merian's monkeys

Okay, they weren't monkeys, they were apes. A twelve-foot gorilla would certainly be an ape. A twenty-foot gorilla and a forty-foot gorilla...probably stretch the definition of "gorilla" beyond the breaking point, but let's give 'em the benefit of the doubt. Monkeys or apes, they were merian's, and the world had never seen their like.
Merian c. cooper was a man with a bag full of dreams as big as the moon.
He dreamed up king kong. The eighth wonder of the world.
Heck, anyone could dream up a wonder of the world, you say. But merian didn't just dream, he delivered. And he lived the kind of life that was so outsized that i'm not the first to be amazed no one's made a movie of it.
He chased pancho villa with the Georgia National Guard. A bomber pilot in WW1, he was shot down and spent the the rest of the war a German prisoner. After the war, he joined a volunteer American squadron fighting the Soviets in the Polish-Soviet War. He was shot down, then escaped from a prison camp. He joined the Air Force again in WW2, reaching the rank of brigadier general.
In the 20s, he set his fearless sights on the new field of documentary filmmaking, going to the farthest corners of the earth to bring back stunning images of nature, and the struggle for human survival. It was during these adventures that he met and teamed up with ernest schoedsack. After KONG, he left directing to become a full-time producer. He produced 66 films, among them some notable john ford westerns. He was a driving force behind Technicolor, trans-atlantic commercial flight, and Cinerama (movies presented in widescreen!). He greeted women friends by picking them up and spinning them (okay, that might have been some sexist bullshit). His anti-communist zeal never wavered, and he was a dedicated backer of eugene mccarthy. Somewhere along the way, he had a nervous breakdown.
But in the long run, those apes are what we remember. So today we celebrate merian's big three:
KING KONG (1933)
The idea came to him in a dream. In addition to the jaw-dropping, ground-breaking stop-motion animatronics of willis o'brien, the movie was also the first hit film with a complete, original musical score. The character carl denham was based on merian himself. Few films (if any) have had such a profound effect on audiences, and no film has ever inspired more people to become filmmakers. Look for the best dvd special features ever, with a fantastic documentary of cooper's life, on the two-disc release. How they created the film, is almost as amazing as the film itself.
THE SON OF KONG (1933)
Set one month after the original, robert armstrong is back as denham. Besieged by creditors and lawsuits, he and captain engelhorn split town aboard the Venture. Lured by the promise of treasure, they return to Skull Island. Cooper and director schoedsack knew they could never make a bigger movie than KONG, so they went for funnier and more character-driven. Many people dismiss this one. Kong's friendly son, an albino half dad's size, flirts with cheese in his too-human gestures. But faced with following up the biggest cinematic footprints ever, this movie is a little delight. It's funny and sweet, and the o'brien creations are stunning as ever.
MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (1949)
Cooper, schoedsack, o'brien, armstrong, and writer ruth rose reunite a third time (although most of the hands-on stop motion work went to novice and future legend ray harryhausen). Armstrong plays another cooper-inspired character, promoter max o'hara, a bit of a con man. It's arguably a children's film, as no humans die and it doesn't end with a big dead ape. The story follows the life of a gorilla, and the young woman who raises him. O'hara comes to Africa looking for a "hook" for his new nightclub, and the oversized ape being led by a sweet teen exceeds his dreams. Back in the States, predictable unhappiness ensues, but the way it all resolves is not so predictable. At first glance it might feel a tad flaccid, but absent comparisons to KONG, it's charming. The tug-of-war scene, with primo carnera and other famous strongmen, is especially special.