I disagree. I actually liked how Kong looked in this film. Also stop motion would not have looked better imo. Always looks too cartoony and not real.
"1-800 Spank me? I know that number." Scott Calvin, The Santa Clause.

Perhaps if they had used the overcranking technique that jmillerdp had described along with some other cinematic techniques it would have been more tolerable for me.

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Oh yeah! Overcranking is a common technique, and has been for many decades. Still just so strange that they didn't use such a simple method here.
I'm watching it again, and still just plain do not get it.
I. Drink. Your. Milkshake! [slurp!] I DRINK IT UP! - Daniel Plainview - There Will Be Blood

Thanks for that technical information. Do you know if that method was in use prior to KK '76?

It would've taken more film, but that's about it.
I. Drink. Your. Milkshake! [slurp!] I DRINK IT UP! - Daniel Plainview - There Will Be Blood

That sounds about right. I'm assuming this method would have required a bigger budget.

What they most needed to do was shoot in slight slow motion, overcrank the camera just enough to give the Baker-in-a-suit scenes more presence. They seem to have shot them at normal 24fps, which is too realistic, pointing out his being in a suit.
I. Drink. Your. Milkshake! [slurp!] I DRINK IT UP! - Daniel Plainview - There Will Be Blood

I admire Rick Baker for his artistic enthusiasm. I believe he was just getting started when the 70's King Kong was produced. Safe to say any gorilla costume I designed would be unrecognizable.

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No doubt Rick Baker put a lot of effort into designing his King kong costume, but the set design and camera work are also factors that can affect how well it all comes across onscreen.

The movie was sold mostly on the idea of the mechanical ape. When they knew it was limited in what it could do they implemented more with the costume. You don't get much better than Rick Baker when it comes to ape costumes/makeup.
When theres no more room in Hollywood, remakes shall walk the Earth.

Hehe no worries. Yeah Kong 2005 goes way over the top with the schmaltz and cheese. And Jack Black was simply the wrong casting choice for Denham.

Thank you I haven't had a good belly laugh in a long time..school girl on her prom dateha.haJack Black with an expression on his face like someone just blew wind.the 2005 version is my least favorite King Kong ever even with the millions of dollars of special effects. Kong sliding across the ice like a kid who got out of school early because of snow. Cheesy is the word..and there is a lot of it

What really sucked for me was the horrible screenplay. "He's bigger than the both of us".
The script was ok, even good in places. That line you cited was supposed to be a groan. Even Jack himself knows its a groan moment.
And why was Jeff wanting to keep him alive? What was he planning on doing with him if he was alive? Take him home to his apartment?
Kong is a unique new species. He already contributed to a petition to send Kong home. It's there in the movie.
And why was Jessica so in love with Kong? Doesn't she realize she is not as large as his weiner?
She wasn't in love with Kong. She was scared of him and tried to get away from him until right at the end when the helicopters came. Only then does she go to him to stop them shooting him. You are thinking of Naomi Watts in Kong 2005. Watts gazes lovingly into Kong's eyes and giggles like a schoolgirl on her prom date.

I'll stick with my original assessment, especially about that disappointing full scale Kong model that turned in a money pit, the big rubber snake instead of T-Rex and Rick Baker lumbering among the model buildings. Compare that to what RKO accomplished in the 1930's.

I think that the actors did a fabulous job. I think the special effects were wonderful, considering it was made 40 years ago. What really sucked for me was the horrible screenplay. "He's bigger than the both of us". I mean really. And why was Jeff wanting to keep him alive? What was he planning on doing with him if he was alive? Take him home to his apartment? And why was Jessica so in love with Kong? Doesn't she realize she is not as large as his weiner?

I still holding out hope somebody will try out the modified stop motion technique I suggested in my response to MTBan717 in this posting.

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Well, I was born in '75 so most of the treasured movies of my childhood were people in suits, miniatures, paintings, etc so I have no issue with it and I think it looks great. I also like stop motion, don't get me wrong, but as others have said it looks better in black and white or when used very briefly if it's color.
"Clash of the Titans" to me was one of the last films to really use Stop Motion for a significant portion of the film effectively and even with that there are some scenes where the effect is pretty bad.

It's better than any other ape suit of the 1970s. They were all pretty unimpressive back then.
Oh yes the stop motion was great in 1933. Unfortunately by 1976 it wouldn't have cut the mustard any better than a guy in a suit and that was the problem. At least there ARE some moments in Kong 1976 where it looks great.
https://mossfilm.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/king-kong-1976.jpg

Okay, I will grant that they couldn't have achieved those facial expressions on the suit in 33, but my point remains that the suit doesn't look great by 76 standards whereas the stop motion does look good for 1933. Unfortunately, until CGI came along, I suppose the only two ways of doing it were stop motion or a guy in a costume.

There was nothing particularly innovative about that gorilla suit.
The face mask was innovative and cutting edge.
Stop mo in the mid 1970s would have been a backward step.

The costume feels like a backwards step to me. They could have done a guy in a costume in the original King Kong. Stop motion might look quaint by modern standards, but it was cutting edge special effects in the thirties. There was nothing particularly innovative about that gorilla suit.