Son of Kong (1933), dir. Ernest B. Schoedsack, RKO Radio Pictures
A cash in? A quickly rushed into production sequel? Why not both?
It's been six months since the rampage of King Kong. Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) now spends his days avoiding process severs and collecting lawsuits. After a point, Denham opts to skip town with the fleeing Captain Englehorn (Frank Reicher), who figures he might get dragged into the same legal morass as the former filmmaker.
They quickly flee the United States to the relative safe harbor of the South Seas but given the state of the economy at the time they fare no better. They sail into the port of Dakang, where Denham finds a singing monkey act lead by singer Hilda (Helen Mack). You'd think Denham would be a bit more wary of monkeys given the last film, but eh.
That night, Hilda's father (Clarence Wilson) has a drunken row with Captain Helstrom (John Marston), which ends with the older man and the dock now overrun with monkeys. Helstrom recognizes Denham, as the map to Skull Island used to belong to Helstrom, before Denham stole it. That's not how Denham remembers the exchange, but when Helstrom slyly asks if Denham recovered any of the treasure.
This gets Denham interested and the entire Venture crew also. Helstrom offers to show them the treasure, provided they take him along. He's onboard, along with a stowaway Hilda, but Helstrom quickly causes a mutiny. The crew sides with Helstrom, but then they turn on him too. Too many captains on the boat for their liking.
So it is Denham, Hilda, both captains, and Charlie the Cook (Victor Wong) are cast adrift. By strange fate, they end up directly on Skull Island. The natives remember Denham too, and they ain't happy to see him. This means the party splits up again, with Denham and Hilda stumbling through the jungle where they run across a good-sized albino ape. Denham dubs him 'Little Kong' and from there things just get silly.
Yeah, this feels entirely rushed out, even coming out the same year as the first. It's barely over an hour and even the special effects feel low effort.
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