Looks like it is indeed the R-8. Thanks for the help guys!
The only difference I notice is the "King Kong" radio has decorative routing around the knobs, while the 1933 model doesn't. The example on this page:
http://classicradiogallery.com/wood_m-z.html
which is supposedly from 1932, has that extra bit of detail. Most if not all of the live action for the movie would have been filmed in '32, so that fits.
Mystery solved! Now to find one!
