Queen Kong (1976)

Director:

Frank Agrama

Writers:

Frank Agrama (writer)
Robin Dobria (writer)

Release Date:

10 December 1976 (West Germany)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

She's in one of her moods again!

Plot:

A female film crew journeys to Africa where a giant ape, Queen Kong, falls in love with the crew's male star. |

Plot Keywords:

Africa | Ape | Monster | London England | Expedition

Cast

Robin Askwith	...	Ray Fay
Rula Lenska	...	Luce Habit
Valerie Leon	...	Queen of the Nabongas
Roger Hammond	...	Woolf
John Clive	...	Comedian
Carol Drinkwater	...	Ima Goodbody
Brian Godfrey	...	Second Actor
Anthony Morton	...	Antique Dealer
Fiona Curzon	...	Police Secretary
Stanley Platts	...	Chief Constable
Linda Hayden	...	Singing Nun
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Barbara Allen	...	Crew Girl
Suzy Arthur	...	Crew Girl (as Suzie Arthur)
Jeannette Charles	...	HM The Queen
Melita Clarke	...	Crew Girl
Jeannie Collings	...	Crew Girl
Geraldine Gardner	...	Crew Girl (as Trudi Van Doorn)
Kathryn Hayes	...	Crew girl
Eva Louise	...	Native Girl
Annette Lynton	...	Crew Girl
Tawny Sands	...	Native Guide

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

UK | France | West Germany | Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG (2006)

Filming Locations:

Christchurch, Hampshire, England, UK

Company:

Cine Art Produzione

Trivia:

An issue of rape is addressed during the closing credits, in seemingly frivolous song; whereas in King Kong (1976) the issue is a more contentious part the film.

Quotes:

High priestess: Unga bunga banga wanga. Him we like for making Konga.
[points at Ray]
Luce Habit: Sanga banga wanga danga! Him? No! But I pay you much to see Konga.
High priestess: Siga miga figa! Biga! Yaka buga huga!
Ray Fay: What's she saying?
Luce Habit: She said: "No!". Suga muga buga friga baruga.
High priestess: Yaka buga. Que sera sera...
Ray Fay: What's that?
Luce Habit: She says she wants you because you look like Doris Day.
Ray Fay: Who's he?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Miranda: Date (#1.1)" (2009)

Queen Kong Should be sprung from the vault and released properly

The film stars Robin Askwith as Ray Fay, Rula Lenska's character (a film director) is called Luce Habit. There's a few other recognizable actors in the film, well I recognized them - Carol Drinkwater (The first Mrs.Herriot from the BBC TV series All Creatures Great & Small)), Robin worked with the second Mrs.Herriot Linda Bellingham in "Driving Instructor" so I guess Robin and Christopher Timothy have something in common (though I doubt Robin had an affair with Drinkwater), the other recognizable actors are Valerie Leon of Carry On fame, and Linda Hayden in a cameo role playing a Singing Nun.

Here's the plot - Luce is filming in the jungle, her lead actor can't handle the riggers of the job and storms out of the camp, which is appropriate because he plays a "Camp" character. So Luce goes to London searching for a new male lead, "he has to be gentle yet strong and manly", guess who she picks. Luce drugs Ray and takes him to the jungle Island Lazanga "where they do the Conga" to finish her film. While filming of course they discover a village of maidens led by Valerie Leon as the Bikini clad High Priestess, of course they decide Ray a perfect sacrifice for Queen Kong, so they capture him and leave him on a giant table inside a cake for Queen Kong to eat. Of course Queen Kong doesn't eat Ray, but she does fall in love with him. The rest of the story is pretty much like the original King Kong, they take Queen Kong to England and all hell breaks loose.

The opening credits song for Queen Kong has to be heard to be believed, here's the lyrics - Queen Kong, Queen Kong Queen Kong is the chick with all the hair Queen Kong comes from I don't know where Kong Kong Kong Kong Kong Kong Queen Queen Queen Queen Queen, Queen Kong She's a Queenie who aint weenie She's a Queenie Queenie Queenie for my weenie When I'm feeling mighty spunky I want to do it with my hunky monkey Queenie Queenie Queenie Queenie, Queen Kong Kong Kong Kong Kong, Queen Kong

Queen Kong is riddled with bad jokes, but Robin & Rula deliver them without batting an eyelid, here's one of the early ones in the film that made me cringe, Robin's begging for a joint from some hippies - "Hey man have you got a joint, come on just let me have one please, I won't bother you again" the Hippie says "know man you're always after a joint, you say just one, but you keep coming back for more, beat it man, I said beat it man" Robin says " I tried beating it, but the Pope said it was wrong". Here's one of Rula's, Robin says " look at that great wall, what lies behind that great wall" Rula's reply "the Chinese have always lied behind the great wall"

The special effects for Queen Kong (if you can call them special) are terrible, they quite fit the film though, I have a feeling they're extra lo w budget on purpose.

OK, I liked the film, it kinda had the same feel as a Leslie Nielson "Naked Gun" film, and there's a link, the Queen impersonator in the first Naked Gun movie also appears in Queen Kong. Queen Kong definitely deserves to be taken from the vault and released properly, I would love to one day own a special edition widescreen version on DVD, with a commentary by Robin and Rula, but that'll probably never happen. But hey! Tim Burtons doing a remake of Planet Of The Apes, maybe with all the monkey hype that's going to be hitting us next year, someone might figure let's cash in, just a fantasy I know.