'Skeleton' of King Kong's dinosaur nemesis takes $39,550 bite in London

A Walther air pistol wielded by Sean Connery in 1963's James Bond adventure From Russia with Love may have been the star lot at Christie's London Pop-Culture auction on November 25.

But that didn't stop other icons of cinema history getting a look-in - including everyone's favourite over-sized gorilla, King Kong...

Used in the production of the tragic ape's cinematic debut in 1933, this rare armature skeleton was designed by Willis O'Brien for a miniature model of a Brontosaurus dinosaur.


The Brontosaurus skeleton, and its terrifying King Kong cameo (inset)

The skeleton is believed to have been made for the scene where the dinosaur attacks a sailor in a tree during an attempt to rescue Ann, the human object of King Kong's affections.

The detailed armature was manufactured in the RKO Studios' Miniature Department Workshops from steel and various alloys. In the end, it sold for $39,550 above its $15,820-23,730 pre-sale estimate.

What's more, this isn't the first time an armature skeleton from the 1933 classic film has sold for thousands at auction. A skeleton used in the model of Kong himself brought $200,305, also at Christie's in November 2009.

 

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