Fellow Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere will be jumping for joy for his upcoming big broadcast of a classic RKO Radio Pictures* stop-motion creature/adventure sequel masterpiece.
“Svengoolie” presents his big broadcast premiere of “The Son of Kong” (1933)
Original 1933 RKO Radio Pictures* theatrical trailer for “The Son of Kong.”
Original 1933 RKO Radio Pictures theatrical poster artwork for “The Son of Kong,” featuring artwork of the “junior Kong” with Robert Armstrong and Helen Mack.
The legendary Berwyn/Chicago-based creature film host will present his big broadcast premiere of “The Son of Kong” (1933), this Sat.; Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV.
“The Son of Kong” (1933) is the sequel to RKO Radio Pictures’ mammoth classic stop-motion creature production masterpiece that was released earlier that same year, “King Kong” (1933). The RKO “Kong” sequel was directed by veteran director-producer Ernest B. Schoedsack, who also directed the original 1933 “King Kong” feature with veteran producer Merian C. Cooper and the Paramount Technicolor sci-fi thriller, “Dr. Cyclops” (1940). Cooper also handled production duties on the 1933 RKO “Kong” sequel. Veteran feature film and “King Kong” visual effects technician Willis H. O’Brien worked on the stop-motion creature effects for “The Son of Kong.”
Who was in “The Son of Kong” (1933)?
The players who appeared in the Ernest B. Schoedsack-Merian C.Cooper-RKO production of “The Son of Kong” (1933) were Robert Armstrong (as Carl Denham), Helen Mack (as Hilda, a.k.a. “Helene”), Victor Wong (as Charlie the cook), Noble Johnson (in an uncredited role as the Native Chief), Frank Reicher (as Capt. Englehorn), Ed Brady (as Red), John Marston (as Capt. Niles Helstrom), Gertrude Short (as a reporter) and Clarence Wilson (as Peterson, the father of Hilda/Helene).
Robert Armstrong, Victor Wong, Noble Johnson and Frank Reicher reprised their roles that they previously played in Schoedsack and Cooper’s original RKO production of “King Kong” (1933, with Fay Wray and Bruce Cabot). Armstrong later appeared in the Ray Harryhausen–John Ford-Merian C. Cooper-Ernest B. Schoedsack RKO mammoth stop-motion creature classic masterpiece, “Mighty Joe Young” (1949). Helen Mack later appeared in Howard Hawks’ Columbia classic screwball comedy masterpiece with Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, “His Girl Friday” (1940, adapted from Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur’s “The Front Page”). Noble Johnson previously appeared with Boris Karloff in Karl Fruend’s Universal mammoth classic monster masterpiece production of “The Mummy” (1932).
Victor Wong later appeared in an uncredited role as a bandit leader in Frank Capra’s Columbia fantasy-drama classic, “Lost Horizon” (1937). Frank Reicher also appeared opposite Albert Dekker in Schoedsack’s Paramount production of “Dr. Cyclops” (1940) and also appeared in numerous Universal monster productions, including “Night Monster” (1942, with Bela Lugosi), “The Mummy’s Tomb” (1942, with Lon Chaney Jr.), “The Mummy’s Ghost” (1944, with the junior Chaney) and “House of Frankenstein” (1944, with Glenn Strange, Karloff and the junior Chaney).
“The Son of Kong:” Produced shortly after the success of the original RKO “King Kong” feature
“Strange monsters! Earthquakes, romance, adventure and thrills galore!” Original 1933 RKO Radio Pictures exhibitors’ publicity ad for the Ernest B. Schoedsack–Merian C. Cooper production of “The Son of Kong” with Victor Wong (as Charlie), Robert Armstrong (as Carl Denham), Helen Mack (as Hilda/Helene) and Frank Reicher (as Capt. Englehorn); part of the studio’s slate of 1933-34 productions.
According to Jeff Stafford’s article on the RKO “Kong” sequel for Turner Classic Movies’ website, the studio produced “The Son of Kong” shortly after the smash success of “King Kong” in order to capitalize on the popularity of the previous RKO fantasy creature feature. The 1933 “Kong” sequel was released theatrically for the winter 1933-34 film season on Dec. 22, 1933; according to the American Film Institute.
“The Son of Kong” figurine and RKO’s nickname for the “junior” Kong
Willis H. O’Brien‘s creation of the “junior Kong” creature (a.k.a. “Kiko”), with Helen Mack (as Hilda/Helene) and Robert Armstrong (as Carl Denham) in the Ernest B. Schoedsack–Merian C. Cooper–RKO production of “The Son of Kong” (1933).
Willis H. O’Brien’s “Son of Kong” stop-motion creature figure for the 1933 RKO sequel production was a modified “Kong” stop-motion creature figurine that was originally constructed for the for the Tyrannosaurus Rex/Kong battle sequence in 1933 Schoedsack-Cooper RKO production of “King Kong,” according to IMDB. Various rubber and fur elements were reconstructed on the “Kong” figurine to give the “junior Kong” a less-menacing and “youthful” look.
According to additional details from IMDB’s trivia section, RKO executives nicknamed the “Son of Kong” creature as “Kiko” in honor of the studio’s earlier 1933 production of “King Kong;” a combination of the title of the preceding film.
Several scenes were filmed at RKO’s “Forty Acres” facility
Frank Reicher (as Capt. Englehorn), John Marston (as Capt. Nils Helstrom) and Victor Wong (as Charlie) in the Ernest B. Schoedsack–Merian C. Cooper–RKO production of “The Son of Kong” (1933).
Several interior scenes for the 1933 Schoedsack-Cooper-RKO sequel production of “The Son of Kong” were filmed at the then-RKO/Pathé “Forty Acres” lot in Culver City, California (once dubbed as the “Pathé Ranch”)**; according to Steven Bingen and Marc Wanamaker’s retrospective book on the “Forty Acres” lot, “Hollywood’s Lost Backlot: 40 Acres of Glamour and Mystery.”. The “Forty Acres” lot was later used by veteran producer/mogul (and former RKO executive) David O’ Selznick, Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball’s Desilu Productions and other production companies. The lot would be redeveloped/remodeled after years of neglect in the 1970s (existing buildings/soundstages on the lot are used for numerous film and television productions today).
Recycled source sound elements from the original RKO production of “King Kong” for “The Son of Kong”
Original 1933 RKO Radio Pictures lobby card/publicity still of Helen Mack (as Hilda/Helene) and Robert Armstrong (as Carl Denham) with the “hand” of the “junior Kong” (a.k.a. “Kiko”) in the Ernest B. Schoedsack–Merian C. Cooper production of “The Son of Kong.”
Several source soundtrack elements were recycled from the original 1933 RKO production of “King Kong” for the 1933 sequel, according to additional details from Jeff Stafford’s TCM online article. Fay Wray’s original source “scream” recordings from “King Kong” were re-used to replace Helen Mack’s screams in “The Son of Kong.” Several elements of Max Steiner’s original source orchestral soundtrack score for “King Kong” were re-used for the 1933 RKO sequel.
Be sure to watch/record Svengoolie and his big broadcast premiere of “The Son of Kong” (1933), this Sat. on Me-TV!
Original 1933 RKO Radio Pictures lobby card/tinted publicity photo of Victor Wong (as Charlie), Robert Armstrong (as Carl Denham), Helen Mack (as Hilda/Helene), John Marston (as Capt. Nils Helstrom) and Frank Reicher (as Capt. Englehorn) in the in the Ernest B. Schoedsack–Merian C. Cooper production of “The Son of Kong.”
“Wonders of the world of Berwyn and beyond!” Svengoolie (portrayed by Rich Koz),, Kerwyn & all fellow super SvenPals are ready for his big broadcast premiere of “The Son of Kong” (1933) with Robert Armstrong, Helen Mack, Noble Johnson, Victor Wong, John Marston and Frank Reicher, this Sat. on Me-TV! **And speaking of Pathé and the Pathé “rooster” trademark, Kerwyn is not connected to Pathé or the “Pathé Ranch!” -C.H.
With Robert Armstrong, Helen Mack, Noble Johnson, Victor Wong, Frank Reicher, John Marston, Gertrude Short and Clarence Wilson along with Willis O’Brien’s stop-motion creature creations, Max Steiner’s source orchestral score and Murray Spivack’s source sound effects, you will not want to miss out on Svengoolie’s upcoming big broadcast premiere of “The Son of Kong” (1933), this Sat. on Me-TV! A perfect treat for all fellow super SvenPals and fellow classic stop-motion creature film aficionados everywhere Svengoolie’s extensive fun facts, Doug Graves’ parody song and Kerwyn’s “mail call” segment! You will not be disappointed! Highly recommended!
Svengoolie presents his big broadcast premiere of “The Son of Kong” (1933)
Sat., Feb. 8 at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central on Me-TV (part of “Super Sci-Fi Sat. Night”)
Me-TV’s coast-to-coast affiliation finder
In the Frederick, Maryland/Washington, D.C. area: WTTG-5.3/Cable 196/FiOS 489/Antietam Cable 194 (also on QAM digital 68.6 for Antietam cable subscribers)
In the Baltimore, Maryland area: WBAL-TV 11.2/Cable 208/FiOS 460
In the Hanover/Gettysburg/York, Pennsylvania area: WGAL-TV 8.2/Cable 248/FiOS 460
Live-tweet with all fellow super #Svengoolie SvenPals from coast-to-coast via Twitter during Sven and his big broadcast premiere of “The Son of Kong” (1933) this Sat. on Me-TV!
Extra! Extra! Extra! Fellow super Svengoolie SvenPals of Berwyn/Chicago and beyond!
Extra! Extra! Extra! There’s more! Svengoolie will be returning to the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) festival for his upcoming appearance at the C2E2 2020 festival! According to Sven’s official Twitter site and the official C2E2 Twitter site, Svengoolie’s appearance at the 2020 Chicago Comic and Entertainment Exposition (C2E2) festival on Sat., Feb. 29 at 12:30 p.m. (local time) in room S504 (at the South Building at McCormick Place; 2301 S. Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, Illinois 60601)! Additional details and ticket information are available on the official website of the C2E2 exposition.
Extra! Extra! Extra! Wait! Wait! There’s more! Tickets are still available for the upcoming May 2, 2020 WDCB “Those Were the Days” 50th anniversary big Chicago vintage radio broadcast celebration with appearances by Sven’s alter-ego, Mr. Rich Koz; current “Those Were the Days” host/ Nostalgia Digest” publisher Steve Darnall, original host of “Those Were The Days” Chuck Schaden, Trace Beaulieu of MST3K and “The Mads!” fame, Kevin Murphy of MST3K and “RiffTrax” fame, actress Patty McCormack of “The Bad Seed” fame; “Those Were the Days” announcer Ken Alexander, actor/writer Scott Lowell of Binge Networks’ “Adoptable” fame, Tim Kazurinsky of “Saturday Night Live” fame (1981-85) plus live music by the Dooley Brothers and the West End Jazz Band! Remaining tickets are still available for purchase through WDCB’s official website via the official Eventbrite platform! Purchase your tickets today! Note: Ticket prices for the event are $50. The 50th anniversary celebration of “Those Were the Days” will take place on Sat., May 2, 2020 at the Irish American Heritage Center (4626 N. Knox Ave, Chicago, Illinois 60630) from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. (local time)! Again, to all fellow super Svengoolie SvenPals in the greater Berwyn/Chicago region and beyond, have fun seeing Sven during his upcoming Chicago 2020 C2E2 event and Sven/Mr. Rich Koz’s May appearance for the 50th anniversary of “Those Were the Days!” –C.H.
Extra! Extra! Extra! Fellow super SvenPals and fellow super jammers from coast-to-coast will be jumping for joy for the return of fellow super Svengoolie SvenPal Jamie Lee and her WNUR/Northwestern University radio program/jam session cavalcade, “Jammin’ with Jamie” on Feb. 15! Jam along with Jamie and the return of her upcoming live big broadcast serenade/cavalcade of “Jammin’ with Jamie” Valentine’s/post-Valentine’s jams next Sat. morning, Feb. 15 at 6 a.m. Central/7 a.m. Eastern on the airlanes of WNUR 89.3 FM/WNUR 89.3-HD1 in the greater Evanston/Berwyn/Chicago listening region, WNUR.org and/or WNUR’s live feed on the TuneIn platform from coast-to-coast, around the world and throughout the galaxy! Stay tuned to Jamie’s official Twitter site and Jamie’s official website for more details for the Valentine’s/post-Valentine’s “Jammin’ with Jamie” big broadcast jam session serenade theme for the big broadcast serenade/cavalcade on Feb. 15! And if you have a favorite Valentine’s/post-Valentine’s or similar tune request for Jamie’s portfolio of jams for her upcoming “Jammin’ with Jamie” big broadcast jam session cavalcade/serenade for Sat., Feb. 15; be sure to send in your song nomination/request to Jamie’s official Twitter site or Jamie’s official website before Sat., Feb. 15!
The entire crowd of fellow super jammers and fellow super SvenPals are jumping for joy and looking forward to the upcoming big broadcast jam session cavalcade/serenade return of “Jammin’ with Jamie” on Feb. 15, Jamie! Again, keep up the wonderful and excellent work! Happy early Valentine’s/”Dracula Day” (in commemoration of the original release of the Tod Browning’s Universal monster masterpiece of “Dracula” w/Bela Lugosi on Feb. 14, 1931) and all Feb. holiday observances to Jamie & the entire crowd of fellow super SvenPals/super jammers everywhere! We’re all proud of you! Three cheers, congrats, peace, kudos, “Hi-Keeba” and two thumbs up to Jamie and the entire crowd of fellow super jammers and fellow super SvenPals everywhere! –C.H.
In connection to “The Son of Kong” (1933):
“The Son of Kong” (1933) is also available on Blu-Ray from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and is also available as part of Warners’ “2 Film Collection” RKO “Kong” DVD double-feature anthology set with the original 1933 Ernest B. Schoedsack -Merian C. Cooper edition of “King Kong.” The 1933 RKO “Kong” sequel is also available from Warners through participating streaming/video-on-demand service providers*.
*Sidebar: Part of Warners’ ownership of the North American rights to the majority of the RKO Radio Pictures library, Time Warner (now known as Warner Media) merged with Ted Turner’s media/cable properties in 1996, Turner acquired the rights to the RKO Radio Pictures library from General Tire/GenCorp/RKO General/Wesray in 1987 (General Tire acquired the feature film remnants of RKO from business tycoon Howard Hughes in 1955; as the tire company was looking for additional feature film programming for their line of “General Teleradio” TV stations at the time, the RKO features were also leased to C&C Television Corp. to non-RKO General TV stations around the same time under the “Movietime USA” moniker). The current incarnation of RKO Pictures (formed as an independent organization after the demise of General Tire/GenCorp’s RKO General unit and the tire conglomerate’s exit from entertainment/broadcasting) handles the copyright, trademark, script/re-make rights (co-productions with other studios for re-makes) and stage adaptation rights to the classic RKO features. –C.H.
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Silver Screen Reflections 
King Kong (1933) has been my favorite giant monster movie since I first laid eyes on it as a wee lad on TV in the early 1960s. While Son of Kong (1933 – released just 9 months after King Kong) is clearly inferior to its predecessor – due mainly to a rush in production – it still holds a special place in my Monster Kid heart. It’s more comedic tone suits Robert Armstrong’s Carl Denham, who has a more significant role to play in this sequel. Even though “little Kong” doesn’t have as much screen time as his dad did (mostly due to the short run time of 69 minutes), there are still some memorable moments in the film. The battle of Son of Kong with the giant Bear is a highlight and his final scene (no spoilers) still chokes me up.
I’m looking forward to watching Svengoolie’s MeTV premiere of Son of Kong; particularly because of the short running time, we’ll see it unedited and see more of Svengoolie!
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Greetings, Gregory!
Glad you and all fellow super SvenPals everywhere enjoyed my article on Svengoolie’s upcoming big broadcast premiere of the RKO-Ernest B. Schoedsack classic creature masterpiece sequel to “King Kong,” “The Son of Kong” (1933)! We’re all looking forward to his big broadcast premiere of “The Son of Kong” along with extra Sven content during Sven’s first RKO feature film as part of the Warner Bros. syndication contract of classic features (counting the classic Warner and Warner-owned features and the studio’s ownership of the RKO/Turner/pre-1986 MGM holdings) for Me-TV!
The first time that I caught the original RKO production “King Kong” (1933), along with “The Son of Kong” (1933) and the finale RKO “Kong” trilogy feature; “Mighty Joe Young” (1949) was on the old American Movie Classics (AMC) cable network growing up around the early-to-mid 1990s! And yes, the original RKO-Merian C. Cooper-Ernest B. Schoedsack production “King Kong” (1933) is the definitive feature of the entire series!
I enjoy all of the classic RKO “Kong” trilogy features! And I do enjoy the battle sequence between the bear and “little Kong!” I highly agree that the comedic nature of the “little Kong” creature was more suited for Robert Armstrong’s characterization of Carl Denham in the RKO sequel!
Very awesome, neat and cool that you first witnessed “The Son of Kong” (1933) on local broadcast TV growing up in the early 1960s, Gregory!
And speaking about the original RKO production of “King Kong” (1933), I recently heard that Warner Bros. and Turner Classic Movies is going to re-issue the original 1933 RKO/Cooper-Schoedsack production of “King Kong” (as part of Fathom Events “Big Screen Classics”) series for one day only in participating theaters from-coast-to-coast on March 15! Though my nearest Cineplex hasn’t been added as of this writing (according to Fathom Events’ website) to the list of participating theaters, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that my local Cineplex in my town will be added soon for the Warners/TCM/Fathom re-issue of “King Kong” (1933) so that I can experience the 1933 classic RKO creature masterpiece on the big screen! https://www.fathomevents.com/events/tcm2020-king-kong-1933?date=2020-03-15
I have seen the original 1933 RKO/Cooper/Schoedsack production of “King Kong” numerous times on TV (counting the “old” AMC, Washington’s Public TV station; WETA-TV when they had the rights to the Warners/Turner package of RKO & pre-1986 MGM classics many years ago and Turner Classic Movies) and on my DVD copy (Warners’ 2005 restoration of the original 1933 RKO classic creature masterpiece)!
Well, that’s all for now! See you and the entire crowd of fellow super Svengoolie SvenPals in the Me-TV airlanes this Sat. for Sven’s big premiere broadcast of “The Son of Kong” (1933), Gregory! We’re all jumping for joy! Keep up the wonderful and excellent work! Three cheers, two thumbs up, kudos, peace & “Hi-Keeba” to you, Sven, Kerwyn, Doug and the entire crowd of fellow super Svengoolie SvenPals everywhere, Gregory!
-All the best,
Chris Hamby
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