Mighty Joe Young 1949🎥 Mighty Joe Young (also known as Mr. Joseph Young of Africa and The Great Joe Young) is a 1949 American black and white fantasy film distributed by RKO Radio Pictures and produced by the same creative team responsible for King Kong (1933). Ruth Rose, who wrote the screenplay, the film was directed, produced, and written by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack Stars Robert Armstrong (who appears in both films), Terry Moore, and Ben Johnson in his first credited screen