Mighty Joe Young (1949)

A young woman who has raised a giant gorilla from an infant brings him to Hollywood years later seeking her fortune in order to save her family's ranch.

Director:

Ernest B. Schoedsack

Writers:

Ruth Rose (screenplay), Merian C. Cooper (from an original story by)

Stars:

Terry Moore, Ben Johnson, Robert Armstrong

Won 1 Oscar. Another 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Terry Moore	...	Jill Young
Ben Johnson	...	Gregg
Robert Armstrong	...	Max O'Hara
Mr. Joseph Young	...	Himself
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)

Storyline

In Africa, the girl Jill Young trades a baby gorilla with two natives and raises the animal. Twelve years later, the talkative and persuasive promoter Max O'Hara organizes a safari to Africa with the Oklahoma cowboy Gregg to bring attractions to his new night-club in Hollywood. They capture several lions and out of blue, they see a huge gorilla nearby their camping and they try to capture the animal. However, the teenager Jill Young stops the men that intended to kill her gorilla. Max seduces Jill with a fancy life in Hollywood and she signs a contract with him where the gorilla Joseph "Joe" Young would be the lead attraction. Soon she realizes that her dream is a nightmare to Joe and she asks Max to return to Africa. However he persuades her to stay a little longer in the show business. But when three alcoholic costumers give booze to Joe, the gorilla destroys the spot and is sentenced by the justice to be sacrificed. Will Jill, Gregg and Max succeed in saving Joe?

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Plot Keywords:

animal cruelty | manager | animal character name as title | mighty joe young character | three word title | 

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Taglines:

Merian Cooper's amazing adventure in the unusual!

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Swahili

Release Date:

29 August 1949 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Mr. Joesph Young of Africa

Filming Locations:

Thousand Oaks, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,800,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$1,950,000, 31 December 1949

Company Credits

Production Co:

Argosy Pictures, ARKO

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

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

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Robert Armstrong (Max O'Hara) and the writer Merian C. Cooper died only one day apart: Armstrong on April 20, 1973 and Cooper on April 21, 1973.

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Goofs

Joe's size varies immensely throughout film.

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Quotes

Agent: Maxie, I can get you a great act; it can work on a raft.
Max O'Hara: What?
Agent: Monkeys!
Max O'Hara: Aw, nix, cut it out, will ya'?

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Crazy Credits

Closing credits epilogue: Good bye from Joe Young

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Alternate Versions

Also available in a computer colorized version.

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Connections

Featured in Animation Lookback: The Best of Stop Motion - Ray Harryhausen 1/2 (2014)

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Soundtracks

Beautiful Dreamer
(uncredited)
Written by Stephen Foster

User Reviews

Absolutely Charming!

Of all the great ape films, this one made by the same folks that brought us King Kong and Son of Kong has to be the most charming. The story is simple enough about a young girl that raises a gorilla from infancy in the wilds of Africa to be wooed and wowed by an American showman looking for acts in Africa. The showman sees her gorilla and the way she can make it listen and do tricks...and soon both beast and beauty are off to the US to star in a night club act of all things. Terry Moore is a real cutie portraying the girl. The showman is played by...well who else but the same man responsible for bringing King Kong to New York City 16 years earlier...Robert Armstrong. The rest of the cast is adequate with Nestor Paiva in a small but crucial role standing out. The real star, however, is the ape itself and the special effects centered around it. This gorilla is brutish yet humane. He is playful and yet serious and somber at times. Willis O'Brien has done it again with the effects and his stop motion animation, with a great deal of improvement since Kong. The best thing about this movie is its heart, and the heart shown between the young girl and her pet/child. Some scenes are very striking in the film. One that stands out the most is the introduction of Mighty Joe Young in the night club with Terry Moore playing the piano. It looks like Busby Berkley choreographed it. Another very powerful scene involves Joe with an orphanage on fire. The scene is tremendous and even tinted red. Very impressive for its release. A True Classic!