# King Kong and Thanksgiving **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 23, 2010, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-kong-and-thanksgiving/561614 "2010-11-23T02:40:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-kong-and-thanksgiving/561614/21 "2010-11-24T15:58:36Z")
> [@](#): > > I thought MOTWS was on WPIX channel 11 but I could be wrong. Let’s see, WPIX had Abbott and Costello, Officer Joe Bolton, Bowery Boys/East Side Kids Sunday mornings and Yankee baseball. WOR had King Kong, Mets baseball and Knicks/Rangers occasionally. Plus “Million Dollar Movie” with the theme from Gone With the Wind. First time I ever say GWTW in the theater in the late 1960s (it wasn’t on TV until the late 1970s but the Elvis Presley biopic that restarted Kurt Russell’s career outdrew Rhett and Scarlett), that music came on and I said "That’s where they got that theme music from. And then George "Superman’ Reeves is in the opening scene). > > I think WPIX kicked off the Christmas season on Turkey Day with “Miracle on 34th street” with Maureen O’Hara and Natalie Wood. Slight correction: The Bowery Boys were on WNEW, Channel 5. I don’t ever recall seeing them on any other station, but for a long time they ran “Eastside Comedy” on Channel 5 on Sunday afternoon after Wonderama. King Kong did indeed run on WOR, and not just on Thanksgiving. They even ran it back-to-back on Million Dollar Movie on Saturday mornings (although MDM also ran at 8 at night) ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2010, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-kong-and-thanksgiving/561614/22 "2010-11-25T03:16:03Z")
Yes, same time, same channel as the OP. Before VCRs it was a cool thing to be able to see movies like this, and it was a good alternative to football for kids. ---
**Author:** ![MegaBee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f0a364/32.png) [@MegaBee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MegaBee)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-kong-and-thanksgiving/561614/23 "2010-11-26T15:06:45Z")
> [@Otanabi](#): > > We always watched King Kong on Thanksgiving evening, had to have been in the 70’s. I grew up in Akron, so it was one of the Cleveland channels, don’t remember which. It wouldn’t have seemed the same on Thanksgiving without the big ape, and my brothers quoting dialogue! WUAB, channel 43. I was in Akron in the 70s, too. Then we moved to Pittsburgh and watched Thanksgiving Kong on WOR. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-kong-and-thanksgiving/561614/24 "2010-11-26T15:26:58Z")
I remember Godzilla, but not King Kong. ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-kong-and-thanksgiving/561614/25 "2010-11-26T20:57:35Z")
I loved the Million Dollar Movie! I’m always disappointed when I hear the theme song and Gone With The Wind is on instead. Don’t recall these marathons, but I’d already seen Kong at least a dozen times by the time they began airing them. In the days before 100 channels (and video), some movies would only come around once a year and it was a special treat to see them. Definitely remember Crazy Eddie and shopped there many times. Horrible staff, cheap linoleum and ugly bare cinder block walls. I guess the prices were OK. Their only competition in my area that I recall was Caldor’s Dept Store so it’s hard to judge. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-kong-and-thanksgiving/561614/26 "2010-11-26T21:40:36Z")
Besides Crazy Eddie (whose prices where INSANE!!!) there was the credit union guy, Jerry (What’s the story, Jerry?). I may be misremembering if Jerry was in a credit union. ---
**Author:** ![DivineComedienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c67d28/32.png) [@DivineComedienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DivineComedienne)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-kong-and-thanksgiving/561614/27 "2010-11-27T01:28:36Z")
South Jersey in the 70s, you brought back such Thanksgiving memories of “King Kong” and “Mighty Joe Young” on Channel 9! My father would ALWAYS watch them and make us stop to watch the same scenes year after year (“Look at the one guy who’s out of step!”). I have a vague memory of a commercial for a local NY toy store called Play World, although I’m not sure if that was on Channel 5, 9, or 11. This ad would run EVERY commercial break and, at the time, was my first sign of Christmas advertising. That store looked COOL (this was before Toys R Us was everywhere). I remember the theme song sung by children - “Play World, where prices go…” “So low, low, low, low…LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW.” “PLAY WORLD!” ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-kong-and-thanksgiving/561614/28 "2010-11-28T01:28:55Z")
Other than the obvious (i.e. _Miracle on 34th Street_ in December), the only recurring seasonal TV-broadcast movie I can think of from my youth was _The Sound of Music_ around Easter. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-kong-and-thanksgiving/561614/29 "2010-11-28T01:59:32Z")
I wouldn’t trade time-shifted viewing, hundreds of channels, or Internet-based entertainment for anything, but the warm nostalgia of certain movies being “special” tugs at the heartstrings. Another WOR viewer, with a twinkling longing to return to the days of being 9 years old, cooped up watching the crappy television while everyone else watched football. Another thing that isn’t quite the same is remembering the local radio station’s noon re-broadcast of Alice’s Restaurant. We _never_ remembered right at noon. Once or twice we came close and it was a big deal. Now? Just fire up Rhapsody and that’s it. But no DJ intro, no uniting with everyone else listening; it’s not the same. Oh, one last thing: pix PIX PIX PIX **PIXPIXPIX**! ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2010, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-kong-and-thanksgiving/561614/30 "2010-11-28T03:49:50Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Oh, one last thing: > > pix > PIX > PIX PIX **PIXPIXPIX**! Ha! I remember that too! I sooo wanted to get called for that game. My favorites were the space invaders game and Tic Tac Toe. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2013, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-kong-and-thanksgiving/561614/31 "2013-11-28T15:15:34Z")
I am going to resurrect this thread because I miss watching King Kong on Thanksgiving. Playing the DVD/Blu Ray isn’t the same. Godzilla too (on the Friday after). ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-kong-and-thanksgiving/561614/32 "2018-11-22T17:52:14Z")
Resurrecting this thread because I was thinking again today how much I loved watching King Kong on Thanksgivings and of course Godzilla the next day. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2018, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-kong-and-thanksgiving/561614/33 "2018-11-22T23:57:07Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Resurrecting this thread because I was thinking again today how much I loved watching King Kong on Thanksgivings and of course Godzilla the next day. This morning, as part of the Macy’s parade, they showed scenes from current Brodway musicals – and one of them is a Musical Version of KING KONG! This is not a joke. The King Kong they have on stage is a giant “puppet” made of what appears to be high-tech foam. The face (actuated, I suspect, by RC motors) is wonderfully mobile and expressive. There’s a whole team of dark-suited puppeteers, so itys almost like Bunraku. And the song wasn’t bad. Here’s some YouTube of the King: [https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=YouTube+King+Kong+musical&view=detail&mid=4EA89768F4F17CA9C9494EA89768F4F17CA9C949&FORM=VIRE](https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=YouTube+King+Kong+musical&view=detail&mid=4EA89768F4F17CA9C9494EA89768F4F17CA9C949&FORM=VIRE) [https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=YouTube+King+Kong+musical&&view=detail&mid=63FD35688F048BA94EAF63FD35688F048BA94EAF&&FORM=VDRVRV](https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=YouTube+King+Kong+musical&&view=detail&mid=63FD35688F048BA94EAF63FD35688F048BA94EAF&&FORM=VDRVRV) [https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=YouTube+King+Kong+musical&&view=detail&mid=F64402DF715C7A0E5705F64402DF715C7A0E5705&&FORM=VDRVRV](https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=YouTube+King+Kong+musical&&view=detail&mid=F64402DF715C7A0E5705F64402DF715C7A0E5705&&FORM=VDRVRV) ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2018, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-kong-and-thanksgiving/561614/34 "2018-11-23T18:03:42Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > This morning, as part of the Macy’s parade, they showed scenes from current Brodway musicals – and one of them is a Musical Version of KING KONG! > > This is not a joke. > The King Kong they have on stage is a giant “puppet” made of what appears to be high-tech foam. The face (actuated, I suspect, by RC motors) is wonderfully mobile and expressive. There’s a whole team of dark-suited puppeteers, so itys almost like Bunraku. And the song wasn’t bad. > > Here’s some YouTube of the King: > > [YouTube King Kong musical - Search Videos](https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=YouTube+King+Kong+musical&view=detail&mid=4EA89768F4F17CA9C9494EA89768F4F17CA9C949&FORM=VIRE) > > [YouTube King Kong musical - Search Videos](https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=YouTube+King+Kong+musical&&view=detail&mid=63FD35688F048BA94EAF63FD35688F048BA94EAF&&FORM=VDRVRV) > > [YouTube King Kong musical - Search Videos](https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=YouTube+King+Kong+musical&&view=detail&mid=F64402DF715C7A0E5705F64402DF715C7A0E5705&&FORM=VDRVRV) Here are direct links to avoid the horrors of Bing [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/UvVyN67wxH0/hqdefault.jpg "King Kong on Stage: Full Moon Lullaby (LIVE)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvVyN67wxH0) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/xPlb4rlBrtw/hqdefault.jpg "Making King Kong come alive.") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPlb4rlBrtw) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/grzfFHli-PI/hqdefault.jpg "King Kong live on stage!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grzfFHli-PI) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/king-kong-and-thanksgiving/561614.md?page=1)