Merian C. Cooper

... is definitely a strong part of the Kaiju identity.

Um, I kinda wanted to start, though, with, um, King Kong, the classic 1933 movie directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack.

He's a man who needs no introduction, Mr. Kong.

Um, he's like-

What I'm kind of fancying is an analysis of if that film had gotten made, how good would it actually have been, sp- specifically compared to King Kong.

And, um, uh, I suppose Merian C. Cooper, who eventually went on to...

Sorry, somebody's eating the butter here.

Hey.

Hey.

Stop that.

Uh, Merian C. Cooper, who would eventually of course, uh, direct King Kong, was famous for having said that when he came into RKO Studios, he was brought in as a kind of a hatched man to bring the costs down, and he didn't think too much of the movie Creation, partly because it had racked up enormous amounts of costs and didn't have too much to show for it, but also because he said it didn't have enough action in it.

But also I think comparing it to King Kong, you know, it, I think the story lacks a central character of the power and, uh, connectivity of Kong.

Oh, uh, go to the music, please.

[upbeat music] King Kong, 1933, directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack.

Music by Max Steiner, maybe my favorite Hollywood composer of them all.

David O. Selznick, executive producer.

Pretty heavy hitter, David O. Selznick.

Chief technician, Willis O'Brien.

It's funny, this movie is so primitive that the guy that runs special effects is not credited with special effects.

His credit is chief technician.

Around the edges of the shooting day, a second crew begins to gather on Stage 12.

The picture's associate producer, Merian C. Cooper, has been trying to persuade RKO to take a chance on another project.

He needs a test reel, just a few minutes of film, to do it.

So he's been borrowing Fay Wray to help him with this project.

Her marriage to Saunders had become increasingly unhappy, with him reportedly being openly unfaithful.

Then, as 1931 turned into 1932, the phone rang.

It was Merian C. Cooper, one of the men behind The Four Feathers, the large silent adventure film she'd done for Paramount in 1929. Cooper was an aviator, soldier, and adventurer who, with Ernest Schoedsack, had made his name filming real expeditions for Hollywood.

By 1932, Cooper was no longer interested in just recording adventure.