FORGOTTEN HISTORY OF GODZILLA IN AMERICA: Yes, Virginia, Hawaii is a State!

1975年: ハワイに『ゴジラ対ガイガン』に上陸 !

Ad run in the March 20, 1975 edition of the "Honolulu Star-Bulletin."

Remember the time we went to go see GODZILLA VS. GIGAN at the Toho Theater in Honolulu back in March 1975?" Western journalism of Japanese fantasy films in North America tends to emphasize the obvious theatrical "wide releases" by Mainland film distributors, major and minor.

In doing so, they are either unaware or dismissive of releases in Japanese-American movie theaters across the States - especially those in Hawaii - which were as legit as a grindhouse in Utah booking an AIP offering. There were Toho films booked into theaters in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Honolulu - months or years before a Stateside distributor.

Jun Fukuda's GODZILLA VS. GIGAN (1972) first opened in the US at the Toho Theater in Hololulu, Hawaii on March 19, 1975. Interestingly, the print booked was Toho's International English-dubbed version, as opposed to an English-subtitled print; likely to attract more children to the play dates due to matinee performances. So, this should count as the legit US premiere.

Some might argue that the Cinema Shares release was wider. While this was true, they never opened in more than a handful of cities at a time, over a long period - as there were only so many prints in circulation. While it played in some Southern states as early as the fall of 1977, following on the heels of "Godzilla vs. Megalon," other states didn't see the film until 1980.

Therefore, these Japanese theaters, and/or repertory houses, in larger urban centers (that includes Honolulu), were just as legit as any 42nd St. fleabag, suburban drive-in, or neighborhood theater in rural America. It's been long overdue to start looking at the bigger picture and to engage in some deep-dive microfiching through newspaper archives to find more. Or less.

31 DAYS OF HALLOWEEN: BOB WILKINS LIVES! "Break Out the Tissues, It's a Tearjerker..."

Full-page TV Guide ad for April 14, 1973 (yes, that's not the Big G).

This was the first time I saw SON OF GODZILLA from start to finish, gathered around the television set in the living room of my grammar school pals Alex and Ray Reyes. Still have some fuzzy memories of Bob's intro, the short film he'd run from time to time, "The Incredible Jet Car", and his outro in which he was mock teared up and blowing his noise into a hanky. This is partly why I have a strong attachment to this entry, and its just a solid piece of entertainment in the first place, with a rousing score by Masaru Sato.

Northern California's beloved host of KTVU Channel 2's "Creature Features" (not to mention his stints at Sacramento's KRCA-3 and KTXL-40) is being celebrated in my dreadful creepy countdown to Halloween, each and every eerie day this monstrous month, in a sinister series vampiric vintage ads and blood rare photographs...

Bob Wilkins lives!

Read more about Bob Wilkins and "Creature Features", here — and don't forget to visit the official Bob Wilkins website!

BOOK ON GODZILLA'S HEROIC YEARS: 1969-1975"Godzilla 'Toho Champion Matsuri' Perfection"

ゴジラが「ぼくらのヒーロー」だった時代！


Spectacular cover for "the" book on the Godzilla films of the '70s!

Finally, the release of a new photo-filled publication, spotlighting the Big G's heroic exploits from 1969-1975, will hit the shelves of Japanese booksellers on November 18th. After months of waiting, the juggernaut imprint, Kadokawa Publishing, has just released the cover and samples from this eagerly-awaited, 176-page tome on the oft glossed-over period of Godzilla's cinematic history.


Sample page of GODZILLA'S REVENGE (Oru Kaiju Daishingeki, 1969).

The "Toho Champion Matsuri" (or festival) were a series of kiddie matinee packages, comprising a feature film and short subjects (episodes of live action and animated teleseries), answering rival Toei's seasonal "Cartoon Festivals." The inaugural program featured Ishiro Honda's MARCH OF THE MONSTERS (released in the US as Godzilla's Revenge and All Monsters Attack) on December 10, 1969.


Sample page of GODZILLA VS. GIGAN (Gojira tai Gaigan, 1972).

The following Champion Festivals included digest versions of the 1960s Godzilla films, with one all-new production per year, geared squarely at children. The exception to this rule was Ishiro Honda's GIANT MONSTERS OF THE SOUTH SEAS (known in the US as Yog, Monster from Space and Space Amoeba), a tribute to the late Eiji Tsuburaya recalling Toho's glory days, released on August 1, 1970.


GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA (Gojira tai Mekagojira, 1974).

The new series, depicting the Big G as a decidedly heroic defender of the Earth, began in earnest on July 24, 1971, with Yoshimitsu Banno's trippy GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (released in the US as Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster). The next original feature was Jun Fukuda's far more conventional GODZILLA VS. GIGAN (released in the US as Godzilla on Monster Island), on March 12, 1972.


Sections on each of the festivals including promotional materials.

Jun Fukuda's next creature feature, unleashed on March 17, 1973, solidified the Big G's mantle as a kaiju superhero in GODZILLA VS. MEGALO (released in the US as Godzilla vs. Megalon), teaming up in this outlandish, live action cartoon adventure, with an Ultraman-like automaton: Jet Jaguar (or should his name be romanized as "Jet Jaeger"?). Then, our hero faced his bionic double — from space!


Over seven interviews with cast members including Tomoko Ai.

Arguably one of the best rivals created during this period was the centerpiece of Toho's 20th Anniversary Big G actioner, GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA (released in the US as Godzilla vs. Bionic Monster and Godzilla vs. Cosmic Monster) on March 21, 1974. While a more straight-faced production than MEGALO, the space titanium terror would return for a rematch staged by Ishiro Honda.


Special interviews with staff personnel including Teruyoshi Nakano.

Honda's MECHAGODZILLA STRIKES BACK (released in the US as Terror of Godzilla and Terror of Mechagodzilla) on March 15, 1975 was a fitting swan song for the flagging series, stymied by stiff television competition, which was deluged in free kaiju programming. Even though Honda's film harkened back to the glory days of the 1960s, it was too little, too late. The Big G went on vacation.


Archival interviews with late staff personnel including Ishiro Honda.

By 1975, the Champion Festivals had gone from seasonal to annual programs which only showcased revivals of the classic films through 1978 (including one Disney line-up featuring Peter Pan in 1976 and a double feature of Latitude Zero and Mothra in 1977), ending with an uncut reissue of Honda's 1957 classic, THE EARTH DEFENSE FORCE (released in the US as The Mysterians) on March 18, 1978.


Detailed overviews of four unmade Champion Festival Godzilla films.

While there have been several in-depth, historical overviews of the Big G's cinematic history, most revere the early, and more favored, films of Honda and Tsuburaya, with cursory coverage of the '70s entries. Now, we've got an entire book devoted to them in minutia; a veritable, "Everything You Wanted to Know About the '70s Godzilla, But Were Afraid to Ask" (well, if you can read Japanese, that is)!

So, if you've seen or own Kadokawa's previous publications of "Heisei Godzilla Perfection" or "Heisei Gamera Perfection", you know how good this one is going to be (jammed with amazing photographs and measuring 11.3"x 8.3"). Fortunately, you don't need to live in Tokyo to get one — pre-order your own copy of "Godzilla 'Toho Champion Matsuri' Perfection" direct from Amazon Japan for only $36.08!

You'll thank me later. You're welcome.

THE KRAKEN RELEASES "GODZILLA" ON BLU-RAY 3 Classics Being Readied for the Big G's 60th!

三大昭和ゴジラ映画は、2014年に米国のBDに来て！

Toho International poster for GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER.

Houston-based Section23 Films is on a roll... the aggressive company formed out of the ashes of ADV Films, with its various niche labels, including Sentai Filmworks (tackling classic anime titles such as GATCHAMAN and CASSHAN), are moving into the realm of live action films and tokusatsu eiga (Japanese Visual Effects films) with their newest label, Kraken Releasing — focusing on titles for mainstream audiences. Their first target: Godzilla. Just in time for the 60th Anniversary, Kraken has announced that they have licensed three very disparate Godzilla titles for DVD and BD (Blu-ray) release — their press release (dated January 21, 2014) only discusses the titles acquired: EBIRAH, HORROR OF THE DEEP, GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH and GODZILLA VS. GIGAN. No further details — print sources, special features, street dates, MSRP, etc. — were made available.

Classic collage still from GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER (1966).

Here's their press release: 1967 may have been the Summer of Love, but 2014 will be the Summer of Godzilla, and Kraken Releasing is spreading the kaiju (giant monster) goodness with the first US Blu-ray release of three classic films featuring the world's most famous giant reptile. Also available on DVD, and including both the English dubbed and original Japanese versions with English subtitles, these are three of the big G's wildest adventures ever and showcase why, sixty years after his atomic birth at Japan's Toho Studios, Godzilla is still one of the biggest names in the entertainment industry!


Original Polish release poster for GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (1971).

The fun begins as 1971's GODZILLA VS. HEODRAH, released theatrically in the US in 1972 as GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER, pits Godzilla against the forces of pollution in the form of a constantly mutating, acid-spewing behemoth from outer space. With eye-popping 1970's “mod” costumes, hairstyles and psychedelic visuals that include conventional cel animation alongside the special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano, GODZILLA VS. HEODRAH director Yoshimitsu Banno's ecologically focused take on the world's greatest monster is easily one of the most unique films in the series and required viewing for any giant monster fan or cult film enthusiast.


Keiko Mari and Toshio Shibamoto in GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (1971).

What happens when three major movie monsters slam dance in the South Seas? The answer is 1966's EBIRAH, HORROR OF THE DEEP  originally released in the US in 1968 under the title GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER. Pairing Godzilla and another of Toho's most popular kaiju, the giant moth Mothra, against a wide variety of adversaries, including the titular sea monster, giant birds and a mysterious terrorist organization, the wet and wild widescreen spectacular was directed by Jun Fukuda.


Original Japanese release poster for GODZILLA VS. GIGAN (1972).

Finally, 1972's GODZILLA VS. GIGAN ups the giant monster ante once again with a series of tag team battles featuring four classic kaiju. Released theatrically in the United States in 1977 as GODZILLA ON MONSTER ISLAND and again directed by Jun Fukuda with special effects by Teruyoshi Nakano, the film unites Godzilla and spiny ally Anguirus against two of the series' most popular opponents: the three headed monster King Ghidorah and the new alien cyborg Gigan.


The redoubtable Yuriko Hishimi in GODZILLA VS. GIGAN (1972).

At this time, all we can ascertain from their press release is the order the films will be released, with HEDORAH streeting first — that is, unless all three will street simultaneously. Looking at these titles begs the question, were these conscious picks by Kraken — or were the other films unavailable because they were already licensed? We do know that Classic Media still has all of theirs (and that they sub-licensed GODZILLA and GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS to the Criterion Collection). So, what's in store for the remaining Godzilla titles on DVD/BD during the 60th Anniversary, especially with the obvious opportunity to capitalize on the massive hype surrounding the upcoming Legendary Pictures-Warner Bros epic? For that, true believers, we must escape into the future; into that dimension we have never seen. Join me for more details as they develop!

2013 IS 1973: "GODZILLA VS. MEGALON" Toho Champion Festival, March 17, 1973

ゴジラとジャガーでパンチ！パンチ！パンチ！


Media Blasters' jacket for the first legit North American DVD release.

The 13th entry in the Godzilla film series is probably the most maligned and lambasted, even more than the infamous GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH (1971), and is also the most misunderstood of them all. Directed by Jun Fukuda, GODZILLA VS. MEGALON was looked upon by film critics in the US as a joke, "Is this what the Japanese are passing off as science fiction these days?" (Cinefantastique), and not realizing that the film was intended, from its inception, as a Kiddie Matinee presentation — part of Toho's Champion Festival programs, packaged with several short subjects: Isao Takahata's animated featurette, PANDA! GO, PANDA! THE RAINY DAY CIRCUS, Masahiro Takase's GO ON, YOUTH!, and a television episode of the Fujio Fujiko animated series KUROBEI OF THE JUNGLE.

Additionally, MEGALON was also cashing in on the Henshin Boom taking television by storm, by throwing a superheroic android into the mix: Jet Jaguar. Meanwhile, Toho launched a spin-off production of its own, ZONE FIGHTER, which premiered on Nippon Television a mere sixteen days later. So, the proceedings in MEGALON aped the wild and bombastic flavor of the pop culture currents — including a song by Guinness World Record recording artist, Masato Shimon. While MEGALON sold the least tickets of the previous entries, it also saw a limited release, but was a hit in the US three years later. For all of its childish histrionics, which are generally mortifying to grownups, MEGALON indeed strikes a cord in youngsters — the film's intended audience — and who's going to argue with that?

OWN IT TODAY: Last August, the Media Blasters label finally issued GODZILLA VS. MEGALON on R1 DVD with both the original Japanese audio (w/English Subtitles) and the English Dubbing, which can be obtained through retailers and online services such as Amazon.com.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DIRECTOR JUN FUKUDA! February 17, 1923 - December 3, 2000

お誕生日おめでとう、福田純監督！


Publicity shot for GODZILLA VS. MECHAGODZILLA (1974). ©Toho

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARUO NAKAJIMA! The Original Godzilla: January 1, 1929

お誕生日おめでとう ゴジラさん、中島春雄！


Publicity photo session for GODZILLA VS. GIGAN, 1972.

Read more about the incredible Mr. Godzilla, here!