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Son of Kong

Original title: The Son of Kong
  • 1933
  • Passed
  • 1h 10m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
5.7K
YOUR RATING
Robert Armstrong and Helen Mack in Son of Kong (1933)
Trailer for this follow up to King Kong
Play trailer1:45
1 Video
99+ Photos
Animal AdventureJungle AdventureKaijuAdventureFamilySci-FiThriller

The showman who brought Kong to New York returns to Skull Island and finds Kong's son, a spunky 12-footer with a winning personality and his dad's awesome strength.The showman who brought Kong to New York returns to Skull Island and finds Kong's son, a spunky 12-footer with a winning personality and his dad's awesome strength.The showman who brought Kong to New York returns to Skull Island and finds Kong's son, a spunky 12-footer with a winning personality and his dad's awesome strength.

  • Director
    • Ernest B. Schoedsack
  • Writer
    • Ruth Rose
  • Stars
    • Robert Armstrong
    • Helen Mack
    • Frank Reicher
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.6/10
    5.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ernest B. Schoedsack
    • Writer
      • Ruth Rose
    • Stars
      • Robert Armstrong
      • Helen Mack
      • Frank Reicher
    • 117User reviews
    • 54Critic reviews
    • 50Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 nominations total

    Videos1

    The Son of Kong
    Trailer 1:45
    The Son of Kong

    Photos131

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    Top cast36

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    Robert Armstrong
    Robert Armstrong
    • Carl Denham
    Helen Mack
    Helen Mack
    • Hilda
    Frank Reicher
    Frank Reicher
    • Capt. Englehorn
    John Marston
    • Captain Nils Helstrom
    Victor Wong
    Victor Wong
    • Charlie - Chinese Cook
    Ed Brady
    Ed Brady
    • Red
    Cy Clegg
    • Sailor
    • (uncredited)
    Steve Clemente
    Steve Clemente
    • Native Witch King
    • (uncredited)
    Harry Cornbleth
    • Sailor
    • (uncredited)
    Nathan Curry
    • Native
    • (uncredited)
    F. Garrety
    • Sailor
    • (uncredited)
    J. Goff
    • Sailor
    • (uncredited)
    Oscar 'Dutch' Hendrian
    • Dutch, a Sailor
    • (uncredited)
    Tex Higginson
    • Sailor
    • (uncredited)
    Noble Johnson
    Noble Johnson
    • Native Chief
    • (uncredited)
    Lee Kohlmar
    • Mickey, 2nd Process Server
    • (uncredited)
    Ken Kuntz
    • Sailor
    • (uncredited)
    Ed Lanegan
    • Messenger
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Ernest B. Schoedsack
    • Writer
      • Ruth Rose
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews117

    5.65.6K
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    Featured reviews

    5funkyfry

    Mediocre follow-up to classic "Kong"

    Kong's small son stars in a small movie. Its greatest assets are its amusing effects sequences designed by the legendary Willis O'Brien and the vibrant playing of its female star, Helen Mack, who admirably succeeds Fay Wray in the series. Only the wooden Armstrong has returned from the Kong Sr. cast (as far as I know).

    This one aims more for laughs than thrills, correctly assuming that audiences fully exposed (already) to Kong's menace could only be affected in a diminished degree if they had tried to follow similar lines in the sequel. Thus, it is more similar to the director's (and O'Brien's) later collaboration with John Ford, "The Mighty Joe Young", but it's not as charming or fun as "Young".
    Sargebri

    Fairly Good Sequel to a Classic

    This was a pretty decent sequel to one of the greatest films of all time. Of course, when it first came out it was pretty much a flop. This was due to the fact that it had a lot to live up to, especially since it was released just a relatively short time after the original Kong was released. However, taken alone this film does hold up well as a nice little adventure film and for a change of pace the big ape is not a vicious and destructive creature, but rather a cute and gentle imp who when pushed is a fighter. Also, what is nice about this film is the fact that Denham gets the girl for a change. In the original he was too driven to have a relationship, but at least in this film you are allowed to see his softer side. This film, though not a classic like its predecessor, is still a great film.
    5AlsExGal

    A seemingly hastily assembled cash in on the original

    I suspect it may have been started before KONG went into release, as even less than a year seems a short time between script and premiere.

    Hounded by lawsuits after the destruction caused by Kong, Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) sets sail with his old captain in search of trade. Stopping off at a small island they drop in to watch a rather feeble show which presents the talents of Helen Mack. Following her father's killing in a drunken scrap, and the burning down of their show tent, she stows away on board the ship. Of course, the father's killer has been taken on also as he is the fellow who supplied the original chart for Skull Island and persuades the others of a fantastic treasure.

    All this may sound like utter tripe, and to a certain extent it is. However, it is still quite an entertaining hour or so, with rather more comedy than before. There is the odd cheap-looking set and one or two rather bad spots of back-projection, but there is compensation in the trick work and a generous helping of monsters. Helen Mack, too was a decent, lively choice for the heroine, her good looks being unusual rather than conventionally attractive. Frank Reicher and Victor Wong repeat their roles in KONG, and Clarence Wilson has an effective few minutes as Mack's father.
    8JerryZ111

    "The Son" also rises

    Of the films in what I like to call the Great Ape Trilogy ("King Kong," "The Son of Kong" and "Mighty Joe Young"), this is my pet favorite. I loved "The Son of Kong" as a kid but hadn't seen it in years until I rented it recently from my local public library. Was it as good as I remembered? No -- it was even better!

    This movie generally gets a bad rap, and I admit that some of the criticisms are valid: It was rushed, it can't compete with "King Kong" in terms of spectacle or horror, it's a light dessert after a steak dinner. Because it's a sequel, it is fair to compare it to the original, and in some respects the comparisons are unfavorable. It's not exactly "Bride of Frankenstein" or "The Godfather Part II." But it's a wonderful film in its own right.

    The best thing about "The Son of Kong" is that it makes perfect sense. Carl Denham (played, as in the original, by Robert Armstrong) is being sued by practically everyone in New York for the death and destruction caused by King Kong. That's exactly what would happen, not just in 1933, but especially today, which gives this old movie an unexpected freshness. Also, because of severe budgetary and time restrictions, the filmmakers knew they couldn't make another spectacle, so they wisely went in the other direction. The result is a smaller and far more lighthearted film whose titular character is a charming innocent who acts exactly the way a young ape would act. He's curious, he's playful and he's friendly, but he's also suitably ferocious when attacked or when protecting his human friends, as a watchdog pup would be.

    There's also a sweetness and compassion about this film, not only in the kindly attitude toward animals, Little Kong in particular, but in the relationship between the remorseful Denham and the lonely Hilda, touchingly played by Helen Mack, a beautiful and underrated actress who gives what I think is the best performance in the picture.

    "The Son of Kong" is wonderfully atmospheric, mainly in the scenes on Skull Island but also in those in Dakang and aboard the Venture. Considering they were so rushed to finish the film, the animators and technicians did a superb job, especially the great Willis O'Brien, who reportedly didn't like the final product. That's too bad, because he did some of his best work on this movie, as evidenced by Little Kong's alternately thrilling and amusing fight with a giant cave bear, by the cataclysmic storm and earthquake that rock the island, and by some of the small touches that set O'Brien apart from everyone else in his field. Kudos also go to Max Steiner, whose musical score is almost as good as it was in "King Kong."

    Then there's the humor, which is delightful, contrasting nicely with the darker and sadder aspects of the film. It's provided primarily by Mickey the process server (played impishly by Lee Kohlmar) and, of course, by Little Kong himself. Yes, it's slightly overdone a couple of times, as when Little Kong scratches his head and anthropomorphically shrugs in a display of confusion, but overall it's a welcome and essential element.

    In addition to Robert Armstrong and Helen Mack, the actors play their parts well. Frank Reicher (returning as Capt. Englehorn), Victor Wong (back in an expanded role as Charlie the cook, whom he plays with dignity and a certain twinkle), John Marston (marvelously slimy as the villainous Helstrom) and Ed Brady (as a surly mutineer) round out a good cast.

    Ruth Rose's script is witty, gritty and realistic. It has been criticized for borrowing, clichés and all, from plenty of timeworn tales, but I don't care. For me, it works. And the finale can mist the eyes of even the strongest man.

    All in all, "The Son of Kong" is a terrific, if brief (only an hour and 10 minutes), adventure. It's also a love story, as well as a tale of heroic sacrifice and ultimate redemption. I'm happy to say that one of my favorite childhood movies is now one of my favorite adulthood films, too. Here's looking at you, kid.
    BaronBl00d

    Like Father Like Son...Sort of

    Son of Kong certainly is NOT in the same class as its predecessor King Kong. It lacks that film's inventiveness, creativity, dark mood, and overall horror, yet it is a fine film in its own right. Where King Kong was horrific, Son is charming. It never really takes itself quite as serious as Carl Denham and the captain from the first film leave New York for fear of lawsuits. They end up back on Skull Island with a cute stowaway(played convincingly by Helen Mack), the ship's cook(Victor Wong) and an unscrupulous captain. The better part of the film is the interaction with Robert Armstrong(as Denham again) and Mack with the pint-sized(in comparison to his daddy) Kong. Again we are given natives(briefly) and prehistoric creatures. Baby Kong is adorable and shows how he and his father were thinking creatures as opposed to the mechanical killing of giant reptiles. A nice little film!

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The Little Kong puppet is actually the "long face" Kong model used for the T-Rex battle in King Kong (1933). For this film the armature (metal skeleton) was stripped of its rubber and fur and remodeled to look like a younger albino gorilla.
    • Goofs
      When Little Kong fights the Nothosaurus in the cavern following the discovery of the treasure they are both reflected in the glass used in the process shot superimposed on Denham and the girl in the background.
    • Quotes

      [Hilda sings Runaway Blues]

      Carl Denham: Hey, she's got something there.

      Englehorn: It certainly isn't a voice!

    • Crazy credits
      The cast credits in the opening titles identify the character played by Helen Mack as "Hilda", but nowhere in the story itself is she given a name other than her stage billing of "La Belle Helene".
    • Connections
      Edited into Attack of the 50 Foot Monster Mania (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean
      (uncredited)

      Music by David T. Shaw (1843)

      Played as the ship passes the Statue of Liberty

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 22, 1933 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Jamboree
    • Filming locations
      • Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, California, USA
    • Production company
      • RKO Radio Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Budget
      • $250,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 10m(70 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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