Even if you've never seen the original “King Kong,” you probably know its climactic aerial assault scene. An escaped Kong has kidnapped Ann (actress Fay Wray) by reaching into her hotel room and carrying her to the top of the Empire State Building. There, he's attacked by four Curtiss F8C Helldiver biplanes.
Watching the scene, you might notice those biplanes do a lot more aerial maneuvering than what would probably be necessary to shoot a giant ape that isn't shooting back. There's a good reason for that: Director Merian C. Cooper was an Army pilot who loved flying as much as he loved making movies.
Cooper had already led an epic life before making what believe is one of the greatest horror movies of all time. When he was 6, he decided he wanted to be an explorer, because that was something you could actually decide to do in 1899. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy in 1911, but was given the boot during his senior year for what is possibly the best reason ever: ” “hell raising and for championing air power,” according to The New York Times.
The expulsion didn't stop him from serving in the U.S. military. In 1916, Cooper joined the Georgia National Guard so he could help the U.S. Army hunt down Pancho Villa. When he returned to Georgia the next year, he learned to fly at the Military Aeronautics School in Atlanta, where he graduated at the top of his class. He joined the Army Air Service as a bomber pilot just in time…
