Yoshifumi Tajima, born August 4, 1918 in Kobe, Japan, appeared in many Godzilla and Toho Company films. His first kaiju film was Rodan in 1956. He went on to star in Mothra (1961), King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), Ghidora, the Three-headed Monster (1964), Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965), Destroy All Monsters (1968), and The Return of Godzilla (1984).
Takehiro Murata, born March 18, 1960 in Tokyo, Japan, has appeared in five Godzilla movies. His first appearance was in Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth in 1992. He then appeared Godzilla vs. Destroyah (1995), Godzilla 2000 (1999), Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001), and Godzilla Against MechaGodzilla (2002). The last two he only had cameo appearances.
He was nominated by the Japanese Academy Awards for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle for Earth.
Godzilla, "The King of the Monsters", got his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, November 29, 2004, fifty years before he stomped onto movie screens and all over Tokyo. The unveiling came just before the premiere of Godzilla: Final Wars. Godzilla was created by nuclear testing and has been protecting the Earth from aliens and King Ghidorah ever since.
Nick Adams, born July 10 1931 in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, was best known for his role in the television series The Rebel and was nominated for an Oscar for Twilight of Honor. But he starred in Godzilla vs. Monster Zero (King Ghidorah) in 1965. He starred in three Japanese monster movies during his time in the country.
He played a cocky, smug astronaut alongside Akira Takarada, who must deal with aliens from Planet X.
The first movie in the trilogy Rebirth of Mothra was released in Japan, December 14, 1996. Mothra is called upon to save the world from King Ghidorah who has been encased for millenia underground. A lumber company has released him from his slumber and he goes on a rampage. Mothra and her son-caterpillar battle him but Mothra is killed. The son-caterpillar transforms into an even larger Mothra and takes revenge for his mother's murder.
King Ghidorah gets his butt kicked seven ways to Sunday!
The third film in the trilogy, Rebirth of Mothra III, was released in Japan December 12, 1998. For the three films, Mothra's powers have been beefed up since her Godzilla days. In Rebirth of Mothra III, she has the power to travel back in time!
A meteor crashes to Earth bringing everyone's favorite bad guy, King Ghidorah, with it. The three-headed menace begins snatching up children and trapping them in a glowing orb, feeding off their life energies. The twin fairies (not the Cosmos in the trilogy) summon Rainbow Mothra who barely manages to defeat King Ghidorah by dropping him into a volcano.
All is not okay, and Mothra has to travel back to the age of dinosaurs to defeat a younger King Ghidorah. This new Mothra has armor plating and more kick-ass powers.
Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster, released the previous December in Japan, made its way to big screens in the U.S. September 13, 1965.
In one of the better movies with King Ghidrah or King Ghidorah, this one did NOT have aliens promising to rid Earth of Godzilla and then replacing him with the three-headed monster. In this movie, an alien has taken over the mind of a princess and prophesies about the coming of Godzilla, Rodan and King Ghidorah.
Japan is helpless against the monsters so they contact the Cosmos and ask them to have Mothra intercede. Mothra manages to unite Godzilla and Rodan and the three of them defeat King Ghidorah.
The ninth picture in the Godzilla series, Destroy All Monsters, was unleashed on Japaneses audiences August 1, 1968. U.S. audiences had to wait until May the next year to see it.
In one big departure from other Godzilla movies, in Destroy All Monsters, mankind has actually managed to contain all Earth's monsters, including Rodan, Mothra and the G-Man himself on an island, Monsterland. Why didn't they deploy the same measures earlier? Or after? But it quickly becomes a plot that Toho Company will use over and over again.
And then again.
Aliens arrive and unleash the monsters from Monsterland and set them attacking the world. Godzilla attacks the UN building in New York City. Rodan destroys Moscow and Mothra goes after Beijing.
With Earth's forces dealing with the monsters, the aliens establish an underground fort near Mount Fuji. A brave force destroys the aliens' outpost on the moon and free the monsters from the alien influence.
But then the aliens unleash...wait for it...King Ghidorah. And the plot is complete.
The movie features 11 monsters featured in previous Godzilla and other Japanese movies that aren't connected with the G-Man films, such as Baragon (Frankenstein Conquers the World), Gorosaurus (King Kong Escapes), Manda (Atragon) and Varan (Daikaiju Baran [Don't ask. I don't know what it means, either.]).
Yoshio Tsuchiya, born May 18, 1927 in Japan, was a prolific actor who appeared in several Godzilla movies. One of his first appearances was the classic film Seven Samurai in 1954, but then he went on to star in Godzilla Raids Again, Son of Godzilla, and Destroy All Monsters. His final appearance was in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah in 1991.
Kenji Sahara, born May 14, 1932 in Kanagawa, Japan, is an Japanese actor, but his real name is Masayoshi Kato. He initially used the name Tadashi Ishihara before changing it to Kenji Sahara, when he got the lead role in Rodan in 1956.
He starred in the original Godzilla in 1954 and has starred in more Godzilla series than any other actor.
With actor Akihiko Hirata, Sahara starred in the debuts of Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra and King Ghidorah!
One of Japan's finest actors and a descendant of the samurai class, Takashi Shimura was born March 12, 1905. He found success playing samurai characters and starred in the classic Seven Samurai. But later that year, he appeared in Godzilla as Dr. Kyohei Yamane-hakase, which made him famous outside of Japan. He reprised the role in the sequel Godzilla Raids Again. His final Godzilla appearance came in 1964 in Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster.
Tall, thin Japanese actor Hideyo Amamoto, born January 2, 1926 in Japan, had a lengthy film career that included several Godzilla movies. His first appearance was an uncredited role in the 1954 film The Garden of Women. His first appearance in a Godzilla movie was Ghidrah, the Three-Headed Monster in 1964. Next he was in Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, then the forgettable All Monsters Attack.
His final role before his death was Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack (2001). He passed away in March 2003.
Akihiko Hirata, born December 26, 1927 in Kyogo, South Korea, has been in more Godzilla movies than anyone! He played Dr. Serizawa in the original movie Godzilla in 1954. He went on to star in Rodan (1956), Mothra (1961), Ghidorah, the Three-headed Monster (1964), Godzilla vs the Sea Monster (1966), Son of Godzilla (1967), Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla (1974) and The Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975).
He is the only actor to appear in the debuts of monsters Godzilla, Rodan, Mothra, King Ghidorah and Mechagodzilla!
I just found out yesterday that prolific and handsome Japanese actor Katsuhiko Sasaki celebrated his birthday the day before that, December 24. He was born Christmas Eve in 1944 in Tokyo, Japan. One of our cable channels hosted a Godzilla marathon yesterday and I got to see at least part of one, Godzilla vs Megalon. I also got to see the beginning of the Terror of Mechagodzilla and recognized the same actor.
Katsuhiko Sasaki has been in four Godzilla films, including the two mentioned above and Godzilla vs Biollante and Godzilla vs King Ghidorah.
Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster was released in Japan December 20, 1964, coming off the success of King Kong vs Godzilla. It's the first movie to feature King Ghidorah, the first where Godzilla isn't destroyed or defeated and the first to portray Godzilla as a 'hero.'
It is the last movie to feature the Ito Sisters as the Cosmos and the final appearance of Takashi Shimura in a Godzilla film.
Invasion of Astro-Monster (Godzilla vs Monster Zero, Invasion of Planet X or The Great Monster War, among many others) was released December 19, 1965 in Japan. U.S. audiences had to wait another 5 years before they could see it in American theatres.
Aliens from Planet X, from the dark side of Jupiter, come to Earth to ask if they can borrow Godzilla and Rodan to rid their planet of the hideous Monster Zero (Astro-Monster, etc.) Of course, the humans, being glad to get rid of the G-Man and Rodan, agree. Then they find out the aliens have an ulterior motive. Chaos ensues.
We've seen this before but the one that sets this movie above the others is the Godzilla Dance!!
I don't know why I post the anniversary of this movie's release every year. Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack, released December 15, 2001, is the first film to feature King Ghidorah in a "hero" role and I just can't have him being the "good guy" and Godzilla being the "bad guy".
Anyway, the movie has some great battle scenes. I've only managed to sit through this one twice.
Time travelers from the 23rd century appear in Japan and promise to rid the country of Godzilla forever. (It isn't as though the Japanese have heard this line before.) With the help of three people, the Futurians travel back even further to 1944 to remove a dinosaur from Lagos Island which became Godzilla after exposed to radioactivity.
From the "why didn't we see this coming?" department, the time travelers release King Ghidorah to destroy Japan so they can rebuild it in their own image.
Robert Scott Field gives an Oscar-worthy performance in his role as Android M-11. Here is a scene from the movie where Field is at the top of his game!
This one ranks down at the bottom of my list, just above "Godzilla's Revenge". I mean, come on, guys!! King Ghidorah as a good guy and the G-Man is evil? How much sake had you been drinking that day?
Here's the trailer in Japanese. Makes about as much sense as the rest of the movie.
For an early movie, this one had a surprisingly good (i.e. not nearly as super-campy) plot. A princess from a small country leaps from a plane just before it is blown up by assassins. She re-appears in Japan possessed by a Martian, showing up at sites where Godzilla and Rodan are hibernating. A strange meteorite falls to Earth. As it happens, the meteorite contains King Ghidorah, the monster that destroyed the Martian's planet.
To save the Earth, the Cosmos and Mothra have to convince Godzilla and Rodan to stop attacking each other and join forces to defeat King Ghidorah.
