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The Daily Wildcat

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The Daily Wildcat

The Daily Wildcat

 

    ‘King Kong’ kin featured at Fox Theatre

    The Fox Theatre is hosting one monkey of an event tomorrow, especially for classic movie fans and celebrity enthusiasts. Carole Little, the stepdaughter of the female lead in the original “”King Kong,”” will be reminiscing about the life of her famous relative Fay Wray.

    The actress, who gained most of her fame when she let a giant monkey carry her up the Empire State Building in the 1933 classic, actually starred in many roles throughout her multi-decade career. She was internationally revered as a bombshell and associated with the wild celebrities of the roaring 20s and 30s.

    “”Carol’s got these great memories of stories that she could share,”” said Herb Stratford, organizer of the event. “”Her father married Fay Wray when she was 4, so she kind of grew up as Fay Wray’s stepdaughter. She had a lot of people around the house, celebrities and such.””

    Little will also be showcasing hidden jewels and memorabilia from the classic, such as autographed movie posters and candid family pictures taken while her stepmother was a starlet. The event is part of the Fox Theatre’s Summer Classic Movie Series and will give viewers a chance to see the original film on the big screen. If that’s not enough, there will also be an auction for a one-of-a-kind “”King Kong”” movie poster as well as a signed copy of Wray’s book, “”The Other Hand.””

    Little is also an honorary Arizona native who moved to Flagstaff in the 1970s to attend Northern Arizona University. After graduating, she took up residence in Tucson and became the owner of two local businesses: N.S.I Nursing Solutions, a national medical firm that lends nurses to local hospitals and care centers, and Medibella, an upscale health spa on Pima Street. Little also moved here to start and raise her own family.

    Little’s father, Sanford Rothenberg, a neurosurgeon, married Wray in 1942 on her way into obscurity. The actress made a comeback in 1953 with “”The Pride of the Family”” and continued to make movies and then moved on to television until the 1960s. Little remembers her time with Wray as always exciting and recounts exclusive parties and rendez-vous with movie stars as just a part of her great life.

    “”King Kong”” will play tomorrow at The Fox Theatre, 17 W. Congress St. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the film starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for a single and $25 for a loveseat for two.

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