⚠️This fact has been debunked
Despite widespread repetition of this claim, Hitler scholars like Bill Niven (author of 'Hitler and Film: The Führer's Hidden Passion') have found no evidence Hitler ever saw King Kong. The claim appears to originate from unreliable sources and has been debunked by archival research.
King Kong was Adolf Hitler's favorite movie.
Was King Kong Really Hitler's Favorite Movie?
You've probably heard this one before: Adolf Hitler's favorite movie was the 1933 classic King Kong. It's the kind of bizarre historical tidbit that gets repeated in trivia books, online lists, and casual conversation. There's just one problem—it's completely false.
Despite decades of this claim circulating, Hitler scholars have found zero credible evidence that the German dictator ever even saw King Kong, let alone loved it.
Where Did This Myth Come From?
The King Kong claim appears to stem from dubious sources, possibly including unreliable memoirs from disgruntled former associates. Bill Niven, author of Hitler and Film: The Führer's Hidden Passion, has extensively researched Hitler's viewing habits using Nazi-era archives and screening logs.
His conclusion? "We don't know if he had a favorite Hollywood film," Niven states. The records simply don't support the King Kong story.
What Hitler Actually Watched
Archival evidence reveals Hitler's documented film preferences were surprisingly mundane:
- Laurel & Hardy comedies — particularly Swiss Miss, Block-Heads, and Way Out West
- Mickey Mouse cartoons — yes, really
- Fritz Lang's Die Nibelungen (1924) — a German epic he watched repeatedly
- Gone With the Wind (1939)
Not exactly the lineup you'd expect from one of history's most notorious figures.
Why People Believe It
So why does the King Kong myth persist? Niven suggests it's because the story feels symbolically fitting: "Perhaps people like that choice because King Kong was a trapped animal, similar to Germany as Hitler saw it after it was shackled by the Treaty of Versailles."
The image is almost too perfect—the misunderstood beast, captured and humiliated, lashing out at his captors. It's the kind of metaphor that should be true, which is probably why it keeps getting repeated despite the complete lack of evidence.
This is a textbook example of how historical myths take root. A claim sounds plausible, fits a narrative, and gets repeated enough times that it becomes "common knowledge"—even when the actual historical record says otherwise.
The verdict: Hitler probably never saw King Kong. He was too busy watching slapstick comedy and cartoon mice.