Mighty Joe Young (1949)

Director:

Ernest B. Schoedsack

Writers:

Merian C. Cooper (story)
Ruth Rose (screenplay)

Release Date:

29 August 1949 (Sweden)

Genre:

Adventure | Fantasy | Drama

Tagline:

Ten Terrific Thrills !

Plot:

Jill Young has brought up her pet gorilla since she was a child. Twelve years later, when the gorilla is fully grown...

Plot Keywords:

Gorilla | Hollywood | Africa | Wrestler | Heroism

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Terry Moore	...	Jill Young
Ben Johnson	...	Gregg
Robert Armstrong	...	Max O'Hara
Frank McHugh	...	Windy
Douglas Fowley	...	Jones
Denis Green	...	Crawford
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Smith
Nestor Paiva	...	Brown
Regis Toomey	...	John Young
Lora Lee Michel	...	Jill Young, as a Girl
James Flavin	...	Schultz
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mary Gordon	...	Old Woman (unconfirmed)

Also Known As:

Mr. Joseph Young of Africa

Runtime:

94 min | USA:84 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Swahili

Color:

Black and White (Sepiatone) (some sequences) | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Company:

Argosy Pictures

Trivia:

A sequel called "Joe Meets Tarzan" was planned in 1950 and would have had Mighty Joe Young team up with Tarzan, played by Lex Barker, who had just filmed "Tarzan And The Slave Girl" that same year. The film was canceled due to the disappointing box office of "Mighty Joe Young".

Goofs:

Continuity: When the hobo tries to enter the moving van at the gas station the handle is on the left rear door and it opens first. When the cops open the doors a few moments later the handle is on the right door and it opens first.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Best of Sex and Violence (1981)

Soundtrack:

Beautiful Dreamer

Great story, great effects.

Thanksgiving just can't be Thanksgiving without Mighty Joe Young. From as far back as I can remember, until about 10 years ago, WOR, channel 9 in New York City, played a King Kong festival on Thanksgiving day, and then a Godzilla festival on Friday, dubbing it "Monster Weekend." Of the 3 "ape movies" played back-to-back (King Kong, Son of Kong, and Mighty Joe Young), this was far and away the best. There were several reasons for it. (1) Mighty Joe Young has the best special effects of all the ape movies (and, truth be known, far better than those of most of the Godzillas -- which were filmed 10-20 years later!). (2) Mighty Joe Young has the best story. It's about a little girl who adopts a young gorilla in Africa on her family's plantation, and she grows up with it. The gorilla turns out to be the largest in the world (but nowhere near the size of Kong). Joe is affectionate with his "sister", and very protective of her, and the animators gave him a wonderful range of facial expressions and emotions. (3) Mighty Joe Young has the best climax, and the best ending.

All told, Mighty Joe Young is a terriffic movie. It was light years ahead of its time in so many ways, including special effects. It is well worth the time to see it.

My score: 8/10