King Kong キングコング [Showa]

Deep in the jungles of a mysterious island, a feral denizen of prehistory silently awaited his explosive debut...

A pharmaceutical and television conglomerate recently discovered soma, a new type of sedative-producing berry, on the remote Faro Island among the Solomon Islands. It was also said that the natives there worshiped a giant living "deity" that they used the berries as an offering. Desperate for a ratings boost, TTV Television sent two of their men to Faro Island to retrieve more berries and to locate the legend of Faro Island in hopes that the story of a monster would attract viewers to their programs.

When the TTV expedition first arrived on the island, the natives were bent on forcing their immediate leave. However, after Osamu Sakurai and Kinsaburo Furue offered them gifts, in the form of a handheld radio and a slew of cigarettes, the natives quickly acquiesced and allowed them to stay. Suddenly, a severe lightning storm struck, and the natives began to bow down and chant. A spine-chilling roar bellowed from one end of the island to the other, and it soon became clear that King Kong, the legendary beast of Faro Island, was much more than just a legend...

The following day, the natives guided their guests through the thick island brush in search of their quarry, but a surprise rock slide forced them to retreat. As a result of the sudden avalanche, Kinsaburo was hurt and required a dose of the medicinal soma. As a native boy was preparing to procure the fluid from a hut near the outskirts of the village, a Giant Octopus attacked the little shack. The natives began chucking spears at the monstrous mollusk, and the boy and his mother just barely escaped certain doom. The octopus frantically tore through the hut, seeking the berry juice for which it so longed... when suddenly, from the other side of a towering wall of sharpened logs, a giant appeared. King Kong, the mysterious monster "deity" of which the natives had warned, finally arrived in full force!

Kong tore through the man-made barrier, tossing rumble at his multi-armed foe. Closing the distance between them, Kong attempted to grapple with the oceanic beast, only for the Giant Octopus to latch on to his face. The skirmish was short lived, though, as Kong tossed his attacker to the ground. The Faro Island deity then hurled two boulders at the aggressor, prompting the Giant Octopus to flee. Grasping four jars of berry juice, the enormous ape drugged himself until he was comatose. In this state, it was relatively easy to restrain and ship the beast back to Japan. The Japanese Self-Defense Force caught up with the transport vessel and ordered Mr. Tako, the president of TTV, to return Kong to Faro Island. Alas, federal law wasn't enough to route the monster, for Kong awoke and started to flail. The explosives aboard his raft were detonated; but Kong survived, and he began to head straight for his instinctive enemy: Godzilla.

When the two titans met on dry land, Godzilla's atomic ray got the better of Kong. After having his stomach lighting singed, the massive ape retreated. Eventually, the ape resurfaced in Tokyo where it interrupted a high tension wire trap that was set for Godzilla. The electrical barricade was no match for the hideous creature, though, for it merely amplified its strength as he absorbed the surging electrical currents. The brute began to wreck havoc on Tokyo, tearing apart everything in his path. Grasping a train, he became enchanted by the beauty of Fumiko Sakurai, the sister of one of the men responsible for his capture earlier. Kong brought his living trophy atop the Diet Building, preparing to defend his honor. The SDF was desperate, but a plan was hatched. By inserting the soma into rockets, they were able to launch the drug into the sky. Coupled with the reproduction of the percussion endemic to the natives of Faro, Kong was lulled into a deep slumber, and his hostage was rescued.

Godzilla, meanwhile, was still quite unstoppable. The military was helpless against the nuclear leviathan, and it became clear that Kong was the only solution. Using special wires, balloons, and helicopters, Kong was airlifted to Mt. Fuji. By morning, he arrived, and came face to face with his reptilian adversary once more...

After the two terrors collided and toppled down the mountainside, the huge ape lured Godzilla to the other side, as he prepared to attack from behind a rock. Though the atomic ray was an insurmountable obstacle for Kong, he continued to chuck boulders at his foe. When he tried to roll toward Godzilla, the scaly menace dodged the attack and Kong's head collided with a stone. Momentarily out, Kong arose to strike back, only for Godzilla to kick the giant ape down the hill. This lead to the monster once more colliding into a series of rocks. With his foe incapacitated, Godzilla quickly gained the upper hand... that is, until the arrival of a freak lightning storm.

Rejuvenated by the static discharges, Kong attacked Godzilla with an even greater ferocity than before. They laid ruin to civilization before they made their final plummet from a cliff into the ocean. Their savage brawl generated a terrible earthquake, but the chaos soon subsided...

Bobbing his head out of the water, Kong signaled a silent success, as it became all too clear that Godzilla's fate was a virtual uncertainty. Exhausted, yet victorious, King Kong returned to his island home in peace.

• Shoichi Hirose played the role of King Kong. To prepare for the part, Eiji Tsuburaya requested that Hirose go to the zoo to learn the movement and behavior of relevant animals, like gorillas, there. During modern interviews, Hirose admitted he never actually went to the zoo, but eagerly told Tsuburaya that he had and had "learned a lot" from the experience to prepare him for the role. This information can be found in the 1997 book Age of the Gods (self-published).
• The head of King Kong was modeled by Teizo Toshimitsu. Modeling the ape's body was a team effort by brothers Yasuei Yagi and Kanju Yagi. The designed suit also featured two different set of arms. One was at normal arm length and featured gloves. The others were extended arms that were operated by poles inside the suit to better give the gorilla-like illusion. These details are referenced in Age of the Gods (self-published).
• In the 2000 publication The Giant Picture Encyclopedia of Godzilla: Toho Special Effects Movie World (ISBN: 4873765587), King Kong's powers are listed as "Super Strength" (怪力 - Kairiki) and "Intelligence" (知能 - Chino). Oddly, the book doesn't reference the creature's electrical powers.
• The back of the King Kong suit had to be sewn shut in between takes. As a result, during one sequence where the suit caught fire, actor Hirose was helpless until the staff were able to come and get him out. This account is mentioned in Age of the Gods (self-published).
• During the scene where King Kong is drugged with the berry juice, suit actor Hirose had to stay in the suit for three hours straight. By the time he was removed, the suit actor recalled that "sweat came pouring out like a flood, and it got in my eyes too. When I came out, I was pale all over." The actor's recount of the events can be found in Age of the Gods (self-published).
• When doing underwater scenes, Godzilla suit actor Harao Nakajima preferred to hold his breath rather than use a breathing tube. King Kong suit actor Shoichi Hirose attempted to emulate this strategy, although during the famous sequence where Godzilla and King Kong both fall into the water there was an accidental occurrence of the suit actor being pinned underneath the Godzilla suit. As a result, Hirose swallowed a great deal of water before the staff could finally get them out. To add insult to injury, the actors fell out of frame as well, mandating another take. This information is related in Age of the Gods (self-published).
• The 1962 King Kong suit was later reused in Tsuburaya Productions' Ultra Q show in 1966. It appeared in the second episode of the show, Goro and Goro, and was used to represent the giant monkey monster Goro. To make this possible, a monkey tail was added to the suit and the head was replaced.
• Faro Island being located among the Solomon Islands is mentioned in Godzilla and Toho Tokusatsu: Official Mook Vol.0 (ISBN: 9784065302231)
  
  

Near Mondo Island in the South Pacific, the United Nations submarine Explorer hit a snag while performing a routine mission. A rock slide damaged the rudders, and repairs were deemed necessary before continuing. The island happened to be the location of where Commander Carl Nelson concluded to be home of a giant ape dubbed King Kong. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Nelson and two other officers, Susan Watson, and Jiro Nomura, came ashore.

As Carl and Jiro investigated the island, Susan stood guard over their hover car, but disaster soon struck. The gargantuan dinosaur Gorosaurus attacked the woman. Upon hearing her cries for help, something amazing emerged from the jungle. King Kong, an ape of astonishing size, placed the woman in the canopy of a tall tree to ensure her safety. Kong turned his attention to his powerful enemy and landed crashing blows on his foe. While Gorosaurus clenched his teeth on Kong's right ankle, the crew of the Explorer returned to the hover car and began to rush back to the submarine. Kong finally gained the upper hand and broke Gorosaurus' jaw, and then turned his attention toward the fleeing craft.

Chasing after the hover car, the monster suddenly came face-to-face with the Giant Sea Serpent. Tossing a boulder at the leviathan in hopes of distracting it, Kong leapt into the water to engage his foe. The struggle gave the hover car enough time to escape and the crew to board the submarine, as the giant ape struggled with the constricting creature. Upon defeating this new enemy, Kong continued to pursue his plans to procure Susan. Holding onto the large sub, the girl ventured to the deck to try and reason with the beast. Lifting her, the woman jumped into the water only for Kong to franticly retrieve her again. Eventually Susan's beauty and voice soothed the beast as she pleaded with him to return to the island. The intelligent creature finally obeyed, and the Explorer returned to New York.

As the news of King Kong's existence soon became public, the international judas Dr. Who concocted a plan abscond with the beast. He wanted the mammoth ape to mine the highly radioactive Element X for his own diabolical purposes. The cruel doctor sent jet helicopters to Mondo Island to secure the beast. Their attack incorporated dropping ether bombs to subdue and knock out the poor creature. The next phase was to airlift the giant ape to a large carrier docked in the nearby water. The plan was a success, and an unconscious Kong began his long journey to the North Pole.

Shackled to a cement block in Dr. Who's hidden fortress, King Kong awoke to the sight of his robotic counterpart: Mechani-Kong. Using a hypnotic device, Dr. Who placed his newly acquired slave under mind control by attaching two pieces of a device to the beast's head. Under his control, Dr. Who then forced the creature to dig for Element X. However, the radiation and magnetic effects of the rare substance were too strong. While the doctor correctly guessed that Kong would survive being exposed to the mysterious element, his mind control device did not. With the influence of the device severed, the giant ape tore it from his head. King Kong sought revenge! Ravaging the facility, he fled the Arctic and swam toward Tokyo, but the forces of evil would not be far behind.

Since Kong posed an immediate threat to the immense metropolis, the military was summoned to destroy the monster. As their first response, the self defense force surrounded Kong with type 61 tanks while KV-107 II helicopters surveyed overhead. Thankfully, Carl Nelson was able to convince the men in charge of the operation that ape meant no harm. With bright spotlights sending Kong into a fury, the tanks retreated. Susan then intervened, running up to try and sooth the mighty creature.

Unfortunately, Mechani-Kong arrived on the scene, bursting through a nearby building and interrupting Kong and Susan's reunion. The mechanical ape attempted to bring Kong under its master's command once more through its mind control technology. The attempt was thwarted, though, as Jiro Nomura interfered, shooting the device with a rifle. Unable to control Kong's mind, the giant ape lashed out, punching the robot in the head. However, Mechani-Kong was not yet down and out, for it blinded Kong with its eye beams. The giant machine then took Susan in its grasp, as it began to climb Tokyo Tower. Dr. Who threatened to drop Susan if he did not receive full cooperation, but Kong pursued his mechanical doppelganger nevertheless. Susan was allowed to plummet to the ground below, but Kong managed to save his human friend and set her down. Mechani-Kong soon gained the upper hand however, and almost killed his organic counterpart. Thankfully, the controls on Dr. Who's ship were sabotaged, and the mechanized beast fell to the Earth and erupted into numerous pieces on the pavement.

As the sun rose on a new day, Kong ran to the docks. Seeing Dr. Who's ship in the water, Susan ordered Kong to get the ship before it escaped. Eager to finish the fight, the mammoth ape leapt into the water. Witnessing the oncoming creature, Dr. Who's henchmen ventured onto the deck of the ship and opened fire on Kong with machine guns. The handheld weapons, however, were no match against the monster. Ripping the propeller from the back of the ship, Kong viciously attacked Dr. Who's ship. Amongst the destruction, the maniacal mastermind was crushed by his own equipment as the ship sank below the waters.

With his enemies destroyed and his friends saved, Kong left Japan. He ventured out to sea to return to the peace and tranquility of Mondo Island.

• King Kong was portrayed by suit actor Haruo Nakajima.
• The head of the 1967 King Kong was modeled by Teizo Toshimitsu.
• Similar to the 1962 King Kong suit, there were variations for the arms that made them longer, more "gorilla-like". Suit actor Haruo Nakajima has noted how hard it was to coordinate with this, citing it was difficult to make the legs and arms synchronize for the performance he wanted. Basically, that it was hard to "make movements that didn't look human". The other variant to the arms, which were shorter, were used for the battle scenes in the film. This information is found in the 1997 book Age of the Gods (self-published).
• For the water scene where King Kong fights the Giant Sea Serpent, the 1962 King Kong suit was used with a new head mask attached.
• Oddly, The Giant Picture Encyclopedia of Godzilla: Toho Special Effects Movie World (ISBN: 4873765587) lists the 1967 King Kong's powers as a question mark. This is in contrast to the 1962 King Kong, whose powers were cited as "Super Strength" and "Intelligence". The Giant Lizard from King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), the Biodroid from Gunhed (1989) and BabyGodzilla from Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993) are the only other entries in the book to have their power listings noted as a question mark.
• The 1967 King Kong suit was later reused as the monster Gorilla in the Go! Greenman show in 1973.