MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (1949) (film comments by Evelyn C. Leeper)

[Philip De Parto]

The following commentary is reprinted with permission from:

THE MT VOID
03/27/26 -- Vol. 44, No. 39, Whole Number 2425

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MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (1949)  (film comments by Evelyn

C. Leeper)

Harryhausen was listed as "First
Technician" while Willis O'Brien was "Technical Creator". I think
this may reflect that O'Brien may have designed Mighty Joe Young
and other effects, but Harryhausen actually executed them.

Terry Moore said when she made the film, she figured it would be
one of her lesser-known films. Little did she know--it is probably
her only film that most people know. This is a common story. Jack
Arnold was surprised to discover he had become an auteur figure in
science fiction film. And many of the leading ladies in 1950s
science fiction films discovered that they had a profitable second
career selling autographed photos and as guests of science fiction
and film conventions.

The nightclub destruction scene is truly amazing: incredibly
complicated, with not just one or two creatures to animate, but
many levels of animation, including large amount of falling
material which also needed to be animated frame by frame.

Unlike later films of Harryhausen, there were not even drawings in
the actors' scripts to help them visualize their scenes.

Released theatrically 27 July 1949.

Film Credits:
<https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041650/reference>

What others are saying:
<https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1013884-mighty_joe_young>