| Ingagi | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | William S. Campbell |
| Written by | Adam Shirk |
| Produced by | William D. Alexander Nat Spitzer (executive) |
| Starring | Charlie Gemora |
| Cinematography | L. Gillingham |
| Music by | Edward Gage |
Production company | Congo Pictures |
| Distributed by | Congo Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 75 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $4 million |
Ingagi is a 1930 pre-Code pseudo-documentary exploitation film directed by William S. Campbell. It purports to be a documentary about "Sir Hubert Winstead" of London on an expedition to the Belgian Congo, and depicts a tribe of gorilla-worshipping women encountered by the explorer. The film claims to show a ritual in which African women are given over to gorillas as sex slaves, but in actuality was mostly filmed in Los Angeles, using American actresses in place of natives.[1] It was produced and distributed by Nat Spitzer's Congo Pictures, which had been formed expressly for this production.[2] Although marketed under the pretense of being ethnographic, the premise was a fabrication, leading the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association to retract any involvement.[3]
The film trades heavily on its nudity and on the suggestion of sex between a woman and a gorilla. RKO owned several of the theatres where Ingagi was shown, including one of the first, the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco, where it opened April 5, 1930.[2][4]
- ^ Doherty 1999, pp. 236, 241.
- ^ a b Erish, Andrew (January 8, 2006). "Illegitimate dad of 'Kong'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
- ^ Doherty 1999, pp. 238–40.
- ^ Gerald Perry, "Missing Links: The Jungle Origins of King Kong"