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.

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	...	Self
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:

show business | tug of war | destruction | cage | stop motion animation | 

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Taglines:

Ten Terrific Thrills !

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

The version of this shown on TCM features the "burning orphanage" sequence overlaid with an orange filter for dramatic effect, just as it had been in its original 1949 release.

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Goofs

When Joe makes his first appearance, and starts poking around the wagons containing the lions, watch the background carefully. Immediately to the left of Joe, between him and the far left wagon is a large bush. Just after Joe shoves the wagon the first time a light suddenly shines on the bush (presumably someone had repositioned a spotlight between shots) and from that point on you can see the reflection of Joe and the wagon reflected in what appears to be an unpainted area of the glass painting behind him.

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Quotes

Max O'Hara: And they lived happily ever after.
Windy: I sure hope so.
Max O'Hara: Oh, they will. They're back home where they belong.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits cast list: "AND Mr. Joseph Young As Himself"

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Alternate Versions

Although current prints include the restored sepia-tone in some of the later scenes (as presented in the original theatrical release) older television prints are shown in black-and-white only.

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Connections

References King Kong (1933)

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Soundtracks

Beautiful Dreamer
(uncredited)
Written by Stephen Foster

User Reviews

Fun, fast-moving with fantastic special effects

Great film about an oversize gorilla (about 10-11 feet), its owner (Terry Moore) and what happens when an unscrupulous promoter Max O'Hara (Robert Armstrong) lures them from Africa to America to become a hit. Let's get the bad stuff out of the way--the story is nothing new; Terry Moore and Ben Johnson are among the worst actors I've ever seen and there's zero lack of characterization among the humans. But when Joe Young appears all is forgiven. He looks great, moves realistically and has incredible facial motions. You can tell exactly what he's thinking by his expressions! Also, the scenes where he's grappling with humans, horses, lions look extremely realistic--that's saying a lot for a film that's over 50 years old! A fun family film. Try to see restored prints--there's a final sequence involving a burning building in which the whole reel is tinted red--very nicely done.

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)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Argosy Pictures

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