1976: King Kong Is Remade, and It Sucks

Joyce and I stood in line at the Shepherd Mall Twin on December 17, 1976, to see the new King Kong.

Note the tagline of the ad.  The only thing semi-exciting about this turkey was noting how unlike a giant ape was Rick Baker in a monkey suit.  The one shot (Kong in a cage in a parking lot) which showed a "full size Kong" was so obviously a pathetic robotic statue that you had to shake your head over the idiocy of the morons who thought these "special effects" were anything special.

That Sunday, the 19th, the Oklahoman's Sunday entertainment insert carried this PR puff piece.

The only Kong-sized thing was the fans' disappointment.

 The December 20th Newsweek carried the above ad.  Note the blatant lie in the tagline.  "Original," oh yeah.

Elsewhere, the mag had this semi-review.

And you know what's also sad?  About thirty years or so after this abomination was made, some guy named Jackson spent even more money making a Kong which was just as disappointing to this fan of the unbeatable original King Kong.

See you on Monday, friends!

Don't take wooden giant apes!  (We've already seen them.)

From 1987 - A Video Enhancer

They sold devices like this in the back of many magazines with home-video topics.  I bought this by mail because I was doing a lot of home taping of old monster movies and compiling them onto other tapes.

Note the future-sounding "2000" in the model number.

No, I don't still have this critter.  And if it had worked according to promise I probably would remember using it.  But alas! poor Video Enhancer, I only know you by your instructions.

Come back on Thursday, to begin a New Year of silliness and profundity!