The King Kong Show

King Kong

Original title card for the series
Voices of Carl Banas
Susan Conway
John Drainie
Billie Mae Richards
Alf Scopp
Paul Soles
Bernard Cowan
Theme music composer Maury Laws
Country of origin United States
Japan
Original language(s) English, Japanese
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 25
Production
Executive producer(s) Arthur Rankin, Jr.
Jules Bass
Producer(s) William J. Keenan
Larry Roemer
Running time 30 minutes
Production company(s) Videocraft
Toei Animation
Release
Original network ABC
Picture format Color
Audio format Mono
Original release September 10, 1966 – August 31, 1969

The King Kong Show (Japanese: キングコング・００１／７親指トム) is an American/Japanese anime series produced by Videocraft of the United States, and Toei Animation of Japan. It is the first anime series produced in Japan for an American company (not counting Rankin/Bass' previous Animagic stop motion productions, also animated in Japan). ABC ran the series in the US between September 10, 1966, and August 31, 1969.[1]

This series is an animated adaptation of the famous movie monster King Kong with character designs by Jack Davis and Rod Willis. In this series, the giant ape befriends the Bond Family, with whom he goes on various adventures, saving the world from monsters, robots, aliens, mad scientists and other threats.

Included is a comical cartoon show called Tom Of T.H.U.M.B., about a three inch tall secret agent for T.H.U.M.B.("The Tiny Human Underground Military Bureau") named Tom and his equally tiny Asian "sidekick" Swinging Jack, who are sent out in a variety of miniature vehicles by their bad-tempered boss, Chief Homer J. Chief, to foil the fiendish plots of M.A.D.(Maladjusted, Antisocial and Darn mean), an evil organization made up of black-cloaked scientists out to destroy the world. (Neither Tom's nor Swinging Jack's full names are ever revealed in any of the Tom Of T.H.U.M.B. installments.)

In Japan, the first two episodes were combined into a 56-minute special, titled King of the World: The King Kong Show (世界の王者　キングコング大会 Sekai no Ôja: Kingu Kongu Taikai), and was broadcast on NET (now TV Asahi) on December 31, 1966. The rest of the series, with the inclusion of Tom of T.H.U.M.B., was broadcast on NET as King Kong & 001/7 Tom Thumb (Kingu Kongu * 001/7 Oyayubi Tomu - キングコング・001/7親指トム), and aired on April 5 to October 4, 1967, with a total of 26 episodes.

This series was successful enough for Rankin/Bass to extend the Kong franchise to another Japanese company, Toho (which already produced the hit King Kong vs. Godzilla in 1962). This resulted in Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (originally intended as a Kong film) and King Kong Escapes, which was based on The King Kong Show.

On November 15, 2005, Sony Wonder released 8 episodes (two King Kong cartoons separated by a Tom of T.H.U.M.B. cartoon) on two DVD releases. The pilot episode was included, in two parts, between the two DVDs.

Music

Theme music for the series was recorded in London, England, in 1965, using primarily British studio musicians. Canadian conductor, vocalist, and former Kitchener-Waterloo Record entertainment columnist Harry Currie provided vocal talent on the recording.

Characters

Title card for the King Kong segment of the show.

Episode guide

Title card for the Tom of T.H.U.M.B. segment of the show.

The following episode list describes the show as originally aired with a 6-minute King Kong episode, followed by a 6-minute Tom of T.H.U.M.B. episode, followed by another 6 minute King Kong episode.

Cast

Crew

Notes

  1. ↑ Clements, Jonathan; McCarthy, Helen (2006). The Anime Encyclopedia (2nd expanded ed.). Berkeley, California: Stone Bridge Press. p. 313340. ISBN 1-84576-500-1.
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