Original TV Adventures of King Kong

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Original TV Adventures of King Kong
Original TV Adventures of King Kong
Publisher Epic Records
Publish date 1966

Original TV Adventures of King Kong is a stereo LP phonograph record released by Epic Records in 1966. It contains audio drama adaptations of four episodes from the Rankin/Bass TV series The King Kong Show, alongside the show's theme. Each episode is between five and seven minutes long. It uses audio clips from the show, with added narration.

Plot

"Dr. Who"

Bobby Bond and his giant pet King Kong are in the jungle when they hear his sister Susan calling for them, with information that their father had need of them back at their campsite. There, Professor Bond introduced the two to a suspicious character named Dr. Who, a scientist interested in studying Kong, who asks to take Kong on a short journey. Bobby refuses outright, flustering the small scientist. The Professor apologizes for his son's lack of tact, but stands with his decision. Dr. Who is taken aback by this, and insists that he will not accept "no" for an answer before pulling a gun on them and summoning his henchmen. He lines the Bonds up against the wall and asks again for Kong's location. Bobby tells him, but believes it will do him no good if Kong is unwilling to accompany him. The Doctor reveals that he has tranquilizing gas for this eventuality, and cackles maniacally. He leaves in his helicopter in search of Kong, with his dimwitted henchman Siegfried keeping the Bond family in check. In a bid to trick the man, Susan invites him to stay for dinner, and they manage to convince him, despite his protests to their conspiratorial whispering. Elsewhere on the island, Dr. Who located the curious Kong, and dropped a tranquilizing gas bomb on his head. Susan spills coffee on the henchman's hand to startle him long enough for Bobby and their father to take the upper hand. While this scheme pans out, Dr. Who uses helicopters to lift the unconscious Kong to his waiting freighter. Professor Bond ties up Siegfried, and summons Captain Englehorn to try and head Who off. Using spirits of ammonia, Professor Bond hopes Bobby can awaken Kong at his signal, while Dr. Who dreams of conquest with King Kong at his command. Bobby calls to Kong, and the ape awakens and begins tearing the ship apart from the inside. The crew begins to abandon ship, but Kong grabs all of them to put them in Englehorn's brig. Who begins to escape in a helicopter, and Kong throws water at it, but he manages to escape, warning of his impending return.

"The Treasure Trap"

When Bobby discovers the wreck of a Spanish Galleon while diving with Kong off the coast of Mondo Island, he quickly alerts his father in hopes of finding treasure. Professor Bond however, already knows about the shipwreck, and is too busy to humor his son's request to use their SCUBA equipment to explore it. Bobby asks his sister Susan, who is too busy reading. Finally, Bobby turns to Kong, who holds the other end of a rope tied around his waist. While swimming through the wreck, Bobby finds an old sea chest, which he believes must house the treasure. On land, Kong waits attentively for Bobby until the earth begins to shake. The tremor sends the ship off of its ledge by the reef, sinking to the ocean floor with Bobby inside. After the quake, the Professor checks with Susan, and the two realize Bobby must have been diving, and immediately make their way out to the shipwreck. The Professor follows the rope tethering Bobby to Kong and taps on the side of the ship until he hears Bobby's reply. With a dwindling air supply, and the Galleon having landed upside down, Bobby is in immediate danger of drowning. Professor Bond summons Kong, who lifts up the ship, allowing him to rescue the unconscious Bobby. Kong then stands in the ocean holding the ship while Bobby is revived until the Professor realizes that he forgot to tell him he could put the ship down.

"Under the Volcano"

The Bond family visit a nearby island's dormant volcano, which despite having been dormant for centuries, had produced steam vapor in recent days. Professor Bond hopes to explore the magma tunnels and determine if the volcano has reactivated. Unfortunately for Kong, they fear some of the underground spaces will be too narrow for him, and he is left behind. Bobby and Susan are both taken with a feeling of unrest from the unseen shadowy figures tailing them. The Professor writes off their trepidation as "spooks" until they reach the bottom of the volcano's cone, and are accosted by one of the ghostly figures from a high ledge. He reveals that the Bonds were expected before introducing himself as Vestus, and welcomes them to the underground civilization of Volcania. It is the goal of Vestus and the Volcanians to control the forces of nature and dominate the surface world. He summoned Bond with clouds of vapor to enlist his help in their harnessing of the volcano to aid in their efforts of conquest. As a reward for his aid, Vestus offers Professor Bond dominion over the surface world, but he promptly refuses. Festus then summons a legion of his soldiers, and the Professor tells his children to run. Susan is captured, but Bobby is soon on his way back with Kong. The Professor warns them of this, but he is brushed off with assurances that the Volcanians are prepared. When Bobby and Kong return to the chamber his family had been taken prisoner in, they find it deserted, and a great net of chains descends on them. Soldiers swarm out and grab Bobby, while Kong is unable to help them. The Volcanians prepare a sacrificial fire for the Bonds while they leave Kong chained to a temple. Vestus offers Bond another chance to agree to their terms, and he refuses. He then orders Bobby be taken to the flame to be sacrificed to the god of the underworld, causing Kong to wrestle with his restraints. Vestus asks for the Professor's assistance one last time, and Bobby implores him not to, and Susan begs him to try and save her brother. Bobby calls for Kong's help, and Kong manages to pull the temple's pillars away, and free him from his chains. He runs to his comrade Bobby's aid, and Bobby has Kong save his family as the Volcanian warriors threw spears at him. Professor Bond encourages Kong to climb up the volcano's conduit, and Vestus sends a jet of fire up after them. Kong outruns the flame and throws a boulder down on the city. Susan questions if the Volcanians have truly been defeated, and the Professor imagines they will one day have to return to verify its status, but will bring Kong along when the time comes.

"African Bees"

Captain Englehorn of the Java Queen radios Professor Bond to warn of a swarm of African Bees, a species of vicious giant bee bred in Africa. Professor Bond has his kids break down their tent to hide beneath it until the threat passes over, and advises Englehorn to get out of their path. Bobby is worried for Kong, but the Professor has a plan. He finds a hollow log, and has Bobby explain to Kong that he must stay submerged and breathe through it like a snorkel. They all then lie in wait for the bees to destroy the island and move on. Unfortunately, a small plane featuring an investor in the Bonds' operations is coming in for a surprise inspection. The pilot sees a strange fog covering the island, and is hesitant to put down, but the investor is insistent. As soon as they leave the plane they are attacked by the bees, and the Professor is forced out into the swarm to help them, armed with a blowtorch and mosquito netting. The torch protects him for a bit, but the bees do not fear the flame. Bobby wishes that Kong could help his father, and elsewhere, he fills a boat with water and throws it at the bees to distract them. The investor is angry with Bond, but his pilot understands the danger and runs to safety. The bees continue to chase Kong, but soon refocus their attention back onto the humans. Kong then puts himself between the bees and the camp, getting them back on his tail. Bobby questions his motivations, but the Professor assures him that Kong is very brave and has saved his life on numerous occasions. Kong leads the bees on a chase through the jungle, toward the island's carnivorous garden of insectivore plants, which quickly devour the cloud of angry bees. Professor Bond appreciates Kong's quick and clever thinking.

Appearances

"Dr. Who"

Monsters

Characters

Weapons, vehicles, and races

Locations

"The Treasure Trap"

Monsters

Characters

Weapons, vehicles, and races

Locations

  • Java Sea

"Under the Volcano"

Monsters

Characters

Weapons, vehicles, and races

Locations

"African Bees"

Monsters

Characters

Weapons, vehicles, and races

Locations

Trivia

  • The record, like the show, features an inconsistency regarding the name of the island on which it is set. The story "Dr. Who" claims that the Bonds inhabit Mondo Island, while "Under the Volcano" depicts them leaving their home on Skull Island.

References

This is a list of references for Original TV Adventures of King Kong. These citations are used to identify the reliable sources on which this article is based. These references appear inside articles in the form of superscript numbers, which look like this: [1]

Era Icon - Rankin Bass.png
Era Icon - King Kong.png
Book


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