K. Gordon Murray
Encyclopedia
K. Gordon Murray was an American producer, most notable for his redubbing
and re-releasing of foreign fairy tale
films for U.S. audiences. He is often cited as the "King of the Kiddie Matinee". Murray also marketed many of the Mexploitation
luchador films such as Santo
films popular in Mexico, changing Santo's name to Samson and dubbing them in English.
Among his more famous contributions are Little Red Riding Hood (1960), Little Red Riding Hood and the Monsters (1962), Rumpelstiltskin (1955), The Golden Goose (1964) and Santa Claus
(1959), which he also narrated under the pseudonym
"Ken Smith".
, where many of the leading circus performers of the time spent their winter seasons, Kenneth 'Kagey' Gordon Murray, son of an Irish-American funeral home
director, occasionally spent his boyhood in the company of those struggling artists. By his teenage years, Kagey had set up a 'corn game,' what would today be known as a bingo parlor, in one of his father's cemetery tents. He then took that corn game out on the road with West's World Wonder Shows Carnival, eventually rising to the position of manager.
During the winter season at Bloomington, Murray set up a network of quasi-legal slot machine
s. In that capacity, he had a talent for smooth-talking the authorities. By the late 1930s, Murray was using his circus friends' various connections to aid a casting
director to hire little people
to act as Munchkin
s in the 1939 MGM
movie, The Wizard of Oz
. Shortly afterward, Murray married his longtime sweetheart, Irene, a college graduate from Illinois State University
. In 1949, Ken and Irene settled in Hollywood, where none other than Cecil B. DeMille
himself hired Murray to help promote his circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth
.
Ultimately, the Murrays moved to Miami, where Ken launched K. Gordon Murray Productions, making several deals with such top pioneers in exploitation film
making as Kroger Babb
. He often changed the titles of his movies, giving them more sensational, more emotionally charged monikers, in order to sell them in a better way. The movie Santa Claus made so much money, that it is the only film in U.S. history (with the possible exception of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
) to be released profitably in theaters every few years for three decades. When Murray saw this, he started to dub more children's fairy tale films into English, and by the end of the 1960s, he had been hailed by film critics as the "King of the Kiddie Matinee". To promote these films, he hired a local costume shop to create costumes for his two leading mascots: Stinky the Skunk and the Ferocious Wolf, both of whom appeared in a series of films based on the story of Little Red Riding Hood
.
In all, Murray would release over 60 movies in only 15 years. Towards the end of his life, Murray ran afoul of the Internal Revenue Service
, which seized his films and took them out of circulation. But on December 30, 1979, before he could take the IRS to court to reclaim his movies, K. Gordon Murray suffered a fatal heart attack
. He was 57. In a bitter ironic twist, he had died on the same date, and at the same age, as his own father.
was dedicated to a double feature of two of Murray's films, The Robot vs. The Aztec Mummy
and Swamp of the Lost Souls. In the episode the edited down (and sometimes sped up) versions of the movies were made fun of by host Ed the Sock
, Liana K
and Ron Sparks with special guest Bandito who Liana dressed up like the robot from the first movie.
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...
and re-releasing of foreign fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
films for U.S. audiences. He is often cited as the "King of the Kiddie Matinee". Murray also marketed many of the Mexploitation
Mexploitation
Mexploitation is a film genre of low-budget films that combine elements of an Exploitation film and Mexican culture and/or portrayals of Mexican life within Mexico often dealing with crime, drug trafficking, money and sex.- Common qualities :...
luchador films such as Santo
Santo
Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta , more widely known as El Santo , was a Mexican Luchador enmascarado , film actor, and folk icon....
films popular in Mexico, changing Santo's name to Samson and dubbing them in English.
Among his more famous contributions are Little Red Riding Hood (1960), Little Red Riding Hood and the Monsters (1962), Rumpelstiltskin (1955), The Golden Goose (1964) and Santa Claus
Santa Claus (film)
Santa Claus is a 1959 live action Mexican motion picture featuring Santa Claus. In the film, Santa works in outer space and does battle with a demon sent to Earth by Lucifer to ruin Christmas by killing Santa and "making all the children of the Earth do evil." Santa Claus was directed by René...
(1959), which he also narrated under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"Ken Smith".
Life
Born in Bloomington, IllinoisBloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
, where many of the leading circus performers of the time spent their winter seasons, Kenneth 'Kagey' Gordon Murray, son of an Irish-American funeral home
Funeral home
A funeral home, funeral parlor or mortuary, is a business that provides burial and funeral services for the deceased and their families. These services may include aprepared wake and funeral, and the provision of a chapel for the funeral....
director, occasionally spent his boyhood in the company of those struggling artists. By his teenage years, Kagey had set up a 'corn game,' what would today be known as a bingo parlor, in one of his father's cemetery tents. He then took that corn game out on the road with West's World Wonder Shows Carnival, eventually rising to the position of manager.
During the winter season at Bloomington, Murray set up a network of quasi-legal slot machine
Slot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
s. In that capacity, he had a talent for smooth-talking the authorities. By the late 1930s, Murray was using his circus friends' various connections to aid a casting
Casting (performing arts)
In the performing arts, casting is a pre-production process for selecting a cast of actors, dancers, singers, models and other talent for a live or recorded performance.-Casting process:...
director to hire little people
Dwarfism
Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
to act as Munchkin
Munchkin
The Munchkins are the natives of the fictional Munchkin Country in the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. They first appeared in the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which they are described as being somewhat short of stature, and wear only blue...
s in the 1939 MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
movie, The Wizard of Oz
The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
. Shortly afterward, Murray married his longtime sweetheart, Irene, a college graduate from Illinois State University
Illinois State University
Illinois State University , founded in 1857, is the oldest public university in Illinois; it is located in the town of Normal. ISU is considered a "national university" that grants a variety of doctoral degrees and strongly emphasizes research; it is also recognized as one of the top ten largest...
. In 1949, Ken and Irene settled in Hollywood, where none other than Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
himself hired Murray to help promote his circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth
The Greatest Show on Earth
The Greatest Show on Earth is a 1952 drama film set in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. The film was produced, directed, and narrated by Cecil B. DeMille, and won the Academy Award for Best Picture...
.
Ultimately, the Murrays moved to Miami, where Ken launched K. Gordon Murray Productions, making several deals with such top pioneers in exploitation film
Exploitation film
Exploitation film is a type of film that is promoted by "exploiting" often lurid subject matter. The term "exploitation" is common in film marketing, used for all types of films to mean promotion or advertising. These films then need something to exploit, such as a big star, special effects, sex,...
making as Kroger Babb
Kroger Babb
Howard W. "Kroger" Babb was an American film and television producer and showman. His marketing techniques were similar to a travelling salesman's, with roots in the medicine-show tradition...
. He often changed the titles of his movies, giving them more sensational, more emotionally charged monikers, in order to sell them in a better way. The movie Santa Claus made so much money, that it is the only film in U.S. history (with the possible exception of Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated film based on Snow White, a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, as well as the first animated feature film produced in America, the first produced in full...
) to be released profitably in theaters every few years for three decades. When Murray saw this, he started to dub more children's fairy tale films into English, and by the end of the 1960s, he had been hailed by film critics as the "King of the Kiddie Matinee". To promote these films, he hired a local costume shop to create costumes for his two leading mascots: Stinky the Skunk and the Ferocious Wolf, both of whom appeared in a series of films based on the story of Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood
Little Red Riding Hood, also known as Little Red Cap, is a French fairy tale about a young girl and a Big Bad Wolf. The story has been changed considerably in its history and subject to numerous modern adaptations and readings....
.
In all, Murray would release over 60 movies in only 15 years. Towards the end of his life, Murray ran afoul of the Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
, which seized his films and took them out of circulation. But on December 30, 1979, before he could take the IRS to court to reclaim his movies, K. Gordon Murray suffered a fatal heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. He was 57. In a bitter ironic twist, he had died on the same date, and at the same age, as his own father.
Popular culture
One episode of the show This Movie Sucks!This Movie Sucks!
This Movie Sucks! is a Canadian comedy television series hosted by Ed the Sock, premièring on May 28, 2010, two years after Ed's Night Party went off the air. The show is similar to another former Ed the Sock series, Ed's Nite In...
was dedicated to a double feature of two of Murray's films, The Robot vs. The Aztec Mummy
The Robot vs. The Aztec Mummy
The Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy is a 1958 Mexican film directed by Rafael Portillo, starring Ramón Gay and Rosa Arenas. It blends elements of science fiction and horror...
and Swamp of the Lost Souls. In the episode the edited down (and sometimes sped up) versions of the movies were made fun of by host Ed the Sock
Ed the Sock
Ed the Sock is a puppet, created and voiced by Steven Kerzner, that became a Canadian television personality in the 1990s, best known for his appearances hosting programming on MuchMusic and his own talk show, Ed's Night Party, later renamed Ed & Red's Night Party...
, Liana K
Liana K
Liana Kerzner , better known by her stage name, Liana K, is a Canadian television entertainer who co-hosted the talk show Ed & Red's Night Party and is a well-known cosplayer.-Biography:...
and Ron Sparks with special guest Bandito who Liana dressed up like the robot from the first movie.
Films
- The Prince of Peace (aka The Lavton Story)
- Why Girls Leave Home (aka Secrets of Beauty)
- Children of Love (originally French)(1953)
- Mother Holly (Frau Holle) (1954)
- King ThrushbeardKing ThrushbeardKing Thrushbeard is a fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm, tale number 52.It is Aarne-Thompson type 900.-Synopsis:A beautiful, but spoiled, rude, and shallow princess criticizes all her suitors because she is too proud. She is impressed with the last of her suitors, but her pride will not...
(1954) - Hansel and GretelHansel and Gretel"Hansel and Gretel" is a well-known fairy tale of German origin, recorded by the Brothers Grimm and published in 1812. Hansel and Gretel are a young brother and sister threatened by a cannibalistic hag living deep in the forest in a house constructed of cake and confectionery. The two children...
(1954/II) - RumpelstiltskinRumpelstiltskinRumpelstiltskin is the eponymous character and protagonist of a fairy tale which originated in Germany . The tale was collected by the Brothers Grimm, who first published it in the 1812 edition of Children's and Household Tales...
(1955) - The False Prince (1957)
- The Robot vs. The Aztec MummyThe Robot vs. The Aztec MummyThe Robot vs. the Aztec Mummy is a 1958 Mexican film directed by Rafael Portillo, starring Ramón Gay and Rosa Arenas. It blends elements of science fiction and horror...
(1957) - Wasted Lives (1957) (originally The Most Wonderful Moment, an Italian film)
- Little Angel (1958) (presenter)
- Naughty New York (1959)
- Santa Claus (film)Santa Claus (film)Santa Claus is a 1959 live action Mexican motion picture featuring Santa Claus. In the film, Santa works in outer space and does battle with a demon sent to Earth by Lucifer to ruin Christmas by killing Santa and "making all the children of the Earth do evil." Santa Claus was directed by René...
(1959) (narrator) - Count Frankenhausen (aka The Bloody Vampire)(1962)
- The Turkish Cucumber (1962)
- Tom Thumb and Little Red Riding HoodTom Thumb and Little Red Riding HoodTom Thumb and Little Red Riding Hood is a 1962 Mexican film directed by Roberto Rodríguez.-Story:The film follows adventures of Little Red Riding Hood and Tom Thumb and their friends, fighting against the wicked Witch Queen and her band of monsters.The film starts at the meeting of the evil...
(1962) - Bring Me the Vampire (1963)
- Santa Claus and His Helpers (1964)
- Santa's Enchanted Village (1964) (writer)
- The Golden Goose (1964)
- Magic Land of Mother Goose (1965)
- The Swamp Of The Lost Monsters (aka Swamp Of The Lost Souls) (1965) (originally El Pantano De Las Animas, Swamp Of The Spirits, 1956)
- Wrestling Women vs the Aztec Mummy (Las Luchadoras Contra La Momia)(1965)
- Santa's Magic Kingdom (1966) (writer)
- The Big Bad Wolf (1957/1966)
- The Pied Piper Of Hamelin (1957/1966)
- Shanty Tramp (1967) (writer)
- The Doctor Says (aka The Doctor Speaks Out, The Price of Sin, Wages of Sin) (1968)
- Savages from Hell (1968) (writer & composer)
- Curse Of The Doll People (Munecos Infernales) (1968)
- Shoemaker And The Elves (1956/1968)
- The Princess and the Swineherd (1953/1968)
- Santa's Giant Film Festival of the Brothers Grimm (1969)
- Santa's Fantasy Fair (1969)
- Witch's Mirror (1960/1969)
- Mother Goose' Birthday Party (1970)
- Jack & the Beanstalk (1970)
- The Daredevil (1972)
- Thunder County (1974)
External links
- "The Wonder World of K. Gordon Murray" documentary site includes an exclusive "teaser" trailer for the upcoming feature-length film dedicated to the man who brought you the cult classics SANTA CLAUS, The Brainiac, Shanty Tramp, and the US English-language debut of the infamous Mexican masked wrestler known as "El Santo" (though renamed by Murray as "Samson").
- The Wonder World of K. Gordon Murray