Carmen Nigro

Carmen Nigro (October 10, 1905 – September 24, 1990)[1][2] was an American chef who professed to have worked for three decades as a Hollywood stuntman under the professional name Ken Roady. From 1969 he gained notability through media interviews in which he announced he had acted in a gorilla suit in many Hollywood films, most famously as the title role in the 1933 classic King Kong.[3][4] While Nigro's claims were accepted as fact by some journalists and authors during his lifetime,[5][6][7] film historians generally have disputed his account,[8][9][10][11] and regard him as an impostor.[12][13]

Not to be confused with Carmine Nigro.

Carmen Nigro
Born(1905-10-10)October 10, 1905
Chicago, Illinois, USA
DiedSeptember 24, 1990(1990-09-24) (aged 84)
Speedway, Indiana, USA
NationalityAmerican
Other namesKen Roady
Known forDisputed claims of career as a Hollywood stuntman

Alleged Hollywood career

In 1969, Nigro came forward with his account of having acted in a gorilla suit in King Kong (1933). He was quoted in the Chicago Sun Times under an alias, Ken Roady, as saying that he "got paid $150 a week and never could get along with either Fay Wray or Robert Armstrong, who were the stars of the picture."[11][14] In 1976, when the remake of King Kong was in production, Nigro attracted much media attention as "the man who was known for 25 years as the Hollywood Apeman."[3] His alleged participation in the original King Kong and other films was reported on by journalist Bob Greene:

"They used an animated doll for most of the sequences of the gorilla," Nigro said ... "But for all of the scenes where they needed someone to act like a real gorilla – that was me. It was me on top of the Empire State Building, for example." ...

Nigro said that King Kong wasn't the only gorilla he played in the movies... "I spent all that money to have my suit made. It took six bear skins to make it and it cost me $3500. I only made $7000 for King Kong. I was also in Mighty Joe Young, Tarzan of the Apes, Tarzan and His Mate, Ape Man – I played gorillas in about 25 or 30 movies. But I made about 133 movies in all, as a stunt man.

There was a fellow in Hollywood named Charles Gearmer [sic] who wanted the part, but he wasn't very good at being a gorilla. He was more like a chimpanzee or an orangutan. Then there was another fellow, name of Van Horn, who wanted the part. But I got it because I had a better costume to begin with and I knew how to act like a gorilla better. I had been to Africa with Frank Buck, the great animal hunter, and I knew how an ape walked."[15]

Controversy

Nigro's claims were widely accepted at face value by the lay media during his lifetime, notably by journalist Bob Greene, who interviewed Nigro on at least three occasions, and reported on his death in 1990. However, professional film critics have remarked that no evidence exists of Nigro's Hollywood career other than his own assertions, and have generally rejected his claims as spurious or unverifiable.[9][16][17]

The consensus of film historians is that the giant ape in King Kong was an animated model created by special-effects expert Willis O'Brien.[11][18] Donald F. Glut wrote that "there was no human actor inside a gorilla costume playing the colossal simian... in Nigro's case the claim seems to have been simply fraudulent."[13] Author James Van Hise referred to Nigro as "the Counterfeit Kong," and quoted surviving cast and crew members of King Kong who repudiated Nigro's claims, including Fay Wray and production assistant Zoe Porter.[12]

Critics have also commented that the other cinematic ape roles allegedly played by Nigro are documented to have been animated models (Mighty Joe Young), or were performed by known stuntmen such as Charles Gemora (The Unholy Three), Ray Corrigan (Tarzan and His Mate, Nabonga), Emil Van Horn (The Ape Man), and George Barrows (Gorilla at Large).[19][20]

Personal life

In newspaper interviews Nigro said he had worked as a rodeo cowboy in his youth.[21] Sources indicate that he worked as a dining-car chef on the Santa Fe Railway for 32 years, retiring from that role in 1970. He then worked as a security guard for a Chicago insurance company.[22] In 1983 it was reported that had disposed of his gorilla suit because it had developed mildew and his wife Evelyn was allergic to it. (However, a 1990 obituary reported that Nigro had bequeathed the head of the costume to a nephew.) During his retirement he also addressed schools and Boy Scout meetings about his alleged participation in King Kong.[23][1]

Death

Nigro died in Speedway, Indiana, on September 24, 1990, aged 84.[1][2]

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References
  1. Greene, Bob (November 27, 1990). "Saying so long to Mr. Kong". Chicago Tribune – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "United States Social Security Death Index". FamilySearch. Retrieved December 19, 2016. Carmen Nigro, 24 Sep 1990; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File
  3. "'King Kong' reminisces about life on sky scraper". The Prescott Courier. March 22, 1976. A barrel-chested 5-foot-6, Nigro was the hairy beast in Mighty Joe Young, The Unholy Three, Tarzan and His Mate, Night of Horror and Ape Man Nabonga [sic]. His last gorilla movie was Gorilla at Large in 1954.
  4. Greene, Bob (January 5, 1977). "Original King Kong Unhappy". The Free Lance Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. p. 2.
  5. Barris, Ted. "Not online, but on the line". Ted Barris. Archived from the original on December 16, 2011. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  6. Graubart, Judah L.; Graubart, Alice V. (1978). Decade of Destiny. Chicago: Contemporary Books. pp. 254–255. ISBN 9780809277292.
  7. Robertson, Patrick (1991). The Guinness Book of Movie Facts & Feats (4th ed.). New York: Abbeville Press. p. 106. ISBN 9781558592360.
  8. Glut, Donald F. (2005). "His Majesty, King Kong - IV". In Woods, Paul A. (ed.). King Kong Cometh!. London: Plexus. p. 64. ISBN 9780859653626. Nigro's claims are unable to be substantiated.
  9. Berry, Mark F. (2005). The Dinosaur Filmography. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland. pp. 194–195. ISBN 9780786424535.
  10. Hankin, Mike (2008). Ray Harryhausen - Master of the Majicks Vol. 2: The American Films. Los Angeles: Archive Editions. p. 66. ISBN 9780981782904.
  11. Goldner, Orville; Turner, George E. (1975). The Making of King Kong: the Story behind a Film Classic. New Jersey: A.S. Barnes & Co. p. 87. ISBN 0498015106. The fact is that no gigantic motorised robots or men in ape-suits were used at any time in the making of the film.
  12. Hise, James Van (1993). Hot Blooded Dinosaur Movies. Las Vegas, NV: Pioneer Books. pp. 73–74. ISBN 9781556983658.
  13. Glut, Donald F. (2001). Jurassic Classics: A Collection of Saurian Essays and Mesozoic Musings. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. p. 192. ISBN 9780786462469. In Nigro's case, the claim seems to have been simply fraudulent.
  14. Fitzpatrick, Tom (December 28, 1969). "King Kong Alive and Well -- Just Ask That Bartender". Akron Beacon Journal. p. B12.
  15. Greene, Bob (March 12, 1976). "King Kong is alive and well and living in Chicago". Corpus Christi Caller Times. Texas. p. 26.
  16. Jackson, Jackie. "Was Carmen Nigro King Kong?". JAQUO Lifestyle Magazine. Archived from the original on August 3, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  17. Glut, Donald F. (1978). Classic Movie Monsters. Scarecrow Press. p. 312. ISBN 9780810810495.
  18. Topinka, Judy (August 25, 1976). "Kong lives tranquil life of a suburban 'gorilla'". Cicero Life. Illinois. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. Turner, George (March 4, 1976). "Flashbacks". Amarillo Globe Times. Amarillo, Texas. p. 30 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  20. Turner, George (January 14, 1977). "Flashbacks". Amarillo Globe Times. Amarillo, Texas. p. 10 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  21. "King Kong Lives - in Suburban Chicago". Playground Daily News. Fort Walton Beach. March 11, 1976. p. 33 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  22. "King Kong's alive and well in Chicago". Rome Daily Sentinel. Rome, New York. March 22, 1976. p. 10 – via fultonhistory.com.
  23. Greene, Bob (April 20, 1983). "'Kong' has big memories". The Free Lance-Star. p. 27.
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