Mighty Joe Young

GLIMMERGLASS: THE CREATIVE WRITER’S ANNUAL, VOLUME 1 “THE BEAST” (STORY BY JOHN SMALL)

Release Date: October 15, 2009 (Setting is 1700s to Contemporary Times)

Series: King Kong (Original)

Horror Crosses: King Kong (2005 remake); War of the Worlds (novel); War of the Worlds (radio); The Mummy (remake film series); Jurassic Park (film series); Kong: the Animated Series; Jurassic Park (novel)

Non-Horror Crosses: Buckaroo Banzai; Tarzan; Flash Gordon; Tales of the Gold Monkey; Journey to the Center of the Earth; Tales of the Shadowmen; Doc Savage; Indiana Jones; Mighty Joe Young; A-Team; Fu Manchu

The Story: Author John Small discovers that the film King Kong was based on true events and gathers research on the true events of the film and the follow-up events that have happened since.

Notes: John Small uses a popular Farmerian method (named for Philip Jose Farmer) in which he places himself in the world of fiction, imagining that fictional stories are based on true events. Here, he melds together the original Kong story, and its sequels, prequels, and remakes, and makes them all fit into one coherent reality. Along the way, he throws in references to other fictional characters who must have been involved in such events based on their stature and the nature of the event. John Small makes official my conjecture that the 2005 film by Peter Jackson is the same events as the original film, just retold with dramatic license from Mr. Jackson. In explaining how the events of Kong could have happened in a world where most people are unaware of the supernatural and the extraordinary, he references other events that have later been covered up, despite their overly public exposure, such as the 1898 and 1938 Martian invasions from War of the Worlds, and the invasion of Mongo from Flash Gordon. DOC SAVAGE and TARZAN employ Denham to return to Skull Island to do documentary filming. Skull Island is said to be "the Menace of the Monsters". Joining in on the expedition were INDIANA JONES, Alex O'Connell (famous for taking down THE MUMMY), and Joshua Williams (from "Joshua Williams Breaks a Date"). (TARZAN couldn't make it due to events seen in TARZAN ALIVE). Roland Tembo is among the expedition as well. Tembo's CINEVERSE counterpart appears in THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK. SON OF KONG is a fictionalized version of events that actually happened during this expedition. In Kong Reborn, Dr. Jill Drake is involved in this incident. Jill discovers that BUCKAROO BANZAI has moved a clone of KING KONG to BANDUKI. It may be that the events of KONG: THE ANIMATED SERIES may be based on these events, which involve a female scientist who clones Kong then has to release him in a suitable environment. It was followed by KONG: KING OF ATLANTIS and KONG: RETURN TO THE JUNGLE. Among the crew that journeys to Skull Island in the first expedition is Jake Cutter (TALES OF THE GOLD MONKEY). Kong is of the same species as seen in JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, TARZAN AT THE EARTH'S CORE, and TALES OF THE SHADOWMEN 3: DANSE MACABRE "The Ape Gigans". Mighty Joe Young is also connected to Kong and one of Denham’s grandsons is tied in as a villain on an episode of the A-Team. Fu Manchu is also said to be the villain secretly behind Jurassic Park.



1949--MIGHTY JOE YOUNG--A young woman who has raised a giant gorilla from an infant brings him to Hollywood years later seeking her fortune in order to save her family's ranch.  It should be noted that in the credits, Mighty Joe Young is played by himself.  That helps with zonks, because it implies that the events of Mighty Joe Young happened, and then Joe later went and starred in his own movie based on those events.  

1940s/1950s--MIGHTY JOE YOUNG MEETS TARZAN--This was a sequel that almost happened. I like to think it still exists in the TVCU since there's nothing really to my knowledge to contradict it. This would have been a sequel to Mighty Joe Young and also part of the Lex Barker Tarzan film series.

1966--NOT WITH MY WIFE, YOU DON'T!--A live action film, but in a cartoon prologue, a female ape points out her angry husband, and it cuts to a clip of Mighty Joe Young, implying that this female ape is the wife of Mighty Joe Young.

1974--SANFORD AND SON--Fred Sanford makes two references to Mighty Joe Young, both as insults to women (once for Esther, and once for Grady's fiance).

1978--KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM OF THE PARK--Mighty Joe Young is referenced.

1988--CHEERS--"Woody for Hire, Meets Norman of the Apes"--Cliff mentions Mighty Joe Young.

ALTERNATE REALITIES:

TVCU2--The events of the 1998 remake of MIGHTY JOE YOUNG. A legendary fifteen-foot tall mountain gorilla named Joe is taken to an animal sanctuary in California by a zoologist and a young woman whom he grew up with. A poacher from the past returns to seek vengeance on him. Also probably in the TVCU2, in George of the Jungle 2, Ape is called Mighty Joe Old.