King Kong
Ambitious filmmaker Carl Denham sets out to capture a legendary giant ape for his groundbreaking movie, only to unleash a colossal showdown that threatens to crush both his dream and New York City itself.
“Beauty conquered the beast!”
Synopsis
Filmmaker Carl Denham embarks on an ambitious project to create a film unlike any other. Accompanied by his leading actress Ann Darrow and his first mate Jack Driscoll, they travel to an island where they encounter a mythical creature described as neither beast nor man. Denham captures the creature and brings it to New York City, where it is showcased on Broadway as King Kong, hailed as the eighth wonder of the world.
Credits
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 291+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Ted CheesmanShot by Edward LindenScored by Max SteinerDesigned by Carroll ClarkSound by Clem PortmanCostumes by Walter PlunkettVFX by C Dodge Dunning
Box Office
1933 · Box office
💰 Box-office hit — grossed 15× its budget
Why 2.5×?
Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).
Worldwide gross
$10.0M
Versions & cuts
- original cut· 125 min
- restored· 104 min
Also known as
- Die Fabel von King Kongde
- King Kong und die weisse Fraude
- King Kong und die weiße Fraude
- (Bulgarian)Кинг Конг
Release dates around the world2 countries · showhide
- United StatesMar 2, 1933
- CanadaApr 13, 1933
Companies
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Cast & Crew
291 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Fay Wray
as Ann Darrow
Robert Armstrong
as Carl Denham
Bruce Cabot
as Jack Driscoll
Frank Reicher
as Capt. Englehorn
Sam Hardy
as Charles Weston
Noble Johnson
as Native Chief
Steve Clemente
as Witch King
James Flavin
as Second Mate Briggs
Walter Ackerman
as Reporter
James Adamson
as Native Child
Van Alder
as Member of Ship's Crew
Ed Allen
as Native
Supporting cast
193Etta Mae Allen
as Native
Frank Angel
as Reporter
Roscoe Ates
as Press Photographer
Ralph Bard
as Member of Ship's Crew
Reginald Barlow
as Ship's Engineer
Leo Beard
as Member of Ship's Crew
Fred Behrle
as Member of Ship's Crew
Jack Best
as Warrior
Johnnie Bland
as Warrior
Eddie Boland
as Reporter, Cameraman
Harry Bowen
as Reporter
John Brakins
as Warrior
Lynton Brent
as Reporter, Cameraman
Roy Brent
as Member of Ship's Crew
Everett Brown
as Native in Ape Costume
Betty Burns
as New York Theatergoer
Barney Capehart
as Pilot
Jack Chapin
as Reporter
Harry Claremont
as Member of Ship's Crew
Edward Clark
as Member of Ship's Crew
Eddie Clayton
as Theater usher
Chick Collins
as Member of Ship's Crew
Odel Conley
as Warrior
Onest Conley
as Warrior
Merian C Cooper
as Pilot of Plane That Kills Kong
Harry Cornbleth
as Member of Ship's Crew
Kathryn Curry
as Native
Nathan Curry
as Native
Dick Curtis
as Member of Ship's Crew
Bill Dagwell
as Member of Ship's Crew
George Daly
as Machine Gunner
Ruby Dandridge
as Native Dancer
Vivian Dandridge
as Native Child
John Davis
as Warrior
Joe Dill
as Member of Ship's Crew
Jimmy Dime
as Member of Ship's Crew
Fanny Donahue
as Native
Jean Doran
as New York Theatergoer
Walter Downing
as New York Theatergoer
Florence Dudley
as New York Theatergoer
Tex Duffy
as Member of Ship's Crew
William Dunn
as Native
William Duran
as Warrior
Peter Duray
as Reporter
Harry Duval
as New York Theatergoer
Earl Dwire
as New York Theatergoer
Ralph Easton
as Reporter
Oliver Eckhardt
as New York Theatergoer
Louise Emmons
as Old Woman in Line at Mission
Shorty English
as Member of Ship's Crew
Frank Fanning
as Police Officer
Jean Fenwick
as New Yorker
Bill Fisher
as Member of Ship's Crew
Larry Fisher
as Member of Ship's Crew
Arthur J Flaven
as Member of Ship's Crew
Joe Flourney
as Native
Betty Gale
as New Yorker
Jack Gallagher
as Member of Ship's Crew
Bob Galloway
as Pilot
Evelyn Garrison
as Native
Harold Garrison
as Native
Frank Gerritty
as Member of Ship's Crew
June Gittelson
as Fat Woman
Arnold Gray
as Reporter
Duke Green
as Member of Ship's Crew
Lawrence Green
as Native
Dorothy Gulliver
as New York Theatergoer
Charles Haefeli
as Member of Ship's Crew
Charlie Hall
as Member of Ship's Crew
Pat Harmon
as Gunman
James Harrison Nm0365637
as Cameraman
Eddie Hart
as Reporter
Lew Harvey
as Gunman
Etta Mae Henry
as Native
Irene Henry
as Baby
Earl Hap Hogan
as Member of Ship's Crew
Wesley Hopper
as Reporter
Hazel Howell
as New Yorker
Clifford Ingram
as Warrior
T C Jack
as Member of Ship's Crew
Allen Jenkins
as Crew Member
Annie L Johnson
as Native
John L Johnson
as New York Theatergoer
Harry Keaton
as Ballyhooer
Walter Kimpton
as Member of Ship's Crew
Walter Kirby
as Member of Ship's Crew
Al Knight
as Warrior
Walter Knox
as Native
King Kong
as King Kong
Ethan Laidlaw
as First Mate
Sam Levine
as Member of Ship's Crew
Vera Lewis
as New York Theatergoer
Timothy J Lonergan
as Police Officer
George Macquarrie
as Police Captain
George Magrill
as Member of Ship's Crew
Joe Smith Marba
as Elevated Train Motorman
Rena Marlowe
as Native Child
Sam Marlowe
as Warrior
Mae Marrin
as Ballyhooer
Henry Martin
as Warrior
Buddy Mason
as Member of Ship's Crew
Leroy Mason
as New York Theatergoer
Richie Mccarew
as Member of Ship's Crew
Etta Mcdaniel
as Native
Al Mcdonald
as Member of Ship's Crew
Larry Mcgrath
as Ballyhooer
Frank Meredith
as Police Officer
Frank Mills
as Reporter
Dusty Mitchell
as Pilot
King Mojave
as Ballyhooer
Carlotta Monti
as New York Theatergoer
Harry Mount
as Reporter
Almeta Muse
as Native
Alice Nichols
as Native
Nim Nixon
as Native Dancer
John Northpole
as Member of Ship's Crew
Skeets Noyes
as Member of Ship's Crew
G Raymond Nye
as Police Captain
Frank O Connor
as Reporter
Paddy O Flynn
as Reporter, Cameraman
Tom O Grady
as New York Theatergoer
Bert O Malley
as Member of Ship's Crew
Charles O Malley
as Reporter
Edward Patrick
as Native Dancer
Gil Perkins
as Member of Ship's Crew
Jack Perry
as Member of Ship's Crew
Nathan Perry
as Native
Lee Phelps
as Cameraman
Alexander Pollard
as Lunch Counter Proprietor
Allen Pomeroy
as Motorcycle Policeman
Paul Porcasi
as Apple Vendor
Mahlon Potts
as Native Child
Malcolm Potts
as Native Child
Russ Powell
as Watchman
A J Prather
as Native
Jack Pratt
as Radio Announcer
Tom Quinn
as Reporter
T J Rankin
as Native Dancer
Eddy Reed
as Reporter
Gus Robinson
as Native Dancer
Edwin Rochelle
as Reporter
Russ Rogers
as Pilot
Jack Saunders
as Member of Ship's Crew
Russell Saunders
as Reporter
Syd Saylor
as Reporter
Ernest B Schoedsack
as Machine-Gunner on Plane That Kills Kong
Charles Sewell
as Member of Ship's Crew
Floyd Shackelford
as Warrior
Sandra Shaw
as Woman Who Screams From Hotel Window
Tony Shelly
as Native
Gay Sheridan
as New York Theatergoer
Milton Shockley
as Warrior
Jack Silver
as Member of Ship's Crew
Jack Smith
as Reporter
William Solder
as Native
Katherine Sparks
as Native
Hugh Starkey
as Member of Ship's Crew
Larry Steers
as New York Theatergoer
Edward Stevens
as Reporter
Roy Stewart
as Reporter
Harry Strang
as Policeman at Headquarters
Eddie Sturgis
as Ballyhooer
Madame Sul Te Wan
as Native
Charles Sullivan
as Member of Ship's Crew
Gertrude Sutton
as Hotel Victim
Tobias Tally
as Warrior
Walter Taylor
as Member of Ship's Crew
Harry Tenbrook
as Member of Ship's Crew
Ivan Thomas
as Conductor
Roy Thompson
as Warrior
Jim Thorpe
as New York Theatergoer
Earl Turman
as Warrior
Ray Turner
as Native
William Van Vleck
as Member of Ship's Crew
Monte Vandergrift
as Police Officer
Sailor Vincent
as Member of Ship's Crew
John Wade
as Warrior
Kid Wagner
as Member of Ship's Crew
Harry Walker
as Member of Ship's Crew
Wade Walker
as Native
H R Warwick
as Member of Ship's Crew
Blue Washington
as Warrior
Charles Washington
as Warrior
George Washington
as Warrior
Hannah Washington
as Native Child
Jack West
as Native
Blackie Whiteford
as Member of Ship's Crew
Geneva Williams
as Native
Ivory Williams
as Warrior
Victor Wong
as Charlie the Chinese Cook
Eric Wood
as Pilot
Helen Worthington
as New York Theatergoer
Lillian Young
as New York Theatergoer
Writers
6Producers
3Other crew
90Al Herman Nm0379094
Art Directors, settings (as Al Herman) (uncredited)
Byron L Crabbe
art technician, matte painter / matte technician
Mario Larrinaga
art technician, matte painter / matte technician
Doran Cox
assistant director (uncredited)
Ivan Thomas
assistant director (uncredited)
Walter Daniels
assistant director, production assistant (uncredited)
George Marquenie
best boy (uncredited)
Agnes Windeck
Besucherin bei der King-Kong Präsentation (1952 Reissue)
Harold E Stine
boom operator (uncredited)
Richard Van Hessen
boom operator: visual effects unit (uncredited)
Edward Henderson
camera operator (uncredited)
Lee Davis
camera operator (uncredited)
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