King Of The Monsters (1956)

SEE! A monstrous sea-beast...surging up from the ocean! ..... a city of six-million wiped out by its ray blast ! ... Giant ships swamped! Jet planes swept from the skies ! Trains ripped from the rails ! MORE ! MORE ! MORE ! SEE EVERY SCREEN-SHATTERING THRILL!

IMDB Rating: 6.6

Plot:
When American reporter Steve Martin investigates a series of mysterious disasters off the coast of Japan, he comes face to face with an ancient creature so powerful and so terrifying, it can reduce Tokyo to a smoldering graveyard. Nuclear weapon testing resurrected this relic from the Jurassic age, and now it's rampaging across Japan. At night, Godzilla wades through Tokyo leaving death and destruction in his wake, disappearing into Tokyo Bay when his rage subsides. Coventional weapons are useless against him; but renowned scientist Dr. Serizawa has discovered a weapon that could destroy all life in the bay -- including Godzilla. But which disaster is worse, Godzilla's fury, or the death of Tokyo Bay?

Goofs:

 * In one scene of the movie, in the court, where Dr. Yamane is giving some information based on his scientific expertise about the Godzilla, he pronounces the word "phenomenon" wrongly as "phenonemon" at least two times.
 * In his deposition upon returning from Odo Island, Dr. Yamani - supposedly Japan's foremost paleontologist - says that the Jurassic Age was "two million years ago," rather than the 144 million it actually was.
 * In the American version, during one scene Dr. Yamane's dialogue in Japanese contains the name "Godzilla" even though the monster hasn't appeared yet (revealing that this scene was originally later in the film).
 * As Steve Martin watches the "Godzilla" ceremony being performed on Odo Island, the same shots of the ceremony are repeated several times.
 * During one scene where Godzilla breathes his radioactive fire, the nozzle that provides the spray can clearly be seen inside his mouth.
 * The TV in Dr. Serizawa's laboratory goes from being off to playing with no one turning it on (the scene with the schoolchildren singing).
 * As Steve Martin and friend fly to Odo Island, the shot of them sitting in the helicopter was obviously filmed in front of a regular wall (the roof does not curve as it would in a helicopter, but instead goes straight up).
 * The airplanes are seen on strings.
 * After Godzilla drops the building on Steve Martin's head, the tail can be seen through the hole in the wall with its puppet strings clearly visible.
 * The photo shown at the press conference of Godzilla (which in reality is a painting) looks nothing like the real Godzilla, and is at an angle which the cameras on the hill could not have captured.
 * When Emiko is talking to Steve Martin in the hospital, her blouse is one plaid when seen from the front (scenes of the original actress in the Japanese version), but a different one when seen from behind (an American stand-in added for the American version).
 * In the American version scene where Masaji washes ashore on the raft, it said that he died shortly after the raft was brought on shore. However, he is very much alive when the reporter, Hagiwara, is interviewing the islanders and just before the house collapses when Godzilla comes ashore during the typhoon.

Trivia:

 * Godzilla's roar was made by dragging a resin-coated leather glove up and down a contrabass and having the subsequent recording slowed down significantly.
 * In the original Japanese version, there were several references not only to the atomic-bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki but also to the firebombing of Tokyo. These were deleted in the American version of the film.
 * The scenes shot for the US version were shot at Visual Drama Inc., 129 North Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles, California. Today, the former studio is now the Frank del Olmo Elementary School (formerly Belmont Elementary). On March 25, 2006, a plaque was dedicated at the school in commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the film's release in the US, a collaboration between the Godzilla Society of North America and Platrix Chapter No. 2, E Clampus Vitus.
 * The working title for the American version before the "King of Monsters" was added was "Godzilla, the Sea Monster".
 * Godzilla's roar did come from a contrabass, but the echoing sound came from playing the sound in an empty toilet tank and recording it.
 * In the American version, Godzilla's size was increased from 150 feet to nearly 400 feet because of the disparity between Japanese buildings (built short to meet earthquake codes) and American skyscrapers. It was felt that Godzilla's original size would be lost among the tall buildings of New York, the city most often compared to Tokyo.
 * American director/editor Terry O. Morse was so impressed with the original Japanese version that he had a print struck for his private collection.

Monster(s):

 * Gojira

Stars:
Raymond Burr as Steve Martin

Akira Takarada as Ogata