The Biggest THING in Town! (September, 1970)

 

 

 

For the Love of Science-Fiction :: The Monsters are in Revolt! The World on the Brink of Destruction! (September, 1969)

 

 

 

 

 

This post is part of the For the Love of Film: The Film Preservation Blogathon hosted by Ferdy on Films, This Island Rod, and Wonders in the Dark. This year’s theme is science-fiction, and we’ll be leaning hard toward the “mad science” portion of the genre. Hope you enjoy, and please click on the link above and donate to help restore the silent film, Cupid in Quarantine. The goal is to raise $10,000. Give what you can, won’t you? Thank you!

Destroy All Monsters (1968) Toho Company :: American International / P: Tomoyuki Tanaka / D: Ishirô Honda / W: Ishirô Honda, Takeshi Kimura / C: Taiichi Kankura / E: Ryôhei Fujii / M: Akira Ifukube / S: Akira Kubo, Jun Tazaki, Yukiko Kobayashi, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Kyôko Ai

The Two Mightiest Monsters of All Time! (July, 1963)

 

 
Needless to say, when I found the first ad for the titanic title bout between King Kong and Godzilla I got a little excited.
 

 
When I found the second ad, needless to say, I was a little concerned about the repeater, but figured, hell, we were heading for the weekend and building toward something really and truly special…
 

 

Well, shit.

 

 
Hrrrrmmmnnn … Trumped by Connie Francis. Nertz. Welp, hopefully, when it recycles to the Drive-In the ads will be a little more dramatic. And varied. And until I find those, check out these super-cool ads for the same film at the equally super-cool Friends of Marty Melville archive.
 

Other Points of Interest:

Poster campaign for King Kong vs. Godzilla at the Archive.

King Kong vs Godzilla (1962/1963) Toho:: John Beck :: RKO General Pictures :: Universal International / P: Tomoyuki Tanaka, John Beck (American Version) / D: Ishirô Honda / W: Shinichi Sekizawa, Bruce Howard (American Version), Paul Mason (American Version) / C: Hajime Koizumi / E: Reiko Kaneko / M: Akira Ifukube / S: Tadao Takashima, Kenji Sahara, Yû Fujiki, Akihiko Hirata, Mie Hama

See the World Quake at the Fury of the Unleashed Battle of the Monsters! (December, 1965)

 

 

 

 

 

Other Points of Interest:

Poster campaign for Ghidrah at the Archive.

Ghidrah: the Three Headed Monster (1965) Toho :: Continental Distributing / P: Tomoyuki Tanaka / D: Ishirô Honda / W: Shinichi Sekizawa / C: Hajime Koizumi / E: Ryohei Fujii / S: Yosuke Natsuki, Yuriko Hoshi, Hiroshi Koizumi, Akiko Wakabayashi, Takashi Shimura

Multiplex Mash-Up :: GIANT AGAINST GIANT! The Ultimate Battle! (August, 1976)

 

 

 

 

Drive-In Mash-Up :: Out of Pollution’s Depths It Slithers! A Deathmaster Back from Beyond the Grave! (May, 1972)

 

 

 

 
When head Godzilla guru, producer Tomoyuki Tanaka, took one look at Yoshimitsu Banno’s finished film he declared the first time kaiju director would never work for Toho again, decrying he had ruined the franchise. That’s being a little harsh, as I find Godzilla vs the Smog Monster to be a trippy, surreal mess of awesome — you will believe a monster can fly, folks. But! The lack of the “Save the Earth” American International dub on Sony’s otherwise fantastic DVD is a crime, and that’s why I will never, ever part with my old VHS copy. Also of note, I did not know that actor Kenpachiro Satsuma, who played Hedorah, the Smog Monster, had to have an emergency appendectomy during the production — while still strapped into the rubber suit! Wow. As for our sequel to Count Yorga, despite the fact that the villain died in the last installment, with no explanation for his resurrection, and the fact that it’s basically the exact same movie as the first, the brass at AIP were bound and determined to groom Robert Quarry as a replacement for Vincent Price as their reigning King of Horror. And, well, we all know how that turned out, don’t we?
 
Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster (1971) Toho Company :: American International Pictures / P: Tomoyuki Tanaka, Samuel Z. Arkoff / D: Yoshimitsu Banno / W: Yoshimitsu Banno, Takeshi Kimura / C: Yoichi Manoda / E: Yoshitami Kuroiwa / M: Riichirô Manabe / S: Akira Yamauchi, Toshie Kimura, Hiroyuki Kawase

The Return of Count Yorga (1971) Peppertree Productions Inc. :: American International Pictures / P: Michael Macready / D: Bob Kelljan / W: Bob Kelljan, Yvonne Wilder / C: Bill Butler / E: Laurette Odney / M: Bill Marx / S: Robert Quarry, Mariette Hartley, Roger Perry, George Macready, Craig T. Nelson

Spewed from Intergalactic Space! Twice the Monsters! Twice the Terror! (June, 1971)

 

 

 

 

 
I’m sorry to report that I’ve tried to sit through Yog Monster from Space at least twice but fell asleep both times; and the second time I didn’t even make it as far as the inaugural effort. *sigh* However, that is certainly not the case for Toho’s ultimate Kaiju Rally, Destroy All Monsters, where the denizens of Monster Island unite to kick a little Kilaak ass!

Yog Monster from Space (1970) Toho Company :: American International / EP: Fumio Tanaka, Tomoyuki Tanaka / P: Samuel Z. Arkoff, Salvatore Billitter / D: Ishirô Honda / W: Ei Ogawa / C: Taiichi Kankura / E: Masahisa Himi / M: Akira Ifukube / Akira Kubo, Atsuko Takahashi, Yukiko Kobayashi, Kenji Sahara

Destroy All Monsters (1968) Toho Company :: American International / P: Tomoyuki Tanaka / D: Ishirô Honda / W: Ishirô Honda, Takeshi Kimura / C: Taiichi Kankura / E: Ryôhei Fujii / M: Akira Ifukube / S: Akira Kubo, Jun Tazaki, Yukiko Kobayashi, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Kyôko Ai

Millions Flee Wrath of Monster! Those Who Remain, See it From the Beginning! (February, 1965)

 

 

 

 

 
Godzilla vs. the Thing (1964) Toho Company :: American International Pictures / EP: Sanezumi Fujimoto / P: Tomoyuki Tanaka / D: Ishirô Honda / W: Shinichi Sekizawa / C: Hajime Koizumi / E: Ryohei Fujii / M: Akira Ifukube / S: Akira Takarada, Yuriko Hoshi, Hiroshi Koizumi, Yû Fujiki, Emi Itô, Yûmi Itô

Hercules and the Captive Women (1961/1963) Comptoir Français du Film Production (CFFP) :: SpA Cinematografica :: Woolner Brothers Pictures Inc. / P: Achille Piazzi / D: Vittorio Cottafavi / W: Vittorio Cottafavi, Sandro Continenza, Duccio Tessari, Pierre Benoît, Nicolò Ferrari / C: Carlo Carlini / E: Maurizio Lucidi / M: Gino Marinuzzi Jr., Armando Trovajoli / S: Reg Park, Fay Spain, Ettore Manni, Luciano Marin, Laura Efrikian

The Year’s Super-Terror Show! (July, 1959)

 

 

 

 

Other Points of Interest:

Poster Campaign for Gigantis the Fire Monster at the Archive.

Poster campaign for Teenagers from Outer Space at the Archive.

Gigantis the Fire Monster a/k/a Godzilla Raids Again (1955/1959) Toho :: Warner Bros. / P: Tomoyuki Tanaka, (American Version) Edmund Goldman, Paul Schreibman / D: Motoyoshi Oda / W: Takeo Murata, Shigeaki Hidaka / C: Seiichi Endo E: Hugo Grimaldi, Kazuji Taira / M: Masaru Satô / S: Hiroshi Koizumi, Setsuko Wakayama, Minoru Chiaki, Takashi Shimura

Teenagers from Outer Space (1959) Tom Graeff Productions :: Warner Bros. / P: Tom Graeff / D: Tom Graef / W: Tom Graeff / C: Tom Graeff / E: Tom Graeff / M: Tom Graeff / S: David Love, Dawn Bender, Bryan Grant, Harvey B. Dunn, King Moody