King Kong and Universal or: Is That a Banana in Your Pocket or Are You Just Glad to See Me?

Send us Fan MailKing Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World, has lived so many lives across movies and theme parks. We follow Kong from the 1933 classic to the attractions that helped Universal Studios evolve from a tour into a destination, to the surprising story of how King Kong vs. Godzilla finally did the monster's creator in.Most importantly, even those who think they know everything possible about the 1933 R.K.O. classic will be amazed by Pete's deep dive into the movie's origins and the astonishing story of the creative force behind the story: Ruth Rose.Then we hit the theme park turning points: Hollywood’s King Kong Encounter with Bob Gurr, Jay Stein, and Henry Bumstead, including the bridge shake illusion, the close-up animatronic terror, and the legendary banana breath effect. We compare it to Florida’s Kongfrontation, a bigger, riskier swing with gondolas, two Kongs, timing challenges, and opening-day chaos. We also revisit the 2008 Universal Studios fire, the shift toward screen-based replacements like Kong 360 3D, and Skull Island: Reign of Kong.What Jaws did for Universal in the '70s, Kong did in the '80s. Join us as we celebrate the legend of the greatest of the giant monsters, King Kong.Thanks for listening!We'd love it if you would give us a review on your podcast platform of choice: iTunes, Spotify, etc... They're really helpful.And get in touch and let us know about YOUR Plus-Ups for the attractions we've talked about!  We'd love to tell them on the air.Come visit us on Bluesky, Mastodon, Instagram, or whatever social media you like. Just look up Lowdown on the Plus-Up and you'll probably find us.  Or drop us a note to [email protected] and let us know any questions or comments about how YOU would like to plus-something-up! We are a Boardwalk Times production.Boardwalk Times, https://boardwalktimes.net/Boardwalk Times store, https://boardwalktimes.store .