IMDb RATING
7.0/10
5.8K
YOUR RATING
A young woman who has raised a giant gorilla from an infant brings him to Hollywood years later seeking her fortune.A young woman who has raised a giant gorilla from an infant brings him to Hollywood years later seeking her fortune.A young woman who has raised a giant gorilla from an infant brings him to Hollywood years later seeking her fortune.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 1 win & 3 nominations total
Mary Gordon
- Old Woman
- (unconfirmed)
Iris Adrian
- Gloria
- (uncredited)
Bobby Barber
- Diner Patron
- (uncredited)
Pat Barton
- Cigarette Girl
- (uncredited)
Ian Batchelor
- Strongman
- (uncredited)
Sharon Bell
- Girl
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaSecond-unit director David Sharpe recalled an incident that happened on the nightclub set: "We were shooting some action stuff . . . which featured lions, tigers, elephants, and apes in cages around the table area. We had trained lions to run from one side of the set to the other. One of them broke loose, jumped onto the top of his cage and grabbed the trainer by the throat. I was in the camera cage. I pushed the iron door open, raced across the set and punched the lion in the face. I guess I shocked him so badly he let go, turned tail and ran into his cage."
- GoofsJoe's size varies immensely throughout film.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits cast list: "AND Mr. Joseph Young As Himself"
- Alternate versionsAlso available in a computer colorized version.
- ConnectionsEdited into Not with My Wife, You Don't! (1966)
Featured review
Decent stop-motion adventure
MIGHTY JOE YOUNG is essentially a smaller, pared-down re-run of KING KONG, with everything taking place on a smaller scale and perhaps a slightly younger audience in mind. It's nevertheless an extremely watchable and at times powerful piece, one that's at its best when depicting the worst of human nature; namely Joe's transformation from king of the jungle to a side-show freak.
Such films are inevitably dated now, presenting a view of a world long forgotten. Despite this, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG is gripping and exhilarating in equal measure. The opening sequences are slightly twee, but once the action shifts to Hollywood it gets better and better, especially the extended "will they make it?" climax. The scene with the burning building is an incredibly complex set-piece and one which is executed beautifully.
KING KONG guru Willis O'Brien was the guy headlining this production, but by all accounts stop-motion king Ray Harryhausen did most of the work, and Joe is one of his best creations; not only is he a realistic monster, but like the best of the stop-motion beasties, he's a recognisable character too, and one you empathise with. The rest of the production is well-paced and well-made, with a level of finesse raising it above the level of the competition.
Such films are inevitably dated now, presenting a view of a world long forgotten. Despite this, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG is gripping and exhilarating in equal measure. The opening sequences are slightly twee, but once the action shifts to Hollywood it gets better and better, especially the extended "will they make it?" climax. The scene with the burning building is an incredibly complex set-piece and one which is executed beautifully.
KING KONG guru Willis O'Brien was the guy headlining this production, but by all accounts stop-motion king Ray Harryhausen did most of the work, and Joe is one of his best creations; not only is he a realistic monster, but like the best of the stop-motion beasties, he's a recognisable character too, and one you empathise with. The rest of the production is well-paced and well-made, with a level of finesse raising it above the level of the competition.
helpful•101
- Leofwine_draca
- Sep 1, 2013
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Mr. Joesph Young of Africa
- Filming locations
- Thousand Oaks, California, USA(nightclub sequence with lions)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,800,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 34 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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