher Bird. Film historian and collector Bob Burns will be on hand at The Egyptian Theatre on Friday and Saturday with original props from the three classic Cooper/Schoedsack films, including Ray Harryhausen’s stop-motion armature from MIGHTY JOE YOUNG and the only surviving Kong armature built by Marcel Delgado for KING KONG.

SON OF KONG, 1933, Warner Bros., 70 min. Dir. Ernest B. Schoedsack. Although not possessed of the same pulse-bounding cliffhanger thrills of its predecessor, this sequel has charms all its own. Fast-talking promoter, Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) and Captain Englehorn (Frank Reicher) are blamed for King Kong’s swath of death and destruction, and are virtually hounded out of New York City. Deciding to put together a cargo business in the East Indies, the pair are sidetracked in Dakang by a stranded singer (Helen Mack) and a villain named Hellstrom (John Marston) who has a treasure map – for old Kong’s home, Skull Island! Once there, the cast find Kong’s lonely son instead of riches, as well as an assortment of other giant wild beasts. KING KONG stop-motion wizard, Willis O’Brien, returns to animate this sweet-natured, whimsical adventure-fantasy with the kids in the audience definitely in mind. >> Also showing at the Aero Theatre, December 3.

I'M KING KONG - THE EXPLOITS OF MERIAN C. COOPER. 2005, TCM, 57min. Dir. Kevin Brownlow & Christopher Bird. This brand-new documentary, produced by Patrick Stansbury for Turner Classic Movies covers KING KONG filmmaker, Cooper's breathless life with a pace to match. From his life-or-death struggles as an aviator in the First World War to the flying sequences that helped launch Cinerama in the 50s, it ties together his three great passions: motion pictures, flying and his country. Interviewees include Ray Harryhausen, Fay Wray, and the voices of Cooper and Schoedsack. KING KONG experts Bob Burns and Keith Aiken to introduce the double feature followed by a 5 minute "Making Of" clip, plus, a DVD giveaway!

MIGHTY JOE YOUNG, 1949, Warner Bros., 94 min. Dir. Ernest B. Schoedsack. Inspired as a boy by the pioneering stop-motion work of Willis O’Brien on KING KONG, Ray Harryhausen got the chance to work with his hero years later – along with KING KONG co-director Ernest B. Schoedsack – on this marvelous adventure/fantasy story about a beautiful young woman (Terry Moore) and her best friend, a giant, kindhearted gorilla named Joe - ! In the end, Harryhausen wound up handling the majority of the visual effects for the film, including spectacular scenes of Joe destroying a nightclub. Academy Award Winner for Best Visual Effects. FAMOUS MONSTERS MAGAZINE creator Forrest J. Ackerman to introduce the screening, plus, a DVD giveaway!Discussion following with actress, Terry Moore.

KING KONG, 1933, Warner Bros., 100 min. Dir. Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. 72 years after it first premiered, KING KONG remains the 8^th Wonder of the World, a marvelous, mysterious blend of awesome prehistoric monsters and new-fangled technology (including airplanes, subway trains and the Empire State Building). Fay Wray lights up the screen as the Beauty who drives the Beast to distraction, with support from Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot and the astounding visual effects work of Willis O’Brien. Join us for this special screening of the classic that started it all, a celebration of Warner Brothers’ hot-off-the-presses November 22 release of their collector’s DVD of the newly-restored film (from rare nitrate film elements and digitally mastered.) Their 2-disc Special Edition also features a documentary with director Peter Jackson (KING KONG (2005), THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy); commentary by Ray Harryhausen and Ken Ralston with Merian C. Cooper and Fay Wray; and a feature length documentary on Kong creator Merian C. Cooper, directed by Kevin Brownlow. KING KONG expert Bob Burns to introduce the screening with a demonstration of original props from the film, plus, a DVD giveaway! The KING KONG Collection, featuring two more new-to-DVD titles – THE SON OF KONG and MIGHTY JOE YOUNG - along with the KING KONG Special Edition DVD - is also available.

Saturday, December 17 – 10:15 PM

Additional Screening!!

KING KONG, 1933, Warner Bros., 100 min. Dir. Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. 72 years after it first premiered, KING KONG remains the 8^th Wonder of the World, a marvelous, mysterious blend of awesome prehistoric monsters and new-fangled technology (including airplanes, subway trains and the Empire State Building). Fay Wray lights up the screen as the Beauty who drives the Beast to distraction, with support from Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot and the astounding visual effects work of Willis O’Brien. Join us for this special screening of the classic that started it all, a celebration of Warner Brothers’ hot-off-the-presses November 22 release of their collector’s DVD of the newly-restored film (from rare nitrate film elements and digitally mastered.) Their 2-disc Special Edition also features a documentary with director Peter Jackson (KING KONG (2005), THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy); commentary by Ray Harryhausen and Ken Ralston with Merian C. Cooper and Fay Wray; and a feature length documentary on Kong creator Merian C. Cooper, directed by Kevin Brownlow. Plus trivia questions and DVD giveaway!!  The KING KONG Collection, featuring two more new-to-DVD titles – THE SON OF KONG and MIGHTY JOE YOUNG - along with the KING KONG Special Edition DVD - is also available.

Sunday, December 18 – 6:00 PM

Giant Ape Double Feature!!

MIGHTY PEKING MAN (HSING HSING WANG), 1977, Miramax, 90 min. Dir. Ho Meng-Hwa. Disappointed-in-love explorer, Johnny (Danny Lee of John Woo’s THE KILLER) agrees to lead a Himalyan expedition for unscrupulous promoter, Lu Tien (Feng Ku) who is searching for the giant ape known as the Mighty Peking Man. They not only capture the gargantuan creature to return to Hong Kong for exhibit, but also discover blonde, leopard-skin-bikini-clad Samantha (Evelyn Kraft), a female Tarzan (!) stranded in the jungle as a child after an airplane crash. What ensues is an absurd catalogue of Shaw Brothers Studio antics on a cut-rate-epic scale, as the Mighty Peking Man escapes his stadium confines and goes on a building-toppling rampage through the streets. "I am awarding MIGHTY PEKING MAN three stars, for general goofiness and a certain level of insane genius…" – Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun - Times

New 35mm Print!! KONGA, 1960, MGM/UA, 90 min. Dir. John Lemont. Psychotic botanist Michael Gough injects a gorilla with super-growth serum, in an attempt to impress one of his female biology students and take over England. Wildly deranged monster-ape madness ensues, featuring one of the all-time great "I-hate-mankind-so-why-don’t-you-love-me?" performances from Gough.

An Egyptian Theatre Exclusive!