KONGA (1961)

 

Director: John Lemont

Writers: Herman Cohen, Aben Kandel

Producers: Herman Cohen, Nathan Cohen, Stuart Levy

Cast: Michael Gough, Margo Johns, Claire Gordon, Jess Conrad, Austin Trevor, George Pastell, Paul Stockman, Jack Watson, Vanda Godsell, Grace Arnold, Stanley Morgan, Leonard Sachs, Nicholas Bennett, Kim Tracy, Rupert Osborne, Waveney Lee, John Welsh 

After his plane crashed in the jungles of Uganda, esteemed botanist Dr. Charles Decker (Michael Gough) returns to London a year later. He brings with him biochemical discoveries inspired by an African witch doctor’s potions. He will use this new knowledge to imbue animals with plant characteristics to cause accelerated evolution. Dr. Decker’s first experimental subject will be Konga, the pet chimpanzee that he has brought back from the jungle with him. When he instantly evolves the chimp into a gorilla (Paul Stockman), Decker tests his powerful pet’s obedience by sending it out on missions of murder.

The Flashback Fanatic movie review 

Producer Herman Cohen had initiated the teenage monster movie trend in the '50s. He made teenaged takes on the classic monsters with I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957), I Was a Teenage Frankenstein (1958), Blood of Dracula (1958), and How to Make a Monster (1958). He even worked a Jekyll-and-Hyde variation into Horrors of the Black Museum (1959).

In 1961 Cohen finally started monkeying around with King Kong and made Konga. As in all the previously mentioned films that Cohen concocted with co-writer Aben Kandel, an amoral and obsessive middle-aged protagonist pursues their professional goals by dominating and transforming a youth to kill for them. The difference this time is that the youth is a young chimpanzee that the evil genius transforms into a gorilla. As in most of the earlier films, hypnosis and drugs are part of the villain’s technique of making and controlling the monster. Although an ape is the one transformed by mad science, young humans still figure heavily into the plot. Dr. Decker teaches botany at Essex College and is putting the moves on his shapely blonde student Sandra Banks (Claire Gordon). Again, as in the earlier films, the middle-aged villain victimizes youths.

Michael Gough, as Dr. Charles Decker, is at his sociopathic best. I hang on his every word as he effuses about his grand discoveries that will revolutionize science or nonchalantly lies through his British stiff upper lip to the police about the mutual respect shared with his first murder victim. There is great joy to be found seeing Gough, as the esteemed Dr. Decker, display incredible insensitivity to his hopelessly devoted “assistant” Margaret (Margo Johns), seething with megalomaniacal fury at the dean (Austin Trevor) of his college, ooze thinly veiled lust as he patronizes his favorite sexy student Sandra, or explode with violent, clumsy passion as he tries to convince Sandra to be his new “assistant” by trying to rape her. As fantastic as all the preceding Gough action is, nothing is greater than seeing him clutched in the giant paw of his totally out of control creation and screaming, “I said let me down! You fool! Konga, let me down! Kongaaaa!"

Konga is the second of three consecutive Herman Cohen produced horror films to star Michael Gough. Gough would appear in smaller roles in two other Cohen produced horrors. Absolutely no one could top Gough for asshole villainy. You believe every bit of mad science nonsense he professes, even when you wonder why a chimpanzee turns into a gorilla instead of a giant chimp. You really envy the guy when he takes his devoted assistant Margaret for granted and she remains loyal, even after she makes him admit that he has used Konga to commit murder. You almost have to cheer the bastard on as he manages to charm his pet student Sandra into his greenhouse filled with 7’ tall phallic mutant plants. Beats the hell out of that tired, old show-her-your-etchings routine.

Margo Johns has the rather thankless role of Dr. Decker’s doormat named Margaret. She is an attractive woman who waited a year in the hope that the missing and presumed dead Dr. Decker would return. She maintained his household and tended all the plants in his greenhouse. When Decker finally does return, he tries to downplay her offense taken at his lack of affection by feeding her that no-room-in-a-scientist’s-life-for-that-sort-of-thing balderdash. I’ll be damned if Margaret doesn’t put up with it. She also puts up with Decker ripping out her carefully tended plants, shooting her pet cat, and sending out his pet gorilla Konga to commit murder. But then she sees the rotter escort his nubile teacher’s pet Sandra out to the greenhouse for a personal pollination demonstration. Hell hath no fury like a lab assistant scorned. Margaret finally gets to indulge in some payback, though she never gets the chance to enjoy it. Like I said, it’s a thankless role.

Eventually we get to the King Kong-sized action. I really don’t mind the wait. There is so much detestable Dr. Decker behavior that I am satisfied. Once the gorilla becomes a giant, all Decker can do is struggle in Konga’s grasp and scold him at the top of his lungs. Konga’s rampage is underwhelming, so Decker screaming at his creation maintains some interest.

Apparently by this time, no one in the movie is fooled by Decker. He can’t be charming yelling at his monster. It must be obvious to the military that this loudmouth is not a good enough reason for them to hold their fire, so they let loose. That’s what happens to you if you look like Michael Gough instead of Fay Wray.