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SON OF KONG - a sad story

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Joe Karlosi	SON OF KONG - a sad story	Lead	[-]
Aug 7 05 3:31 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Forgive me if this is a well-known item, but I didn't know there was a tragedy around the time of SON OF KONG... www.kongisking.net/kongfiles/110604.html ------------------------------------ "It's MORE ... than a hobby!"
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Ted Newsom	Re: SON OF KONG - a sad story	#1	[-]
Aug 7 05 9:02 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Yep, I'll certainly give this questoion a definte, "Well, maybe." Considering the haste in which SON OF KONG was done and not knowing exactly 1) when the photo was taken and 2) when Hazel killed her 2 boys, it's hard to say.
taraco	Re: SON OF KONG - a sad story	#2	[-]
Aug 7 05 10:28 PM Burgomaster Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	That is a well-told version of the tragedy. The O'Brien shootings are also described, with about the same details, in Steve Archer's bio, WILLIS O'BRIEN, where Marcel Delgado is quoted about it, and by Paul Jensen in THE MEN WHO MADE THE MONSTERS.
JimPV	Re: SON OF KONG - a sad story	#3	[-]
Aug 8 05 7:45 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	First time I ever heard this sad tale was in the fantastic "Cinefex" issue devoted to O'Brien's work (written by Don Shay, I believe). They even have a couple heartbreaking pictures of the two youngsters (one the spitting-image of his father) visiting the SOK set and posing with the models. One of the saddest and most ironic things about this incident is that then Mrs. O'Brien, in attempting to kill herself after shooting her sons, actually prolonged her life by the attempt. The bullet entered her chest, allowing her tubercular (I believe) lung to drain. As I said, a heartbreaking tale all around, and a testament to O'Brien that he was able to even go on after this event. "If I had a hidden microphone inside of my heart, I would turn the power on..."
DonM435	Radical Therapy	#4	[-]
Aug 8 05 7:51 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Says something about the state of medicine in the 1930s . . . better to shoot yourself than follow the doctor's orders.
Tor havin fun	poor O'Brien	#5	[-]
Nov 8 05 5:07 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	What that linked article doesn't include was that Obie bounced back with a vivacious new redhaired girlfriend, who was a secretary in some downtown LA office building. She found out that she had breast cancer and jumped to her death. Shortly after that, around 1935 or 36, he met Darleyne, whom he spent the rest of his life with. After he died, Harryhausen would always stay with Darleyne on any visit to LA.
BijouBob8mm	Re: poor O'Brien	#6	[-]
Dec 1 05 1:16 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I recall reading about this in a couple of places, but thanks for the link, Joe. In addition to that torn photo of O'bie, I've seen a shot that also shows O'bie's blind son with one of the models (I want to say it was Son of Kong, but maybe it was the original Kong)...perhaps from Steve Archer's book. (Too much stop-motion stuff stashed around here from past research for me to quickly locate it at the moment.)
JimPV	Re: poor O'Brien	#7	[-]
Dec 1 05 2:48 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	*Quote:* ...I've seen a shot that also shows O'bie's blind son with one of the models (I want to say it was Son of Kong, but maybe it was the original Kong)...perhaps from Steve Archer's book. Yeah, it is in Steve Archer's book, not the Cinefex article as I originally posted. And they are posing with the Son of Kong model. "If I had a hidden microphone inside of my heart, I would turn the power on..."
Rakshasa	THE Son Of Kong?	#8	[-]
Apr 14 09 1:34 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Did anybody else ever notice that what we commonly refer to as "Son Of Kong" is billed as "THE SON OF KONG" in the title credits? I just popped the film in and noticed it for the first time ever. Weird. Does this mean that technically, all this time, the film has really been titled The Son Of Kong? I've never heard anybody say anything but "Son Of Kong" when referring to this movie. Links To All The Classic Monster Stills I've Posted: http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/30758
Aupperle		#9	[-]
Apr 14 09 2:59 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Joe Karlosi wrote: Forgive me if this is a well-known item, but I didn't know there was a tragedy around the time of SON OF KONG... www.kongisking.net/kongfiles/110604.html ------------------------------------ "It's MORE ... than a hobby! "...OBie was shocked to see the pain etched on his face. He ripped the photo into pieces..." I knew Willis O'Brien's second wife, Darlyne, and visited her many times back in the 1970s and early 80s. She related to me the part of the story I put in quotes above. She said that Willis O'Brien tossed the torn photo in the trash and she rescued it. I never did see the original torn print. Darlyne O'Brien gave me an 8x10 inch copy she had and asked me to make a negative and new print that she could send off for publication (might have been for "Girl in the Hairy Paw" though I'm not sure). Tor havin fun wrote: ... Harryhausen would always stay with Darleyne on any visit to LA. Which makes sense since Ray let Darleyne stay rent free in the house his parents had lived in. Jim Aupperle Last Edited By: Aupperle Apr 14 09 3:43 PM. Edited 3 times.
HalLane		#10	[-]
Apr 14 09 8:28 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	<< Did anybody else ever notice that what we commonly refer to as "Son Of Kong" is billed as "THE SON OF KONG" in the title credits? << Good catch, Rak! And just a reminder here that YOU'LL FIND OUT!, part of that new Bela/Boris dvd set, contains most of the Skull Island dinosaurs (giant spiders too!) as well as, I believe, THE Son of Kong himself.
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Rakshasa		#11	[-]
Apr 14 09 9:06 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thanks Hal. Yeah, it blew me away today to see The Son Of Kong on that title card. I can't believe I've never noticed that in all my 42 years of Konging around! Oh, I'll have that new Karloff/Lugosi set. Thanks for the heads up! Links To All The Classic Monster Stills I've Posted: http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum.yuku.com/topic/30758
Aupperle		#12	[-]
Apr 14 09 9:09 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	HalLane wrote: And just a reminder here that YOU'LL FIND OUT!, part of that new Bela/Boris dvd set, contains most of the Skull Island dinosaurs (giant spiders too!) as well as, I believe, THE Son of Kong himself. Here are some moonlighting Kong critters from YOU'LL FIND OUT and BRINGING UP BABY.
ClaytonVanMarch		#13	[-]
Apr 15 09 12:30 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Aupperle wrote: HalLane wrote: And just a reminder here that YOU'LL FIND OUT!, part of that new Bela/Boris dvd set, contains most of the Skull Island dinosaurs (giant spiders too!) as well as, I believe, THE Son of Kong himself. Here are some moonlighting Kong critters from YOU'LL FIND OUT and BRINGING UP BABY. Hello, all. Yes. A sad article indeed. However, I could not help but quote those pictures posted by Aupperle above. Wow! Thanks for those, Aupperle! I would die to get my hands on one of those - trouble is, most of the rubber has rotted or they took it off and it is a bare armature. I wish I could have a time machine to go back and sneak on the lot of Kong to see it all being made. Then I would try to approach Cooper and convince him to keep the spider pit in, too. Doc! Marty! Hurry up! I need to use that vehicle of yours!
HalLane		#14	[-]
Apr 15 09 1:04 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Aupperle wrote: Here are some moonlighting Kong critters from YOU'LL FIND OUT and BRINGING UP BABY. I don't think the brontosaurus moonlights anywhere else besides BRINGING UP BABY, but the familiar T-Rex above Cary Grant's head can also be glimpsed in YOU'LL FIND OUT. Thanx for the reminders, Jim . << trouble is, most of the rubber has rotted or they took it off and it is a bare armature. << Yes, a sobering reminder that, much like real dinosaurs, these creations were never meant to last. So it's all the more gratifying to be able to enjoy seeing them in their prime as part of the above listed flicks -- captured on film like a prehistoric fly in amber.
ClaytonVanMarch		#15	[-]
Apr 16 09 2:10 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Yes, a sobering reminder that, much like real dinosaurs, these creations were never meant to last. So it's all the more gratifying to be able to enjoy seeing them in their prime as part of the above listed flicks -- captured on film like a prehistoric fly in amber. Wow. Nice illustration there, HalLane. One does feel very privileged to see them on film - the closest thing to real dinosaurs we'll ever see.
HalLane		#16	[-]
Apr 16 09 3:38 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	<< Wow. Nice illustration there, HalLane. << Well, I think only the top one was mine, once -- Jim Aupperle supplied the BRINGING UP BABY -- but, thanx! Glad you like
Aupperle		#17	[-]
Apr 16 09 5:15 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	HalLane wrote: << Wow. Nice illustration there, HalLane. << Well, I think only the top one was mine, once -- Jim Aupperle supplied the BRINGING UP BABY -- but, thanx! Glad you like I think I found them both over on kongisking.net Hope it was OK to post them here. Here's a KONG photo from my own collection. Jim Aupperle Last Edited By: Aupperle Apr 16 09 5:17 PM. Edited 1 times.
Kingkongkessler		#18	[-]
Apr 16 09 5:22 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I'm sure shran doesn't mind, he posted them here before too as well as KIKn it's great to see them everywhere Kess
HalLane		#19	[-]
Apr 17 09 6:07 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	<< I think I found them both over on kongisking.net Hope it was OK to post them here. << More than OK -- it's ENCOURAGED, far as I'm concerned. The more love for these old images in this day and age, the better! GREAT Kong/mountain pic, Jim -- thanx for sharing.
shran		#20	[-]
Apr 17 09 10:28 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Kingkongkessler wrote: I'm sure shran doesn't mind, he posted them here before too as well as KIKn it's great to see them everywhere Not at all .... We Kong fans should enjoy every pic that shows up! Last Edited By: shran Apr 17 09 10:31 PM. Edited 1 times.
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SON OF KONG - a sad story

SON OF KONG - a sad story