Beat those jungle drums and break out the banana daiquiris. King Kong, the 1933 adventure fantasy that has been a constant on the DVD most-wanted lists since the format was born in 1997, finally stomps into stores today.

The ornery ape with a thing for shrieking blondes hasn't looked this good since stop-motion master Willis O'Brien's groundbreaking creature first roared into theaters 72 years ago.

"This is unequivocally the most important film yet to be released on DVD," says George Feltenstein, the Warner Bros. senior VP and film historian who has overseen the disc transfers of such titles as Citizen Kane, Casablanca and Singin' in the Rain. "It's the No. 1 movie we are asked about."