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The Real Life Events That Inspired The Classic Film, King Kong
One of the best known Hollywood movies of all time was based somewhat in reality despite being such a tall tale
King Kong is one of the most influential films in movie history. Although it has been remade and adapted a number of times over the years, the original, which came out in 1933 remains the standard bearer. The story of an enormous ape taking over a city and falling for a beautiful woman is a fantastical and memorable story. Surprisingly, it’s not entirely a work of fiction, as what may seem at first blush like a very tall tale was actually inspired by real events that had occurred just a few years earlier.
Audiences have long flocked to theaters, seeking an escape from reality, and craving the thrill of stories that can transport them to new realities, even if only for a short period of time. Few films epitomize this better than King Kong, with its gripping tale of a mammoth ape fighting dinosaurs, falling in love and climbing up the side of tall buildings.
Dan Slate of Slate uncovered how the genesis of King Kong came from a daring 1926 expedition to the East Indies that was funded by the American Museum of Natural History, and spearheaded by museum trustee William Douglas Burden. The mission’s primary…
