© 2025 Western New York Public Broadcasting Association

140 Lower Terrace
Buffalo, NY 14202

Toronto Address:
130 Queens Quay E.
Suite 903
Toronto, ON M5A 0P6


Mailing Address:
Horizons Plaza P.O. Box 1263
Buffalo, NY 14240-1263

Buffalo Toronto Public Media | Phone 716-845-7000
BTPM NPR Newsroom | Phone: 716-845-7040
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Man Behind 'King Kong'

Listen

Writer Mark Cotta Vaz's new book is Living Dangerously: The Adventures of Merian C. Cooper, Creator of King Kong.

Cooper was an explorer, war hero, filmmaker and cinema pioneer who brought King Kong to the silver screen. This new biography of Cooper tells of a larger-than-life personality who created a larger-than-life gorilla.

Author Vaz has written several other books about Hollywood productions, including The Art of Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones and Behind the Mask of Spider-Man.

Copyright 2023 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.

Combine an intelligent interviewer with a roster of guests that, according to the Chicago Tribune, would be prized by any talk-show host, and you're bound to get an interesting conversation. Fresh Air interviews, though, are in a category by themselves, distinguished by the unique approach of host and executive producer Terry Gross. "A remarkable blend of empathy and warmth, genuine curiosity and sharp intelligence," says the San Francisco Chronicle.