page_title: King Kong (franchise)
section_title: King Kong in the name
hierarchical_section_title: King Kong (franchise) / Filmography / King Kong in the name
caption_attribution_description: English: A rare photo of the allegedly lost film King Kong Appears in Edo (Edo ni Arawareta Kingu Kongu), 1938. Found at http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/forums/showthread.php?t=12276 . Note: There is it marked as a 1933 film at http://www.tcat.ne.jp/~oguchi/Ape%20Movie%201900-1939.html
context_page_description: King Kong is an American media franchise featuring King Kong, initially created by RKO Radio Pictures and its films over the years are currently owned by various other studios, including Toho, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. The film franchise consists of twelve monster films, including seven Hollywood films, two Japanese kaiju films produced by Toho, and three direct-to-video animated films. The first film, King Kong, was directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack and released by Radio Pictures in 1933 and became an influential classic of the genre. Toho was later inspired to make the original Godzilla after the commercial success of the 1952 re-release of King Kong and the success of The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. The success of King Kong would go on to inspire other monster films worldwide. The popularity of the films has led to the franchise expanding to other media, such as television, music, literature and video games. King Kong has been one of the most recognizable symbols in American pop culture worldwide and remains a well-known facet of American films.
context_section_description: There were other movies to have borne the "King Kong" name that have nothing to do with the character.
  A lost silent Japanese short, Japanese King Kong (和製キングコング, Wasei Kingu Kongu), directed by Torajiro Saito, featuring an all-Japanese cast and produced by the Shochiku company, was released in 1933. The plot revolves around a down-on-his-luck man who plays the King Kong character in a vaudeville theater to earn money to woo a girl he likes. The film does not actually involve King Kong per se.
  King Kong Appears in Edo (江戸に現れたキングコング, Edo ni Arawareta Kingu Kongu). A lost two-part silent Japanese period piece that was produced by a company called Zensho Kinema in 1938. The film revolves around kidnapping and revenge amongst the characters. The "King Kong" in this film is a trained ape (that looks more like a Yeti) who is used to kidnap one of the characters. Judging by the plot synopsis presented by periodicals at the time, the "King Kong" is regular-sized and is only depicted as gigantic on the advertisements for promotional purposes.
  The 1959 Hong Kong film King Kong's Adventures in the Heavenly Palace which featured a normal-sized gorilla.
  The Hindi films King Kong (1962) and Tarzan and King Kong (1965) which featured the professional wrestler King Kong and has nothing to do with the famous movie monster, although the latter film featured a normal-sized gorilla.
  The 1968 Italian film Kong Island (Eva, la Venere selvaggia, literally  Eve, the Wild Woman) which was advertised in the U.S. as King of Kong Island. Despite the American title, the film featured normal-sized gorillas and takes place in Africa.
  The 1981 Mexican film Las Muñecas Del King Kong (The Dolls of King Kong) which featured exotic jungle girls. The "King Kong" in the film was simply a giant ape statue on top of a building.
caption: A publicity still of Isamu Yamaguchi playing King Kong on stage from Wasei Kingu Kongu
exif: {}