The King Kong Show (partially found Rankin/Bass animated TV series based on monster adventure film; 1966-1969)
King Kong, known as The King Kong Show amongst fans, was a 1966 animated cartoon loosely based on the film King Kong (1933). The series was a collaboration between Videocraft, later known as Rankin/Bass (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman) and Toei Animation (Dr. Slump, Dragon Ball Z). It ran on ABC from 1966 to 1969.[1] King Kong consisted of three segments: a King Kong cartoon, a Tom of T.H.U.M.B. cartoon, and a second King Kong cartoon, filling a 30-minute time slot. This cartoon would serve as a basis for the Toho film King Kong Escapes, which Rankin/Bass would collaborate on as well.
Plot
Both the first and third cartoons of each show focus on King Kong. Professor Bond travels to Mondo Island with his daughter Susan and his son Bobby for research purposes. Bobby quickly becomes enthralled at the rumors of 'Kong,' a supposed giant beast of Mondo Island. After being tasked by his father to locate some unique moss on the island, Bobby stumbles across an ancient jungle inhabited by dinosaurs and is soon chased down by a Tyrannosaurus Rex. King Kong quickly shows up and rescues Bobby from his assailant. Bobby befriends Kong and takes him back to camp, where he meets the other Bonds and Captain Englehorn. Kong quickly becomes an asset to the family after he saves the family from a tidal wave. Kong now assists the Bond family as they research the mysteries of Mondo Island, even combating villains and giant monsters as the situation arises.[2][3]
Between the King Kong cartoons was a second series called Tom of T.H.U.M.B. This series is a parody of spy movies loosely based on the Tom Thumb fairy tale. It is similar in concept to the Hanna-Barbara cartoon Inch High Private Eye. Tom is a maintenance man that was accidentally struck with a shrink ray along with his assistant Swingin' Jack. He created the Tiny Human Underground Military Bureau (T.H.U.M.B.) to use his new size for the benefit of his country as a secret agent.[4] However, the inexperience of himself and Swingin' Jack as real agents, in addition to their size, tend to hinder their attempts to complete top-secret missions. Unfortunately, these two are all that stand between M.A.D. and world domination.
Availability
10 full shows have been released on 2 DVDs under the title King Kong: the Animated Series, not to be confused with Kong: The Animated Series. Each DVD contains 4 complete shows (including the Tom of T.H.U.M.B. segments) and half of the hour-long pilot, with both DVDs together completing the pilot. This makes 10 full shows available at the moment, well short of King Kong's 25 show run. Strangely, text on the back of the DVDs implies that they were both meant to be part of the same set, boasting that "this special two-disc DVD edition of 'The King Kong Show' features eight thrilling half-hour programs and a special extended-length pilot episode." This is only true if both DVDs are owned. With the exception of episodes "King Kong's House", "MechaniKong", "Thousand Year Knockout", "Desert City", and "Murderer's Maze", which were found on TheKissCartoon.com[5], the other 15 shows in their entirety have yet to see a release in any form. As VCRs did not become widely used until the 1970s, home recordings of King Kong are not likely. A potential Volume 3 may have been planned, but was put on indefinite hiatus, as cover art has surfaced.
Show | King Kong | Status | Tom of T.H.U.M.B. | Status | King Kong | Status |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pilot | A Friend in Need | Found (On DVD) | The Key to the City | Found (On DVD) | ||
1 | Under the Volcano | Found (On DVD) | For the Last Time, Feller... I'm Not Bait! | Found (On DVD) | The Treasure Trap | Found (On DVD) |
2 | The Horror of Mondo Island | Found (On DVD) | Hey, That Was a Close One World! | Found (On DVD) | Dr. Who | Found (On DVD) |
3 | Rocket Island | Found (On DVD) | I Was a 9 1/2 oz. Weakling Till One Day... | Found (On DVD) | The African Bees | Found (On DVD) |
4 | The Hunter | Found (On DVD) | I Was a Starling for the USA! | Found (On DVD) | The Space Men | Found (On DVD) |
5 | The Jinx of the Sphinx | Found (On DVD) | Cool Nerves and... Steady Hands | Found (On DVD) | The Greeneyed Monster | Found (On DVD) |
6 | The Top of the World | Found (On DVD) | All Guys From Outer Space Are Creeps | Found (On DVD) | The Golden Temple | Found (On DVD) |
7 | The Electric Circle | Found (On DVD) | Mechanical Granma | Found (On DVD) | Mirror of Destruction | Found (On DVD) |
8 | Tiger Tiger | Found (On DVD) | The Day We Almost Had It | Found (On DVD) | The Vise of Dr. Who | Found (On DVD) |
9 | King Kong's House | Found | Tom Makes History | Lost | MechaniKong | Found |
10 | The Giant Sloths | Lost | Tom Scores Again | Lost | The Legend of Loch Ness | Lost |
11 | Dr. Bone | Lost | Blow, Jack, Blow! | Lost | No Man's Snowman | Lost |
12 | The Desert Pirates | Lost | Tom and the TV Pirates | Lost | Command Performance | Lost |
13 | The Sea Surrounds Us | Lost | The Girl From M.A.D. | Lost | Show Biz | Lost |
14 | The Wizard of Overlord | Lost | Just One of Those Nights | Lost | Perilous Porpoise | Lost |
15 | The Trojan Horse | Lost | Runt of 1,000 Faces | Lost | The Man From K.O.N.G. | Lost |
16 | Carribean Cruise | Lost | Hello, Dollies! | Lost | Diver's Dilemma | Lost |
17 | The Great Sun Spots | Lost | Pardner | Lost | Kong is Missing | Lost |
18 | In the Land of the Giant Trees | Lost | Beans is Beans | Lost | Captain Kong | Lost |
19 | Statue of Liberty Play | Lost | What Goes Up... | Lost | Pandora's Box | Lost |
20 | Thousand Year Knockout | Found | Our Man, the Monster | Lost | Desert City | Found |
21 | Eagle Squadron | Lost | Never Trust a Clam | Lost | The Kong of Stone | Lost |
22 | Murderer's Maze | Found | Drop That Ocean, Feller | Lost | Great Gold Strike | Found |
23 | It Wasn't There Again Today | Lost | Plug That Leak | Lost | The Mad Whale | Lost |
24 | The King Kong Diamond | Lost | The Scooby | Lost | Anchors Away | Lost |
See Also
Rankin/Bass Media
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (lost color negatives to original credits sequence of Christmas special; 1964)
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (lost original Larry D. Mann narration audio of Christmas special; 1964)
- Frosty the Snowman (found original June Foray voice recording of animated Christmas special; 1969)
- The Reluctant Dragon and Mr. Toad Show (partially found animated series; 1970-1971)
King Kong Media
- King Kong (lost cut content of Pre-code monster adventure film; 1933)
- The King Kong That Appeared in Edo (lost Japanese monster film; 1938)
- Wasei Kingu Kongu (lost silent Japanese short; 1933)
References
- ↑ Clements, Jonathan; McCarthy, Helen (2006). The Anime Encyclopedia (2nd expanded ed.). Berkeley, California: Stone Bridge Press. p. 313340. ISBN 1-84576-500-1.
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/childrenstelevis0000wool/page/164/mode/2up
- ↑ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 342–343. ISBN 978-1538103739.
- ↑ https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofda00hyat/page/250/mode/2up
- ↑ https://thekisscartoon.com/tvshows/the-king-kong-show/