Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

King Kong

  • 19331933
  • PassedPassed
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
85K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,934
76
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
King Kong (1933)
Trailer for the original, classic film
Play trailer1:32
1 Video
99+ Photos
  • Adventure
  • Horror
  • Sci-Fi

A film crew goes to a tropical island for an exotic location shoot and discovers a colossal ape who takes a shine to their female blonde star. He is then captured and brought back to New Yor... Read allA film crew goes to a tropical island for an exotic location shoot and discovers a colossal ape who takes a shine to their female blonde star. He is then captured and brought back to New York City for public exhibition.A film crew goes to a tropical island for an exotic location shoot and discovers a colossal ape who takes a shine to their female blonde star. He is then captured and brought back to New York City for public exhibition.

IMDb RATING
7.9/10
85K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,934
76
  • Directors
    • Merian C. Cooper(uncredited)
    • Ernest B. Schoedsack(uncredited)
  • Writers
    • James Ashmore Creelman(screen play)
    • Ruth Rose(screen play)
    • Merian C. Cooper(from an idea conceived by)
  • Stars
    • Fay Wray
    • Robert Armstrong
    • Bruce Cabot
Top credits
  • Directors
    • Merian C. Cooper(uncredited)
    • Ernest B. Schoedsack(uncredited)
  • Writers
    • James Ashmore Creelman(screen play)
    • Ruth Rose(screen play)
    • Merian C. Cooper(from an idea conceived by)
  • Stars
    • Fay Wray
    • Robert Armstrong
    • Bruce Cabot
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 560User reviews
    • 182Critic reviews
    • 90Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 7 nominations

    Videos1

    King Kong
    Trailer 1:32
    King Kong

    Photos175

    Fay Wray and King Kong in King Kong (1933)
    King Kong in King Kong (1933)
    Fay Wray and King Kong in King Kong (1933)
    Steve Clemente, Noble Johnson, and Fay Wray in King Kong (1933)
    Fay Wray and King Kong in King Kong (1933)
    Fay Wray and King Kong in King Kong (1933)
    Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot, James Flavin, Sam Hardy, Frank Reicher, Fay Wray, and King Kong in King Kong (1933)
    Bruce Cabot and Fay Wray in King Kong (1933)
    Fay Wray and King Kong in King Kong (1933)
    Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot, Fay Wray, and King Kong in King Kong (1933)
    Fay Wray and King Kong in King Kong (1933)
    Fay Wray and King Kong in King Kong (1933)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Fay Wray
    Fay Wray
    • Ann Darrowas Ann Darrow
    Robert Armstrong
    Robert Armstrong
    • Carl Denhamas Carl Denham
    Bruce Cabot
    Bruce Cabot
    • Jack Driscollas Jack Driscoll
    Frank Reicher
    Frank Reicher
    • Capt. Englehornas Capt. Englehorn
    Sam Hardy
    Sam Hardy
    • Charles Westonas Charles Weston
    Noble Johnson
    Noble Johnson
    • Native Chiefas Native Chief
    Steve Clemente
    Steve Clemente
    • Witch Kingas Witch King
    • (as Steve Clemento)
    James Flavin
    James Flavin
    • Second Mate Briggsas Second Mate Briggs
    King Kong
    King Kong
    • The Eighth Wonder of the Worldas The Eighth Wonder of the World
    Walter Ackerman
    • Reporteras Reporter
    • (uncredited)
    James Adamson
    • Native Childas Native Child
    • (uncredited)
    Van Alder
    • Member of Ship's Crewas Member of Ship's Crew
    • (uncredited)
    Ed Allen
    • Nativeas Native
    • (uncredited)
    Etta Mae Allen
    • Nativeas Native
    • (uncredited)
    Frank Angel
    • Reporteras Reporter
    • (uncredited)
    Roscoe Ates
    Roscoe Ates
    • Press Photographeras Press Photographer
    • (uncredited)
    Ralph Bard
    • Member of Ship's Crewas Member of Ship's Crew
    • (uncredited)
    Reginald Barlow
    Reginald Barlow
    • Ship's Engineeras Ship's Engineer
    • (uncredited)
    • Directors
      • Merian C. Cooper(uncredited)
      • Ernest B. Schoedsack(uncredited)
    • Writers
      • James Ashmore Creelman(screen play)
      • Ruth Rose(screen play)
      • Merian C. Cooper(from an idea conceived by) (story)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Frankenstein
    7.8
    Frankenstein
    King Kong
    5.9
    King Kong
    The Bride of Frankenstein
    7.8
    The Bride of Frankenstein
    Godzilla
    7.5
    Godzilla
    The Invisible Man
    7.6
    The Invisible Man
    Dracula
    7.4
    Dracula
    King Kong
    7.2
    King Kong
    Creature from the Black Lagoon
    6.9
    Creature from the Black Lagoon
    Nosferatu
    7.9
    Nosferatu
    The Mummy
    7.0
    The Mummy
    Freaks
    7.9
    Freaks
    The Wolf Man
    7.2
    The Wolf Man

    Storyline

    Edit
    Carl Denham needs to finish his movie and has the perfect location: Skull Island. But he still needs to find a leading lady. This 'soon-to-be-unfortunate' soul is Ann Darrow. No one knows what they will encounter on this island and why it is so mysterious, but once they reach it, they will soon find out. Living on this hidden island is a giant gorilla and this beast now has Ann in its grasps. Carl and Ann's new love, Jack Driscoll, must travel through the jungle looking for Kong and Ann, whilst avoiding all sorts of creatures and beasts. —Film_Fan
    • giant ape
    • giant gorilla
    • gorilla
    • king kong character
    • empire state building manhattan new york city
    • 292 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • A Monster of Creation's Dawn Breaks Loose in Our World Today!
    • Genres
      • Adventure
      • Horror
      • Sci-Fi
    • Certificate
      • Passed
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Merian C. Cooper's first vision for the film was of a giant ape on top of the world's tallest building, fighting airplanes. He worked backward from there to develop the rest of the story.
    • Goofs
      (at around 1h 14 mins) A Skull Island resident jumps from a hut and falls beside a domed chicken cage, which then hinges backwards and catches the actor's wig, taking it off his head, and remaining on top of the cage.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Police Lieutenant: Well, Denham, the airplanes got him.

      Carl Denham: Oh no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast.

    • Crazy credits
      Opening Card: And the prophet said: "And lo, the beast looked upon the face of beauty. And it stayed its hand from killing. And from that day, it was as one dead." Old Arabian Proverb
    • Alternate versions
      On November 22, 2005, Turner Classic Movies premiered a version with a four minute overture added. This increased the run time to slightly over 104 minutes. This is also the U.S. two-disc DVD collector's edition version. Note, however, that the overture was not part of the film's original exhibition. According to John Morgan's notes on the score's re-construction, the overture was not written by Max Steiner. Morgan writes, "Another rumour has recently surfaced that Steiner composed an Overture for the film's world premiere opening in 1933 - there was even a recent recording claiming to be this long-lost Overture. Hearing the recorded "proof" of this Overture confirmed our suspicions: it was merely those same few acetates that have been floating around for years, professionally edited into a short Suite and called an Overture. In conversations I had with people who attended and remembered this opening, there was no music from the film used in any of these shows." Source: John Morgan, "Reconstruction Notes by John Morgan," Steiner: King Kong. Marco Polo (8.223763), 1997, pg. 21 (near bottom).
    • Connections
      Edited into The Ghost Ship (1943)
    • Soundtracks
      St. Louis Blues
      (1914) (uncredited)

      Music by W.C. Handy

      Whistled by Robert Armstrong

    User reviews560

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    Giant of the Silver Screen...
    So much more than a film about a giant ape, you can pretty much conjure him into almost any allegorical theme or representation that takes your fancy, although I'm not sure that was the original intent. The scenes on the Empire State Building are as iconic as any that were ever produced, perhaps the most iconic ever. A timeless classic, a timeless story that will continue to be copied in variation, and remade, but seldom equalled.
    helpful•15
    2
    • Xstal
    • Sep 24, 2020

    FAQ6

    • What is 'King Kong' about?
    • Is "King Kong" based on a book?
    • Why did the natives build such a huge door if they wanted to keep Kong out?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 7, 1933 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • King Ape
    • Filming locations
      • Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • RKO Radio Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $670,000 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $651
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 40 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    ‘The Beast’: Lea Seydoux & George MacKay To Star In Dystopian Romance Pic From Director Bertrand Bonello
    ‘The Beast’: Lea Seydoux & George MacKay To Star In Dystopian Romance Pic From Director Bertrand Bonello
    May 16The Playlist
    Bertrand Bonello Casts George MacKay in The Beast, Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey7 Sets August Start & More
    Bertrand Bonello Casts George MacKay in The Beast, Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey7 Sets August Start & More
    May 16The Film Stage

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    King Kong (1933)
    Top Gap
    By what name was King Kong (1933) officially released in India in Hindi?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    See the full list
    Image caption not available
    2:14
    The Most Anticipated Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    Watch the video

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.