When the original King Kong hit theaters in 1933, it was preceded by a special issue of The Hollywood Reporter and accompanied by the nervous prayers of RKO Radio executives, fearful the movie might be the last their nearly bankrupt studio would ever release. With a box-office take of more than $1.2 million, the movie saved RKO, and Kong himself went on to became a cinematic icon. When producer Dino De Laurentiis remade King Kong in 1976, advance word suggested the film was another masterpiece. Kong's paw, with actress Jessica Lange (in her film debut) firmly clutched in it, made the cover of Time magazine weeks before the film was released. But the finished film proved a major disappointment, especially when it became common knowledge that this Kong was no more than a guy in a gorilla suit. [More]