1976's Dino De Laurentiis's King Kong Life-size prop: What happened to it?

[GuntahKela]

I saw a thread on "one of the biggest props," and this came to mind:

It would be the one obviously used during the scene when Kong escapes from the cage and chains with the king crown still on his head. I know this functioning prop toured many countries as a part of a circus act. In fact, I got to see it, back in the 80s. I hardly paid any attention to the other circus acts. i was too busy gazing at the Kong prop hidden behind a gigantic curtain.

Does any one know what happened to it? Is it still around?

 

[Eopie Herder]

It sat in front of the film studios in Wilmington, NC which De Laurentis built for several years. The head and a hand. But, they went missing. Been missing for more than 10 years.

 

[GuntahKela]

how can such huge items go missing? Sad to hear.

 

[Jet Beetle]

Wasn't the "Petrox" one in the cage at the end just a balloon?

 

[Zombie_61]

Wasn't the "Petrox" one in the cage at the end just a balloon?

No, it was a full-size 40-foot-tall mechanical Kong.

IIRC it had some minor motion in the face, the arms could move up and down (though it was a limited range of motion), and the hands could open and close (again, a limited range of motion). It could not support it's own weight, however, and had a support pole up it's...umm...think "colonoscopy" (the support pole was hidden by placing the cameras at strategic locations).

Built by Carlo Rambaldi, who also built the full-sized arms and legs seen in close-ups and the non-mechanized styrofoam Kong seen lying in the shattered pavement at the end of the film, at a cost of $1.7 million it fell far below expectations. In the "Petrox" scene where Kong drops the two segments of broken cage, the weight of the cage segments was more responsible for the arm movements than the arms themselves.

At one point someone decided it would be a good idea to photograph Jessica Lange sitting in one of the full-sized Kong's hands. One of the operators heard about it after Lange was sitting in the hand, and he rushed over to tell her to move slowly and not to make any sudden movements; the shoulder joints were barely sufficient to support the weight of the arms themselves, and any "jerking" motion could cause the arm to fall off and drop her 25-30 feet to the ground below.

Shots of the mechanical Kong were intercut with close-ups of Rick Baker in the Kong costume he designed, built, and wore in most of the film; in fact the mechanical Kong was used only in the "Petrox" scene and is seen in the film less than 25 seconds. In at least one interview Baker said he was convinced the only reason De Laurentiis made the film was so that he could say he built the only life-sized Kong in existence. :rolleyes

I found a few photos online:

 

[Jet Beetle]

Very informative - thank you for the info. I know I'll get roasted for this but this is still my favorite Kong movie. I grew up on this one and it really introduced me to the character. I think I saw Son of Kong, Godzilla vs Kong and King Kong Escapes the same year thanks to stations scrambling to cash in on Kong being back at Theaters. Mecha-Kong is still my fav out of all Kongs.

 

[Zombie_61]

I know I'll get roasted for this but this is still my favorite Kong movie.

I have a sentimental soft spot for the film for two reasons.

First, my older brother (who passed away more than 20 years ago) went out of his way to take me to see it when it opened in 1976.

Second, Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine did a rather lengthy article on the film in one of their issues, and I wrote to them with a question about something mentioned in the article. They forwarded my letter to Rick Baker (who was an up-and-coming makeup artist at the time), and he took the time to respond to my question personally in a hand-written letter, which I still have.

As for my favorites, the 1933 King Kong directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack is still the best. Peter Jackson's 2005 remake is second, and for the reasons listed above I'll say De Laurentiis' 1976 remake is third.

 

[bleyd]

If anyone has the novel there are some good shots of the mechanical hand and how they put it together. Used to have that book when it came out but that was decades ago. Quite a few behind the scenes shots in the middle of the book.

 

[jarvis]

Replica time! Who's going to tackle this one? Thanks for the pics, I couldn't find any of it, he actually looks pretty scary in the first one.

 

[DrkMatter]

Mecha-Kong is still my fav out of all Kongs.

Mine too.

 

[moff man]

Replica time! Who's going to tackle this one? Thanks for the pics, I couldn't find any of it, he actually looks pretty scary in the first one.

We are going to cast him in resin but first we need 48,000 gallons of silicone.

 

[Clutch]

Originally Kong was to be an ape with human-like features and that is what Rambaldi went on when he built the full size one. This was before they fell back on Rick Baker to perform in the more realistic suit.

 

[GKvfx]

........Built by Carlo Rambaldi, who also built the full-sized arms and legs seen in close-ups and the non-mechanized styrofoam Kong seen lying in the shattered pavement at the end of the film, at a cost of $1.7 million it fell far below expectations........

Actually, I believe Glen Robinson, a longtime Universal effects guy was in charge of all the closeup bits of Kong - the hand that picked up Jessica Lange, the head, etc. That stuff worked. Or at least it was more reliable.

This book - http://www.amazon.com/King-Kong-His...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243617610&sr=1-3
...... is an excellent 'making of' book that covers the original Kongs, as well as Dino's Kongs......

Gene

 

[Jaruemalak]

What always erked me about this movie was the credit at the end... "Kong was built by Carlo Rambaldi, with some contributions by Rick Baker". SOME contributions.... like being Kong for, oh, about 90 percent of the movie!

 

[Eopie Herder]

What always erked me about this movie was the credit at the end... "Kong was built by Carlo Rambaldi, with some contributions by Rick Baker". SOME contributions.... like being Kong for, oh, about 90 percent of the movie!

Yeah, it erked Rick Baker too. If you've ever seen the classic film "The Kentucky Fried Movie" he again wears an Ape costume that is named "Dino". It's pretty much his way of getting back at him. If you get the chance to see it, it's a pretty funny skit.

 

[chewbaccadoll]

Very informative - thank you for the info. I know I'll get roasted for this but this is still my favorite Kong movie. I grew up on this one and it really introduced me to the character. I think I saw Son of Kong, Godzilla vs Kong and King Kong Escapes the same year thanks to stations scrambling to cash in on Kong being back at Theaters. Mecha-Kong is still my fav out of all Kongs.

Don't feel bad man... this is my favorite by far. Darth Vader ALIEN and 76 Kong were my introductions to monsters and villains as a kid. Plus, I'm a big fan of Rick and a HUGE fan of John Berkey!

Yeah, it erked Rick Baker too. If you've ever seen the classic film "The Kentucky Fried Movie" he again wears an Ape costume that is named "Dino". It's pretty much his way of getting back at him. If you get the chance to see it, it's a pretty funny skit.

I didn't know that. Thanks for sharing, sounds pretty funny!

 

[Brigandia36]

I remember seeing the giant Kong lying on the Champs-Elysees, when the movie was in France. But no picture of it, sorry !

 

[Goldenrod]

Excellent thread.
This is one of my fav to as a kid. I read that they used horse hair and had a major flea problem.
What ever happened to Ricks Kong suit? I imagine it probably just rotted away??

 

[Clutch]

Gabriel Marquez sculpted an excellent bust a while back. One of my favorite pieces. http://www.heycomputer.com/3d/kongbust/ I too was at the right age to think '76 Kong was cool. I almost got in to see Alien, but got stopped and the ticket booth. lol

 

[chewbaccadoll]

Gabriel Marquez sculpted an excellent bust a while back. One of my favorite pieces. http://www.heycomputer.com/3d/kongbust/ I too was at the right age to think '76 Kong was cool. I almost got in to see Alien, but got stopped and the ticket booth. lol

Man, imagine if you hadn't? That would have been braggin' rights.

What did you end up seeing instead? Or did you just leave?