King of the Kongo

In this 1929 film a secret service agent searches the jungle for his missing brother, who also happens to be a secret service agent.  It stars Buster Crabbe, known to serial fans as both Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers.  He bumps into a beautiful young woman who is seeking her missing father.  The pair run up against ivory smugglers who apparently know the secret of the missing people and a lost treasure  They are also menaced by a giant gorilla, which guards a temple serving as the smuggler's lair.

White Gorilla and The Bride and the Beast

Here's one for the oddball file, racist gorillas. A white gorilla is snubbed by black gorillas because of his color. Cut off from his tribe he becomes lonely and angry. After troubling hunters and natives, the white gorilla fights the king of the black gorillas while we are told by a narrator that the fate of Africa hangs in the balance. The movie was created by editing some 1947 acting into footage from a 1927 silent serial, Perils of the Jungle. Wow!

In the other half of this twin bill, The Bride and the Beast, lovers Laura and Dan are married, but it turns out Laura is more interested in Dan's gorilla. Isn't that always the case? Through hypnosis she learns she a reincarnated queen of the gorillas. Mayhem ensues.

Son Of Kong

King Kong was such a success a sequel was rushed out. Carl Denham returns to the infamous Skull Island where he discovered the first Big Ape and guess what, there's another one. This film isn't as good as the original, but it is not without some merit. Check it out if you can find it.

King Kong (1933)

It's a classic, what more can really be said? The film was a monumental achievement at the time of its production and is still inspiring film makers to this day. The story is a simple one, I mean come on, who doesn't love a story about a girl and her monkey. (I know, technically Kong's an ape). Fay Wray made a lasting impression as the bride of The Big Ape and we all hated to see the big guy gunned down at the end. Poor confused bastard just wanted a better view of the Big Apple.

Gorilla At Large

An oddball entry into the ape film family, Gorilla At Large (1954) is about a sinister carnival with a main attraction Goliath, the world's largest gorilla. Goliath is said to have cost the lives of 1,000 men before his capture. Carnival barker Joey Matthews is about to enter the gorilla act, teamed with the seductive mantrap Laverne. A man is found dead of a broken neck. Was it Goliath or someone wearing Joey's gorilla suit? Detective Sgt. Garrison finds four interlocked romantic triangles among the suspects. A nice pulpy entry into the genre.

Bride of the Gorilla

Raymond Burr (in his pre-Perry Mason days) starred in this 1951 beauty and the beast tale. The acting isn't bad in this entry into the ape film canon.

Africa Screams

A still from the Abbott and Costello entry into the giant ape genre, Africa Screams. The film is one of my personal favorites and features adventurer Frank Buck and animal tamer Clyde Beatty as themselves.