Konga (1961)

Dr.Decker comes back from Africa after a year, presumed dead. During that year, he came across a way of growing plants and animals to an enormous size. He brings back a baby chimpanzee to ... See full summary »

Director:

John Lemont

Writers:

Aben Kandel (original story), Herman Cohen (original story)

Stars:

Michael Gough, Margo Johns, Jess Conrad

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Gough	...	Dr. Charles Decker
Margo Johns	...	Margaret
Jess Conrad	...	Bob Kenton
Claire Gordon	...	Sandra Banks
Austin Trevor	...	Dean Foster
Jack Watson	...	Superintendent Brown
George Pastell	...	Professor Tagore
Vanda Godsell	...	Bob's Mother
Stanley Morgan	...	Inspector Lawson
Grace Arnold	...	Miss Barnesdell
Leonard Sachs	...	Bob's Father
Nicholas Bennett	...	Daniel
Kim Tracy	...	Mary
Rupert Osborne	...	Eric
Waveney Lee	...	Janet

Storyline

Dr.Decker comes back from Africa after a year, presumed dead. During that year, he came across a way of growing plants and animals to an enormous size. He brings back a baby chimpanzee to test out his theory. As he has many enemies at home, he decides to use his chimp, 'Konga' to 'get rid of them'. Then Konga grows to gigantic proportions and reaks havoc all over the city of London!!

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Plot Keywords:

simian fiction | kaiju | man eating plant | psychotronic film | chimpanzee | 

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Taglines:

Not since "King Kong"...has the screen exploded with such mighty fury and spectacle!

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Unrated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The adaptation of this film done by Charlton Comics came out about a year before the film reached theatres. It spawned a series that was easily the most successful of any based on a movie at the time; Konga was not returned from the dead - rather a second ape was introduced and was given a new serum that transformed him into a second Konga.

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Goofs

There is no explanation for what has happened to Claire Gordon (Sandra Banks) in Konga. Towards the end of the movie she is seen distressed after accidentally getting her lower arm trapped in one of the small carnivorous Venus Fly Traps; but then she vanishes from the movie completely! Surely its ludicrous to suggest she was eaten whole in this manner. All she would suffer is a small wound, and this resolution should have been seen as such.

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Quotes

Dr. Charles Decker: Margaret, I can't stand hysterics. Especially in the morning.

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Connections

Featured in Truly, Madly, Cheaply!: British B Movies (2008)

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Soundtracks

Nocturne Op.15 in G
(uncredited)
Music by Frédéric Chopin
Arranged by Gerard Schurmann

User Reviews

Endearingly awful - but with an great music score!

"Konga" is a badly written, acted and directed piece of poverty row exploitation British-style,but you'd have to be utterly cold hearted not to get a lot of fun out of it. The final scenes as the giant ape lays waste to the Merton Park area of West London had audiences in hysterics (I saw it on it's original release, double-billed with "The Hellfire Club"). Come on now, any movie with early sixties Brit. pop star Jess Conrad cast in a straight dramatic part has to be worth a look.

Composer Gerald Schurmann's music under the opening credits promise something a lot more substantial, though; it's a great,dark orchestral score worthy of a much better picture. Schurmann might have been the British Bernard Herrman, but his immense talents rarely earned him a picture worthy of them. Still, that's British Movies for you.

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 March 1961 (UK)

Also Known As:

I Was a Teenage Gorilla

Filming Locations:

Croydon, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alta Vista Productions, Anglo-Amalgamated Productions, Herman Cohen Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (photographed in) (Eastman Colour)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1