Whimsical Follow-up to a Classic: Day #012 - Son of Kong (1933)
Viewed January 12, 2006
What do you do when you’ve just produced a groundbreaking film that captivates audiences and inspires a generation of filmmakers? Obviously, you pump out a quickie sequel using the same sets, models and as many actors as you can round up. So when RKO and producer / director Merian C. Cooper made cinematic history with King Kong (1933), Son of Kong was, naturally, not far behind. Less than a year behind, as a matter of fact.
Son of Kong could also be called “Whatever Happened To Carl Denham?” It picks up right where King Kong leaves off, where we find Carl Denham, the daring man who brought Kong to New York, inundated with debts and lawsuits. When news reaches him that an indictment is coming his way, he accepts an offer from his old friend Captain Englehorn and tries his hand in the shipping business. But events soon lead him back to Skull Island, where a surprise awaits.
When I saw King Kong a few years ago for the first time in a long time, Carl Denham emerged as my favorite character, so this is an ideal flm for me. Yes, it’s another trip to Skull Island. Yes, there’s another young woman. Yes, there’s another giant ape. Yes, it’s a quickie sequel. But that doesn’t mean it’s that bad. At a mere one hour, ten minutes, Son of Kong is a fun little follow-up that doesn’t take itself too seriously and doesn’t embarass itself, either.
Helen Mack is nice enough as Hilda, the young woman who meets Denham and then stows away on board the ship. She’s no Fay Wray, but she’s got a bit of an edge that makes her match up pretty well with Robert Armstrong’s Denham. Frank Reicher’s Captain Englehorn is also a lot of fun, with his realistic view and matter-of-fact acceptance of his overthrow. (Bonus points for the mutineers’ Communist leanings. “No more Captains!”) John Marston chews up the scenery as Helstrom, the seaman who first gave Denham the map to Skull Island. He does everything but twirl his mustache to display his sinister intentions.
But this film belongs to Denham. Robert Armstrong is even more at ease in the role than he was in King Kong and he obviously is having fun with it. Watching him squirm in the early scenes as he tries desperately to avoid the subpoenas that keep piling up shows a greater comedic ability than he displayed in King Kong. He even gets in some pathos as Dehman shows the regrets he has over the whole original expedition. And even romance is covered, since Hilda and Denham are immediately attracted to each other and they really work well together.
The effects in Son of Kong show how much Willis O’Brien obviously learned on King Kong. The animations are much smoother and “Little Kong” is more expressive than his poppa. The scenes on Skull island are, understandably, virtually identical to those in the original film. But there are a few new monsters (mostly ones rejected from King Kong), including an impressive, but unrealistic, dragon-type creature. And Son of Kong does the destruction of the native village and parts of New York one better by seeing the complete destruction of the entirety of Skull Island. (Perhaps Cooper wanted to make sure that Son of Kong was the last “Kong” film.)
Son of Kong was never going to reach the level of King Kong, but if one accepts that fact, it is a fun take on the Kong story and has enough entertaining moments to justify it’s place as the only true sequel to King Kong. Fans of the original should definitely seek it out, if only for more fun with Carl Denham. But there’s also a lot for non-fans, just not as much as in the original.