When she was a young girl living on her father's ranch in Africa, Jill Young (Lora Lee Michel) traded her father's flashlight for a baby gorilla that she named 'Joe'. Twelve years later, Jill (Terry Moore) is now the owner of the ranch and Joe has grown to 12-feet or more. While on safari to collect lions, big-time promoter Max O'Hara (Robert Armstrong) and Oklahoma cowboy Gregg Johnson (Ben Johnson) attempt to capture Joe but are stopped by Jill's invention. However, Max persuades Jill to bring Joe to Hollywood where he will become the lead attraction at Max's new African-themed nightclub.
Mighty Joe Young is based on a screenplay by American screenwriter Ruth Rose from an original story by American screenwriter Merian C. Cooper, both of whom worked on the screenplay for the 1933 version of King Kong (1933). A remake, also titled Mighty Joe Young (1998), was released in 1998.
Jill realizes that there is still one more child trapped on the roof of the burning orphanage and sends Joe up a nearby tree to rescue her. Joe is able to grab her and starts climbing down the tree only to find the bottom of the tree engulfed in flames. Suddenly, the wall of the orphanage collapses, knocking the tree over and sending Joe to the ground. He cradles the child so that she escapes injury, but Joe is obviously in pain. Yet, when another wall collapses and threatens to fall on the child, Joe grabs her again, moves her to safety, and the wall collapses on him. Jill rushes over to comfort Joe and is assured that nobody will shoot him now. In the final scene, O'Hara returns to his New York office where Crawford (Denis Green) makes him sit down long enough to see a home film of Jill, Gregg, and Joe, all happy and well on their ranch in Africa.
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- How long is Mighty Joe Young?1 hour and 34 minutes
- When was Mighty Joe Young released?July 27, 1949
- What is the IMDb rating of Mighty Joe Young?7 out of 10
- Who stars in Mighty Joe Young?
- Who wrote Mighty Joe Young?
- Who directed Mighty Joe Young?
- Who was the composer for Mighty Joe Young?
- Who was the producer of Mighty Joe Young?
- Who was the executive producer of Mighty Joe Young?
- Who was the cinematographer for Mighty Joe Young?
- Who was the editor of Mighty Joe Young?
- Who are the characters in Mighty Joe Young?Jill Young, Gregg, and Max O'Hara
- What is the plot of Mighty Joe Young?A young woman who has raised a giant gorilla from an infant brings him to Hollywood years later seeking her fortune.
- What was the budget for Mighty Joe Young?$1.8 million
- How much did Mighty Joe Young earn at the US box office?$1.95 million
- What is Mighty Joe Young rated?Approved
- What genre is Mighty Joe Young?Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi
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