The original King Kong premiered in New York City on March 2, 1933. The black and white horror and adventure film had a lasting impression upon American pop culture. The 1976 and 2005 remakes, various sequels, and other versions of the story prove the continued fascination that people have with the outlandish and unknown.

The film centers around a giant prehistoric gorilla from an uncharted isle which became known as Skull Island. In Depression-era New York City, Carl Denham, film director known for his animal flicks shot in exotic locales, casts unfortunate beauty Ann Darrow as the star of his upcoming movie.

The film crew sets sail aboard the Venture headed towards the uncharted island, unaware, of course, that Kong is there. During the long trip, the male star of the movie, Jack Driscoll, begins to fall in love with Ann. Carl warns him that beauty often kills the beast, a theme that proves to be central to King Kong.

Once the crew is situated on the island, natives capture Ann and present her to King Kong as a sacrifice. Some members of the crew, including Jack and Carl, venture into the jungle to rescue the blonde starlet. But Kong himself is no threat to Ann; instead, he protects her from the other dangers of his habitat, including dinosaurs.

Without realizing this, Jack and other members of the crew are able to capture Kong and decide to take him back to New York and present him as “The Eighth Wonder of the World.” At the gala affair to present Kong back in New York, the giant gorilla attempts to rescue Ann from the danger of the flashbulbs taking her photograph. He places her at the top of the Empire State Building in the iconic scene just before he is shot down by machine guns fired from airplanes.