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A Gorilla and his Guy by TR Pics
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Thursday, November 2, 2023
King Kong: Origin Stories
'This is one monkey you DON'T want on your back.'
So why a King Kong themed day? So many reasons, beginning with my seeing the 1976 version on VHS when I was a kid. I've also been trying to expand my Halloween themes a bit beyond just ghosts, goblins and witches. Over the last few years, I've been focusing on Horror movies, and classic horror characters. Some of my favorite photographers have shot for my Hitchcock theme, (HERE:) my tribute to Patrick Bateman from American Psycho, (HERE:) and this year's salute to Ghostface. (HERE:)
Visually, it began with an image of Brazilin model Franklin David. (see pic below). The image was shot from photographer Pedro Colon of a naked Franklin being manhandled by two huge and hairy Gorilla hands. My idea for a King Kong theme was then conceived. After searching the net, I found the an Ape hand costume, (above) on Amazon, and everything began to fall into place.
I also really wanted to follow photographer Richard Rothstein, and the homonormative themes he's so beautifully captured. I wanted a Kong who captured a hot man, not an Ann Darrow, but a Darrow Andrews. I was also inspired by Kong lifting the beautiful blond Brian Kerwin into his huge hand, (above) in 1986's King Kong Lives,. The movie was so bad however, Kerwin's hairy hug, was the only interesting part of the movie. You can see more Brian on the NEXT PAGE HERE:
I knew that any artist up to the task would need plenty of time, so I began putting feelers out this past summer. Thankfully, the two artists I contacted first were both on board, and excited about the challenge. I knew that the project would require skills beyond capturing an image, and that editing, and digital creative skill would also be required.
I started by asking Tom from TR Pics about doing a King Kong theme Shoot. I love Tom's holiday imagery, and hoped might be up to the challenge. He was, and went above and beyond. With the ape hands no longer available to purchase on-line, Tom wasn't deterred. He went above and beyond, creating an epic King Kong love story from lost footage, and an and old diary recently found.
I also asked digital artist Achillias about creating a Darrow Andrews story. I've loved his work since first discovering it, and loved the original Mother's Day story he created for FH back in 2021.(HERE:) I knew Achillias would be able to bring Kong to life, with a hot Darrow Andrews to lift up and explore.
I can't thank Tom and Achillias enough for not only their creations, but the time and effort put into their creations. Both created complete Kong sagas with original characters and both went above and beyond what could have hoped for or ever expected. I hope you all enjoy their creations as much as I do and check out the next few pages full of visual tributes to the colossal gorilla, and the hot men who encountered him.
My First: King Kong, 1976
'A petroleum exploration expedition comes to an isolated island and encounters a colossal giant gorilla. The most exciting original motion picture event of all time is also one of the great love stories of our time.'
It was the 1976 version of King Kong that I saw first. It was in the late 80's and I was around 10 or 11. We were still watching movies on VHS and my family headed to our local video store to pick up some movies. My father wanted to rent King Kong, which I thought was odd. Usually he didn't care what we watched, and let my mother make the final choices. My siblings and I all my suggestions, but she was definitely the ultimate ruler on our family's island.
I wasn't too pleased, my begging and pleading to rent The Empire Strikes Back or Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, (or the umpteenth time) were easily ignored my parents. On this occasion, I was glad they won out. I ended up being surprised about how much I loved the movie.
I hadn't seen the 1933 version at that point, so the story was brand new to me. I ended up getting caught up in the visuals and the love story between Kong and Dwan. (Jessica Lange) Little boys, especially those still in the closet, often have infatuations with beautiful women. Although they're real, they also conveniently provide a cover, a cover for something they may not even know that they're hiding.
I was totally in awe of Jessica Lange, her character in the film, her wavy blonde hair, and her beauty. I totally understood why Kong was so captivated and beguiled. I barely noticed actor Jeff Bridges who played Jack Prescott in the film. Bridges would have been about 27 at the time of filming, but when I first watched, I viewed him as another old guy in the film.
Re-watching the film years later however, I looked at Bridges in an entirely different light. I was probably in my 20's when I caught the movie again on television, and watched it again in preparation for this piece. This time I definitely noticed Bridges and his intense hotness. This time, it was Jessica who?
Since that first viewing, I've also seen both the 1933 versions, and Peter Jackson's adaptation in 2005. I liked both, however, Fay Wray's screeching did eventually get on my nerves. I've also seen a few of the sequels and spin-off films. Although Jackson's 2005 version was certainly more technologically advanced than the previous films, I still thought it lacked the heart and emotion of the 1976 film.
Maybe it's just that I saw the 76 version first, or maybe there was too much time put into the special effects, and less on the story. I know one thing, it took too damned long for Jackson to get his characters to the damned island. I think we were almost an hour in before we even got to see the Island or Kong.
Of course given my altered focus on Jeff Bridges in the film, it seemed appropriate to spend some time researching his on-screen nude scenes. Check out my Actors & SKIN feature on the actor on FH HERE:
Achillias: Lights, Camera, Kong!
'Listen, there is a girl out there who might be running for her life from some gigantic turned-on ape.'
King Kong, 1976
It was back in July that I first contacted artist digital artist Achillias, about creating a King Kong story for FH. I loved and enjoyed the work Achillias since seeing his images on-line in 2021. I've also been fortunate to have featured his stories and images several times on the site. (HERE:)
I love how Achillias visually tells a story, and the vulnerability the depict, and the gorgeous men he creates. I wasn't sure if what I was asking was too much, but I certainly had some specific moments from the movies I hoped he might recreate. Of course for FH, I didn't want an Ann Darrow, but a Darrow Andrews, a hot hunk to be both sacrificed and gifted to the King.
I asked Achillias about creating some of the most iconic images from the films. I wanted the scene where Kong first see's Darrow at his most vulnerable, when he's tied to the stakes. I also wanted visuals of Kong lifting up Darrow up for the first time, and carrying him in his hands. It is during this scene when Kong's attraction to the hot young Darrow originates.
Thankfully, Achillias was on board, but he had questions, many questions to ensure what he created was what I had imagined and created. Should we be in the jungle, as the movies depicted, or maybe another, totally different environment. Since we were focusing on Darrow, and not Ann, we both agreed a different location, this time a baron desert, would work well.
Then, the conversations turned to Darrow. What would he look like, what would he wear. Although I wanted some differences, I also wanted to carry some of Ann's characteristics, including the blond hair. As far as his clothing, as little as possible of course. We considered a loin cloth, but eventually thought a pair of white briefs would be hotter.
Achillias then sent me some ideas for Darrow's face and body and our Darrow was chosen. That only left one more question, his penis size. Given Darrow is the dude in distress in this story, I didn't want him overly muscled, or have a large penis. A toned physique, with an average sized penis would work best. Kong's initial lust wasn't about Darrow's dick, but the beauty that the beast first observed upon seeing Darrow bound to the stakes.
It doesn't take long however, for Kong's curiosity to be peaked. He quickly rips off Darrow's white briefs to see what lies beneath. Like the movies however, Kong's first meeting with Darrow is just the beginning of the story, and the start of Darrow's ordeal. To see how thing end, and if Darrow survives, check out the last part of the story on THE NEXT PAGE HERE:
TR Pics: The Lost Files of Kong the King
The Untold True Story of
KONG the KING
Written, Produced & Photographed
by TR PICS
In 1980, during an estate sale at the home of Merian Cooper, the creator of King Kong, an assistant made an incredible discovery inside an enveloped locked in a hidden drawer: a long-lost journal that told the true story of the giant gorilla, and that he was not, in fact, enamored of a Hollywood blonde bombshell named Fay Wray, but in fact infatuated with a lost explorer named Raymond Smith. For the first time ever, here are some excerpts from that diary...
“I turned around after hearing a large tree trunk snap, only to be face to face with the largest creature I had ever seen. I shot at him, but to no avail. Before I knew it, he had scooped me into his dirty hands…”
“This was the largest gorilla I had ever seen. I kept calm so as not to anger him, knowing one tight squeeze of his hand could end me. But he seemed a curious fellow, as if he had never seen someone like me before….”
“In all my distress, it turns out I was not alone. Unbeknownst to me, a young islander who I would later learn was named Gor, had been watching from the jungle nearby…”
“My shirt was the next thing to come off. He was delicate in his movements, matched by his curiosity I suppose.“
“I could not tell if he was playing with me, or just examining me. Yet I also suddenly did not fear him. I knew he was a plant-eater and would not see me as food. My biggest fear was that he would drop me!”
“This beast was calm. Almost gentle. He looked at me with great interest, and I began to see him in the same light.”
“Soon I realized that this encounter would have to end. Around this same time, the quiet islander appeared, and he seemed to know the beast. He was calm around him, and the beast seemed much at ease with him. Almost as if he was ready to obey the will of this beautiful island man.”
“Almost without warning, this monstrous creature laid down, as if ready to take a nap. He looked at me with interest, a kind of human-like emoting that moved me. And with that, he let me go. Gor, the islander, was careful to help me escape.”
“My adrenaline had left me, and I found myself collapsing into the arms of my new found emancipator. We retreated into the jungle, and away from this giant ape…
“When I came to my senses, I realized my gratitude towards this young island man. He was a savior to me, and my heart for him was suddenly overwhelmed.”
August 24 – “It has been over two months since I landed on this island, but I feel as if my life here is not over. My gratitude for Gor’s actions turned into affection, and now I fear I cannot go back to the mainland and reattach myself to life there. Here, I am happy, and here I am content. I have the strong arms of that hairy gorilla to thank for that.
”As moved as Merian Cooper must have been when he found this lost journal and photos, he knew well enough that the audience in the 1930s would never accept the truth. So he turned the hero into a heroine, and the quiet gorilla into a fighting monster on the big screen… and the rest, as they say, is Hollywood history."
Like any great visual saga, there are many stories about it's a creation. Thankfully this King Kong sag, comes many, including a series of visuals depicting how the shoot came together. Check out the behind the scene's story of TR Pic's shoot with Anthony and Ty on the NEXT PAGE HERE:
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