Above, Haruo Nakajima. Could he and his alter ego be the ones who revives Japan's tourism industry?
It is amazing how things can go viral over the Internet.
A few days ago, I posted a blog "Can Godzilla Save The Japanese Tourism Industry?" at Monster Island News, Godzilla 2012 and Armand's Rancho Del Cielo blogs. I posed the question in this way:
Getting up this evening from much-needed sleep (I have to work the graveyard shift in Burbank again tonight), I found an email about a Twitter Tweet from Tom Baker of The Daily Yomiuri:
Can Godzilla help save Japan's tourism industry? Monster expert @ArmandV comments on an editorial from @DailyYomiuri.
I think Godzilla would be a great help in saving Japan's tourism industry. He's as internationally recognizable as Mickey Mouse. Of course, the tourism industry would need the cooperation from Godzilla's owner, Toho Co., Ltd., but ads featuring the King of the Monsters promoting Japan tourism could do the trick. Also, taking on Haruo Nakajima, the original Godzilla suit actor, as a goodwill ambassador in a advertising campaign for Japan tourism would be a plus. Given his age (he's 82), his participation would have to be limited a bit. But seeing the crowds gather around him on Hollywood Blvd. (see photo below from his daughter Sonoe) convinced me that he could be useful. And, I think he'd have a ball!
Above, Haruo Nakajima drew a crowd on Hollywood Blvd. last month. Photo courtesy of Sonoe Nakajima.
As I said before, the Japanese tourism industry needs to think "outside of the box" to get travelers over to Japan. It's worth a try!
Checking Google, I found that a number of websites have picked up on the posts. They range from other bloggers to travel websites. Maybe the Japanese travel professionals and tourism bureaus (especially the Japan National Tourism Organization) will get the hint?
Wouldn't be cool to see Godzilla and Haruo Nakajima featured in promotions for Japan travel? They would certainly catch a lot of attention!
Both Godzilla and Haruo Nakajima are valuable resources that could and should be tapped. We'll see what develops.
Above, Haruo Nakajima (right) during his Godzilla days. Can Godzilla and Nakajima help save the Japanese tourism industry?
Getting up this evening from much-needed sleep (I have to work the graveyard shift in Burbank again tonight), I found an email about a Twitter Tweet from Tom Baker of The Daily Yomiuri:
Can Godzilla help save Japan's tourism industry? Monster expert @ArmandV comments on an editorial from @DailyYomiuri.
I think Godzilla would be a great help in saving Japan's tourism industry. He's as internationally recognizable as Mickey Mouse. Of course, the tourism industry would need the cooperation from Godzilla's owner, Toho Co., Ltd., but ads featuring the King of the Monsters promoting Japan tourism could do the trick. Also, taking on Haruo Nakajima, the original Godzilla suit actor, as a goodwill ambassador in a advertising campaign for Japan tourism would be a plus. Given his age (he's 82), his participation would have to be limited a bit. But seeing the crowds gather around him on Hollywood Blvd. (see photo below from his daughter Sonoe) convinced me that he could be useful. And, I think he'd have a ball!
Above, Haruo Nakajima drew a crowd on Hollywood Blvd. last month. Photo courtesy of Sonoe Nakajima.
As I said before, the Japanese tourism industry needs to think "outside of the box" to get travelers over to Japan. It's worth a try!
Above, Haruo Nakajima and his daughter Sonoe pose at the Godzilla star on Hollywood Blvd. Mr. Nakajima played a major role in the popularity of the Godzilla character which led to the Walk of Fame honor. Photo courtesy of Sonoe Nakajima.
The original Godzilla, Haruo Nakajima, conquered Hollywood while he was in Southern California as a special guest at this year's Monsterpalooza in Burbank.
Above, ever the performer, Haruo Nakajima poses with the Godzilla star for the tourists. Photo courtesy of Sonoe Nakajima.
While he was here, and during some free time, he was taken to Hollywood Blvd. and posed with the Godzilla star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star is located in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater.
Sonoe sent several of their personal photos of their visit and these are some of them.
Above, back home in Japan, Mr. Nakajima poses with his Certificate of Welcome from the Mayor of Los Angeles. Photo courtesy of Sonoe Nakajima.
Above, Haruo Nakajima gives his famous "Godzilla attack" pose at Godzilla's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Photo courtesy of Sonoe Nakajima.
After getting home from work tonight, I found an email from Sonoe Nakajima in Japan with photographs of her and her dad's visit to Hollywood. The photos accompanying this blog post are just part of what she sent of their personal collection.
Above, Haruo and Sonoe Nakajima pose at the Hollywood Sign. Photo courtesy of Sonoe Nakajima.
Back in early April, the original Godzilla, Haruo Nakajima and his daughter Sonoe, attended Monsterpalooza at the Burbank Marriott Hotel and Convention Center. Mr. Nakajima was a special guest of Monsterpalooza.
Mr. Nakajima was a big hit at the show, and that's an understatement!
While in Los Angeles, the Nakajimas were taken around Los Angeles by August Ragone, David Chapple and others. Their stops included the Hollywood Sign up Beachwood Canyon and Godzilla's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater on Hollywood Blvd.
Above, Haruo Nakajima drew a crowd on Hollywood Blvd. Photo courtesy of Sonoe Nakajima.
The Nakajima's visit to the Godzilla star on Hollywood Blvd. was originally going to be a nice, quiet visit. However, once word got around to the tourists on the boulevard that Godzilla himself was in their midst, they gathered around to have their pictures taken with him (photo above).
One can tell from these photographs that the Nakajimas had a great time while visiting Hollywood!
The Japan National Tourist Organization (JNTO) ought to hire Mr. Nakajima. He'd make a great "goodwill ambassador!"
Above, the original Toho Nichigeki Theater circa 1961. Note the movie marquee on the right and what movie is playing there. (Kudos to John "Dutch" DeSentis for finding this shot!) The Yurakucho Mullion Building (featured in "Return of Godzilla" (1984)) now occupies this site.
In 1954, Godzilla rampaged through Tokyo, including the exclusive shopping district of Ginza.
Oooh, it tickles!
There is a scene in the movie where Godzilla steps on some train tracks. The electrical current courses through his body, causing his tail to wildly whip about until it hits a birthday cake-shaped building. This building was Toho's Nichigeki Theater.
Above, Godzilla approaches the Nichigeki Theater (left).
Above, as Godzilla steps on the train tracks, his tail whips about as the electricity from the tracks course through his body. The Nichigeki Theater is in the background.
Above, the Nichigeki Theater is smashed by Godzilla's tail.
The scene was intended as an "inside joke" for the patrons screening Godzilla (1954) in the very theater that gets smashed in the movie.
The Site Today
Today, the Nichigeki Theater has been replaced by the Yurakucho Mullion Building. There is a Toho Nichigeki Theater inside the the complex, but the current Nichigeki Theater is a multi-screen theater similar to what is found in shopping malls in the U.S. I saw Space Battleship Yamato at the Nichigeki last December.
Also within the complex, is the Picadilly Theaters where Gamera The Brave (2006) was premiered.
Above, the Yurakucho Mullion Building today. The Toho Cinemas Nichigeki multi-plex is housed within.
Last October, I posted a blog on Hibiya's Godzilla Statue. This is a companion blog on the Godzilla statue that now stands at the entrance to Toho Studios.
Back in 2004, Godzilla Final Wars was announced as the last Toho-produced Godzilla movie for at least a decade due to dwindling boxoffice receipts.
After Godzilla Final Wars was released, Toho made some major changes to their studios in the Setaygaya ward of Tokyo in the ensuing years.
Out were some old soundstages, administrative buildings (including a 1950s era snack bar) and the famous big pool, where Godzilla's water scenes were shot.
New and modern soundstages were erected along with new administrative facilities. Part of the modernization of Toho Studios was a new front gate with a giant mural of one of Toho's most revered movies, Seven Samurai.
Along with the Seven Samurai mural, the new main gate now has a man-sized statue of Toho's biggest star, Godzilla.
Above, Armand with the Godzilla statue at Toho Studios.
The statue is taller than me (I'm 5'11") and its design is of the Heisei series Godzilla. I'd hazard a guess that it stands about seven feet tall.
Above, Godzilla's tail gouges a wall behind him. The main gate and the bottom portion of the "Seven Samurai" mural are in the background.
Toho Studios does not provide tours of their facilities, but fans can go to Setagaya to view the statue, the Seven Samurai mural and the studios on the outside.
Information on how to reach Toho Studios is provided in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.
I just got tipped off to a great Godzilla movie festival at Washburn University (Kansas) this weekend. It's actually a Godzilla film festival with a touch of Frankenstein thrown in for good measure. Now I don't expect all of you to start packing for Topeka immediately after reading this, but if you are close by you should check it out.
Here is the press release:
The big green guy is stomping back to Washburn University for the sixth annual Godzilla and Friends Festival on May 6 and 7. No admission is charged and the public is invited to this event that celebrates the cultural history behind the giant creature in all of its bizarre diversity.
Events are planned 7 to 10 p.m. Friday, May 6, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, May 7, with film and trailer screenings, various commentaries, contests and giveaways in room 112 of the Henderson Learning Resources Center.
A contest to see who can put forth the best imitation of the monster Japanese film star will be Saturday afternoon. All films will be shown in English. The new edition of the festival includes the theme of “Monster Mash,” in which numerous giant monsters compete for screen time and challenge one another.
The schedule is:
May 6 (Friday)
7 p.m.: “Destroy All Monsters,” (1969), features monsters from the earlier series plus creatures who warranted their own feature films, such as “Varan, the Unbelieveable.” Previews of other monster films will be shown.
May 7 (Saturday)
“Ghidorah, The Three Headed Monster,” (1964). Created by Toho Studios, this giant creature is an unusual adversary who was resurrected many times to Battle Godzilla. Here he meets Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra in what would be the fifth entry in the initial Godzilla (Gojira) series.
“Monster Mash” entry I: “House of Frankenstein,” (1944), starring Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney Jr. and includes the Wolf Man, Count Dracula, the Frankenstein Monster, the mad doctor and the hunchback.
“Monster Mash” entry II: “How to Make a Monster,” (1958). Teenage Frankenstein and Werewolf are at the mercy of a studio make-up artist gone mad. A cheapie black and white movie that ends in a firey color climax.
Bill Tsutsui, author and University of Kansas professor, will share his experiences during the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
A surprise feature film will conclude event.
The Godzilla and Friends Film Festival VI is hosted by KTWU TV and is made possible with support from the Washburn University office of international programs, office of multicultural affairs and Center for Diversity Studies, the Center for East Asian Studies at the University of Kansas and donations from audience members.
In conjunction with the festival, KTWU will show their own giant monster movie, “The Giant Gila Monster,” at 10:30 p.m. Saturday, May 7. This oddball offering from 1959 is a “Godzilla” knock-off in which a giant gila monster roams the desert and attacks trains and people before finally being stopped by a band of industrious teenagers. The special effects are of the low-tech variety with miniature trains being burned with match-size flames.
For information, call Bill Shaffer at 785-670-1111.
Godzilla, Frankenstein and The Giant Gila Monster? Kansas is the hip place to be this weekend monster maniacs!
"Godzilla, Frankenstein and Gila Monsters! Oh, My! Now I... I know we're not in Kansas!"
Toho's iconic monster Godzilla unleashes one of his earth-shattering screams on this t-shirt. The T-shirt has Godzilla raging with "Kreeeaung!" in giant letters! Fear the legendary monster! This 100% cotton, high-quality silver t-shirt is pre-shrunk and machine washable. Order yours today!
Written By: Ken Hulsey Sources: Avery Guerra / Robert Hood
Ohio based Mitch Teemley and the folks over at Moriah Media are about to lampoon one of the largest movie franchises ever, a iconic movie series that the great Mel Brooks never had the stones to take on himself. I am, of course, talking about the "King of Monsters" ...... Godzilla.
Okay, I know what your thinking. "Wow! Hold on lawyer alert! Legal team ready......ATTACK!!!!
Over the past several years Toho has shown that they are more than happy, and willing, to sue anyone that produces anything that remotely resembles their beloved monster. This time, surprisingly, the famed Japanese movie company has given their blessing at having "Big G" parodied by an American film company ..... more on that in a moment.
Teemly has a script at the ready for "Notzilla: Duke of the Monsters" a script that has already gained a lot of attention when it made it into the final round of the Worldfest Contest, one of the largest screenplay competitions in the world.
After the screenplay was so widely praised Teemly actually stuck it under the nose of Toho to see if they had any interest in developing it into a film.
The film maker explains, "Actually I offered the project to Toho not long after I wrote it. They weren’t interested in spoofing their own films, but wished us well. Parodies are not plagiarism; if they were, Saturday Night Live would have been shut down 35 years ago! Notzilla will not feature any footage from Toho films, nor will the monster be a visual copy of Godzilla."
Understanding why Toho may not want to lampoon their own monster Teemly then set his sights on making the film here in America with a big budget and with any luck a major studio behind him.
He adds, "Notzilla is intended for mainstream release (we have serious interest from both the majors and large indie distributors), and Moriah Media is for-profit company, by the way. A Fox Searchlight analyst estimated a $40 million North American box office gross; international box office is expected to exceed that. We are actively seeking completion funding!"
That's a lot of greenbacks!
Teemly knew that if he wanted to get a studio to take him seriously he would have to produce something visual to go along with his beloved screenplay. A teaser trailer was in order!
Check out the great clip that Moriah Media produced!
But wait .... that's not all!
Teemly then set out to get some "star power" for his "Notzilla" film and landed Patrick Warburton, who you may remember from the spoof superhero series, "The Tick". Just like when Franklin J. Schaffner landed Charlton Heston for a "talking monkey movie" no one was interested in called "Planet of the Apes"Teemly hopes the presence of Warburton will add credibility to his production and ultimately aide in getting the backing he needs.
The film maker notes, "Patrick Warburton is attached to star. I wrote the lead role of the “brilliant young American scientist”, Dr Dick Harvard (who’s actually not very brilliant nor very young) for him. All of the other leads are Japanese.
"Notzilla" has not yet been filmed. We are in the midst of capitalization and are using the teaser to generate investor interest. I appeared as a guest at G-Fest in Chicago last year and read segments of the screenplay to a very enthusiastic crowd. We’ve lined up some crack crew heads: Production Designer Robert Harbour designed sets for Heroes and X-Files; multi-Emmy winning Director of Photography Jeff Barklage shot the teaser; Oscar-nominated producer Melissa Godoy is also attached to oversee production."
Here is the story:
In the future (1975), “brilliant young American scientist” Dr Dick Harvard (played by not-so-brilliant and not-so-young Raymond L. Suave) leads a team of crack scientists in atomic testing (no one knows why) near Yomama Bay. The unexpected result (these scientists don’t watch enough B-pictures): a prehistoric egg is shaken loose, after being exposed to massive amounts of radiation. Of course.
Dick’s mentor, “brilliant old Japanese scientist”, Dr Nissan Toyota, succeeds in hatching a dinosaur! But then it escapes, and begins growing at an alarming rate. Of course.
Dr Toyota wants to save the creature. But Dick is certain it will attack Tokyo. “Because that’s what always happens”. The two split up. Dick goes off to build his atomic molecule blaster, which he admits will leave a radioactive cloud over Tokyo for fifty years (“but after that you’ll never even know it was there”), while Toyota seeks a gentler alternative that will keep the monster alive.
Notzilla attacks Tokyo. Sort of. Actually he’s on a lark, playing with the miniature city, reversing toy trains, eating plastic soldiers, running a touchdown with a blimp under his arm. He parties hard while thousands of people run screaming in the streets (actually a couple dozen of the same people run screaming over and over again).
The army, led by General Buzz Kurosawa (George Takei—Star Trek, Heroes), is powerless to stop the monster (though Kurosawa, an amateur filmmaker, does get some great footage). Dick completes his controversial molecule blaster. He’s about to use it when Dr. Toyota shows up with his alternative device. In a rage, Dick accidentally turns the blaster on himself, resulting in his own over-the-top death scene—which schlock actor Raymond L. Suave had hoped would result in an Oscar nomination. It didn’t.
Toyota’s device stops Notzilla, but does not kill him, leaving the creature free to defend Tokyo from other latex monsters in the future!
- also -
"Notzilla" purports to be a restored print of a 1966 Japanese film, a long-lost classic of the genre. It begins with a special “anniversary release” prologue in which Rudy McBernstein, president of Great Big Impressive Pictures International, introduces viewers to the 1966 masterpiece, "Notzilla, the Duke of Monsters", the last film ever to feature American TV star Raymond L. Suave (Patrick Warburton).
How can you not love that?!
Teemly adds, "Notzilla is a classic monster movie spoof with heart—it makes a gently teasing statement about cultural arrogance. Also … reversing the trend toward raunchy, R-rated parodies, Notzilla is a family-friendly PG film with positive values. It’s clean enough for grandparents to take their grandkids to … and hip enough for college guys to drag their girlfriends to. Everyone will love Notzilla!"
Everyone should .... and if they don't they should be taken out in the desert and ...... wait ..... I got a little worked up there .... sorry.
Here are some bullet points that Teemly wants everyone to know:
The expected budget is $1.5 million. There’s a complete package (Investors Memorandum and Business Plan) available for any potential investors out there. It’s a great opportunity; they expect return on investment in the 1,000 to 2,000% range.
They’re looking at a 2012 shoot and a 2013 release.
No, there are no other daikaiju, aliens, or creatures. Notzilla is basically a spoof of the original one-monster flicks (Godzilla/Gojira, Mothra, Rodan, Gamera, etc.), rather than the “versus” films. It’s in colour, of course, widescreen, and utilizes a single Anglo-American actor in a lead role as did a number of the Toho films.
All f/x will be suitmation and miniatures, since Notzilla purports to be a film made in the pre-CGI era. Other vintage f/x will include rear-screen projection, robotics, and cheezy practicals—shaking the camera, for example, to indicate an explosion.
Here some stills from the promo trailer and a couple of sketches of the monster:
IDW has just released the cover art and information about their July issues. Included in that was the low-down on "Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters" #4 and "Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths" #2 which should be of extreme interest to anyone who reads MIN ....... and loves Godzilla.
Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters #5
Eric Powell & Tracy Marsh (w) • Victor Dos Santos (a) • Eric Powell, Jeff Zornow (c)
After last issue's momentous tussle of giants, it's now painfully clear that Armageddon has descended on the human race. The government's bungled attempts to thwart the giant monsters have left an infrastructure in ruin and a nomad society desperately struggling to survive. And also... GIANT MONSTER
FIGHTS! Destruction abounds in this issue of Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters, featuring new artist Victor Dos Santos!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99 *2 regular covers will be shipped in a 4-to-1 ratio (4 Eric Powell, 1 Jeff Zornow cover) *Variants: Matt Frank Ghidorah cover
Godzilla: Gangsters & Goliaths #2 (of 5)
John Layman (w) • Alberto Ponticelli (a) • James Stokoe, Ponticelli, (c)
Detective MakotoSato returns from Monster Island and he's brought some unusual new friends. Heading straight to the corrupt Chief of Police, Sato makes it clear he'll bring justice to the streets of Tokyo no matter what. To prove his point, Sato decides to show off his new partner... MOTHRA! But Sato might be biting off more than he can chew... after all, there's more than one monster in town! FC • 32 pages • $3.99
*2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio *Variants: B&W Stokoe cover
We, of course, published the "A" cover for "Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters" in an article a mouth ago. Anguirus of King Ghidorah? Can't go wrong with either of those!
Other titles to get all geeked up about:
Rocketeer Adventures #3 (of 4)
Joe R. Lansdale, Jonathan Ross, Ryan Sook (w) • Tommy Lee Edwards, Ryan Sook, Bruce Timm (a) • Alex Ross, Dave Stevens (c)
The third rollicking issue of Rocketeer Adventures goes from high-spirited pulp adventures from a decidedly unexpected source, to the too-cool junior Rocketeer brigade—plus another rollicking tale, and a couple of beautiful pin-ups—it just doesn't get any better than this! *2 regular covers will be shipped in a 4-to-1 ratio (4 Alex Ross, 1 Dave Stevens sketch cover)
FC • 32 pages • $3.99 *Variants: Alex Ross variant sketch cover Rocketeer #3 Black & White Edition (The entire comic in b&w!)
- And -
Doctor Who #7
Tony Lee (w) • Matthew Dow Smith (a) • Tommy Lee Edwards, photo (c)
When Worlds Collide: Part 2 of 3—Separated into three worlds, the Doctor battles dinosaurs on a flying carpet, Rory pulls the sword in the stone to fight Wild West gunfighters, and Amy joins the French Resistance to fight the Sontarans. Only the TARDIS can join the worlds together, but where is it?
*2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio. FC • 32 pages • $3.99 *Variants: Matthew Dow Smith cover
Due to the incredible response to IDW's recent promotional idea of customising the cover for the first issue of "Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters" to feature any comic book shop that ordered 500 copies or more (some 70 shops responded) the release date had to be pushed back to April 30th.
Now, IDW is offering a chance for Godzilla fans to own every single variant cover, 83 in all, via an eBay auction the proceeds of which will be donated to aide in Japanese disaster relief.
Here is the press release:
Godzilla fans can get each and every one of the 83 variant issues IDW created for the first printing of our brand new GODZILLA: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #1, and it’s for a good cause!
This March, IDW unleashed an unprecedented promotion in the comics market. A chance for retailers to have their stores smashed by Godzilla! When the final count was done, there were 83 covers of this landmark issue. Through this auction, one lucky reader will become the proud owner of each of those 83 variant issues, while donating much-needed funds to help the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
All comics are in mint, unread condition. The auction includes:
75 “Smash Your Store” retailer exclusive covers
Both regular covers, one each by Alex Ross and Eric Powell
The rare Eric Powell retailer incentive cover
The WonderCon exclusive cover
The four, never-before-seen IDW covers, signed by the employees featured on each cover
GODZILLA: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #1 is written by Eric Powell and Tracy Marsh, with art by Phil Hester, and covers by Powell and Alex Ross. In this debut issue, the King of the Monsters rises again, and for the first time in comics, he’s bringing lots of other beloved Toho monsters with him in one destructive saga.
God knows I want to get my hands on all of those! Unfortunately I'm just a blogger ..... and not a doctor or lawyer, so such purchases are beyond my limited wallet.
Unless, you would want to buy all of those comics, then give them to me for Christmas ..... or my birthday ....?
When monster movie fans think of the names Godzilla, King Kong, Rodan, Mothra and Varan they most often times have fond memories of 200-foot-tall creatures stepping on buildings while terrified townspeople flee for their lives in terror. Though these monsters may be household names to just about everyone, the man who actually climbed into the hot and cumbersome costumes to make them come to life has been an unsung hero who has very rarely received any credit.
That man is HaruoNakajima, a Japanese actor who from 1954 to 1972 put on the heavy rubber costumes to play Toho's most famous movie monsters.
Nakajima started out in the Japanese movie industry as a bit player in the early 1950's. The eager young actor was mostly cast as a background extra and often times found himself on the wrong end of a sword, that is, until one day EijiTsuburaya (known as the father of Japanese special effects) approached him about volunteering for a risky stunt. The film that would ultimately bring both Nakajima and Tsuburaya together was the WWII action film "Operation Kamikaze" in which a pilot was to emerge from a crashed aircraft completely engulfed in flames. A stunt where an actor was to be set on fire had never been attempted in Japan before and Tsuburaya was looking for someone brave enough to be the guinea pig. Nakajima was the only actor to step forward when called.
As fate would have it, a year later Tsuburaya would be looking for someone to once again do something never before attempted in a Japanese movie, this time however he needed an actor to wear a heavy monster costume made of melted car tires for a film called "Gojira" (Godzilla). As Nakajima explains Tsuburaya, and the film's director Ishiro Honda (who also directed Operation Kamikaze) knew exactly who to call, "The film makers were scratching their heads wondering who they could get to put on the suit, then the remembered my stunt. They thought, hey let's get that guy we set on fire last year."
Though Nakajima didn't know what he was about to get himself into, he accepted the job, if for nothing else, to keep himself employed.
Nakajima endured wearing that 200-pound costume for the entire filming of "Gojira". Though other actors were cast to play the monster, only Nakajima could tolerate the costume, long working hours and awful filming conditions.
The filming for "Gojira" took place in the summer of 1954, which would be one of the hottest on record in Japan. Since the stages at Toho had no air conditioning and because Nakajima had to wear that heavy costume, the production was moved from a normal shooting during the day to a 5pm to 5am schedule. According to the actor "The crew often times said that the shooting schedule was the real Gojira (Monster)."
The success of "Gojira" spawned numerous sequels and other special effects driven films. Every time one of those films needed a monster Nakajima was called upon to do the dirty work. In the sequel to Gojira/Godzilla, entitled "Godzilla Raids Again" Nakajima's character was pitted against another monster, Anguirus, who was played by fellow actor KatsumiTezuka. Nakajima took Tezuka under his wing to teach him how to act in the monster's cumbersome costume. Though the actor did his best, Nakajima knew that his understudy didn't have what it took, "He had a hard time in the costume and he could only move around in it for short periods of time."
As the years kept coming so did the monster roles for Nakajima. Next came "Rodan" then "Varan" and then "Mothra". The filming was long, hard and very dangerous. Nakajima admits that he was injured in some way or another on every single production. On the set of "Varan" the actor was hurt very seriously when a miniature building blew up underneath him. Despite being in severe pain he never let anyone know about it, "I felt like I could have gone to the hospital, but I knew if I had to go then the crew would have to go home, and not get payed for the time, so I stuck it out."
Likewise on the set of "Rodan" a cable snapped while Nakajima was inside the monster's costume suspended some 10-meters above the sound stage, "The cable broke and I began to spin wildly before the whole thing gave way and I came crashing to the ground. Luckily the costume had wings and I landed in the water which protected me."
Tsuburaya was very pleased to see that Nakajima was okay stating, "I'm glad that you didn't die."
Nakajima notes that not all of the parts he played were difficult, in fact the role of Moguera in "The Mysterians" was literally a walk in the park, "The role was easy, all the robot did was walk around and the suit was light."
Nakajima's hardest role came in 1967 when he was called upon to play another world-famous monster, King Kong, in "King Kong Escapes". The actor recalls, "The monster was very hard to play because the suit was so different. The arms were long, longer than my own, and I had to use sticks to control the hands, also the legs were short so I had to walk all hunched over."
On the set of "Frankenstein Conquers the World" Nakajima had the pleasure of showcasing his martial arts skills against fellow actor KojiFuruhata (as Frankenstein). Likewise he would also get to showcase his fighting skills three years later, this time against YûSekida in "War of the Gargantuas".
Nakajima remembers sparing against Furuhata and giving the young man a few tips on acting, "The guy that they got to play opposite me wasn't an actor so I had to take some time to teach him how to work in front of the camera. I did enjoy working with him though, we got to match our martial arts skills. He was a black belt and I used my judo."
As Baragon, however, the actor had yet another unique experience on set, "The monster didn't fly as such, but had to leap great distances. There were four or so crew members with wires that had to pull as hard as they could to get me to launch forward."
Though playing monsters was hard, Nakajima never complained, thinking that he would be a fool to pass up such work, a fact that Tsuburaya playfully reminded him of on several occasions, "He would say to me 'even a fool could do this', so I never complained or said no."
Though Nakajima has played a vast number of monsters, it was revealed at this years Monsterpalooza that two of the monsters he has been credited as playing were not actually him at all. One being the insect-like Meganeuron from "Rodan" and the other being the giant walrus from "Gorath". When asked about these two monsters Nakajima stated that he never played them, though several pieces of documentation state that he did.
HaruoNakajima is not the only actor to ever play Godzilla, there were two others, but his ground-breaking work in the early days of Toho monster movies set a standard for which every other suit actor would be measured. He gave the "King of the Monsters" and his brethren life and helped establish the monster as a world-wide cinema icon. His hours of hard work has brought such joy to movie fans around the world. It is only fitting that this unsung hero of the silver screen get the kudos that he much deserves.
Above, Haruo Nakajima. Could he and his alter ego be the ones who revives Japan's tourism industry?Above, Haruo Nakajima drew a crowd on Hollywood Blvd. last month. Photo courtesy of Sonoe Nakajima.
