CLIVE REVILL DEAD AT 94

 

You can read the full story here.

He voiced the storyteller (narrator) in Dragon’s Lair; Agent Caldwell in Turbo Teen; Dr. Galeo Seaworthy in Snorks; Lord Belveshire and Dumas in two episodes of Pound Puppies (1986); Shakespeare and King Lear in an episode of Tiny Toon Adventures; Sorcerer Blowfish in two episodes of The Little Mermaid: The Animated Series; Alfred Pennyworth for three episodes and a police blimp radioman in Batman: The Animated Series; Baffeardin, Lyle Spanger, Inspector Hogan and Hermil Sioro in episodes of Freakazoid!; King Claudius in an episode of Pinky and the Brain; Eustace McPhail in an episode of Godzilla: The Series; a wizard in an episode of Pepper Ann; and the moderator in an episode of All Grown Up!. He also provided additional voices for The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries, Alvin and the Chipmunks (1983), Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, The Smurfs (1981), Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures, and the Tom & Jerry Kids Show.

BOB FOSTER DEAD AT 81

 

You can read the full story here.

He co-developed Road Rovers; did layouts for Yogi’s Gang, Wheelie and the Chopper Bunch, CB Bears, Scooby’s Laff-A-Lympics, Yogi’s Space Race, Jana of the Jungle, The New Shmoo, Godzilla (1978), Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Meatballs and Spaghetti, The Incredible Hulk (1982), Dragon’s Lair and Garfield and Friends; storyboards for Little Muppet Monsters, The New Archies, Camp Candy, Little Shop, Garfield and Friends, Superman: The Animated Series, Freakazoid!, Hercules: The Animated Series, Mickey Mouseworks, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Xiaolin Showdown, Tutenstein, Tom and Jerry Tales, and Captain Jake and the Never Land Pirates; was story director for The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley; and did models for Garfield and Friends.

25TH ANNIVERSARIES

 We head into the 90s with the shows turning

GODZILLA: THE SERIES

GODZILLA: THE SERIES

(FOX, September 12, 1998-April 22, 2000)

Adelaide Productions, Centropolis Television, Columbia TriStar Television

MAIN CAST:

Frank Welker – Godzilla

Ian Ziering – Dr. Niko “Nick” Tatopoulos

Charity James – Dr. Elsie Chapman

Malcolm Danare – Dr. Mendel Craven

Rino Romano – Randy Hernandez, various

Brigitte Bako – Monique Dupre

Tom Kenny – N.I.G.E.L., various                       

            After years of pressuring, film producer and distributor Henry G. Saperstein managed to convince Toho Co., Ltd. to allow him to pitch a new Godzilla film to Hollywood. Saperstein had been involved with co-producing and releasing the Japanese films in the United States. He brought up the availability of the Godzilla rights to Sony Pictures producers Cary Woods and Robert Fried, and, while they were interested, both Columbia and TriStar turned the idea down. Woods decided to go to the top and presented the idea to then-Chairman of the Board and CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment Peter Guber. Guber was enthusiastic about the possibility of acquiring an international brand and set the film up at TriStar.

The de Bont version of Godzilla.

            TriStar secured the rights to produce a trilogy of films in late 1992. Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio wrote the script for the first film in 1994, and Jan de Bont was named the film’s director. Pre-production was well underway for a 1996 release, but de Bont left the film when TriStar refused to approve his $100-120 million budget. Director Roland Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin were brought on after having previously turned it down, believing it was a silly idea. Their only stipulation: they could do the movie their own way. Although they liked the original script, they promptly discarded it and ignored the four-page list of rules Toho provided for the handling of the Godzilla franchise.

Maquette of the Tatopoulos version.

            Emmerich and Devlin decided to make Godzilla more of a creature fighting for survival. Patrick Tatopoulos was tapped to design the new Godzilla with the only instruction being “Make him able to run incredibly fast.” Tatopoulos designed Godzilla as a learn, iguana-like creature that stood with its back and tail parallel to the ground. His color scheme was meant to help Godzilla blend into the urban environment the movie would be taking place in. Tatopoulos created concept art and a 2-foot tall maquette to present at a meeting with Toho to pitch their idea. Toho chairman Isao Matsuoka, Godzilla producer Shogo Tomiyama, and special effects director Koichi Kawakita attended the meeting, and after Tomiyama met with Godzilla’s creator Tomoyuki Tanaka (whose failing health prevented his attending the meeting), they approved the project.

            Emmerich and Devlin wrote the script for the film and made several changes to the character to fit their vision. After discovering that certain lizards could burrow, they gave him that ability. Deeming the trademarked “atomic breath” too unbelievable, they exchanged it for “power breath”, which would have Godzilla simply blow things away (the atomic breath was restored in some fashion when word of the change was leaked and fan backlash was negative). They also made him able to lay hundreds of eggs via parthenogenesis, leading to offspring that could rapidly have their own and soon overrun the planet. Also, Emmerich didn’t like the concept of two monsters fighting and chose to make the primary opposition the military.

            The film centered on Godzilla (vocal effects provided by Frank Welker) being created after nuclear tests in French Polynesia in the 1940s and 50s. Biologist Dr. Niko “Nick” Tatopoulos (named after Patrick, played by Matthew Broderick) was recruited by the United States military to study the creature and tell them more about it as it made its way to Manhattan Island. There, Nick learned that Godzilla had come to lay eggs and encouraged the military to find his nest, but they decided to ignore his theory when his ex-girlfriend, struggling reporter Audrey Timmonds (Maria Pitillo), revealed classified information she stole from him. However, French secret service (DGSE) agent Phillippe Roche (Jean Reno), assigned to clean-up his country’s mess, believed in Nick’s idea and brought him on board to find and destroy the nest.

Godzilla on the hunt.

            Godzilla was released on May 20, 1998 to lackluster reviews. Members of the Japanese film productions who were supportive of the possibility of new ideas and a new life for the franchise were soured by the final result. Fans, annoyed by the changes and the lack of connection to previous iterations of Godzilla, coined the phrase GINO (Godzilla In Name Only) when talking about the movie. In later years, Devlin would admit they made a mistake in their depiction of Godzilla and how they handled the human characters in the film, and Emmerich for the lack of test-screening to find and fix problems as well as a rushed shooting schedule. Broderick, while liking the movie, felt that he might have been miscast. Ultimately, while the movie was a box office success, it had performed under TriStar’s expectations and the rest of their planned trilogy was cancelled.

            TriStar, believing the film couldn’t succeed without an aggressive marketing campaign, lined up license agreements with over 300 companies. TriStar also looked ahead to the future and worked on some media tie-ins to the franchise; one of those being an animated series. The series began production with Sony’s Adelaide Productions eight months before the film’s release, and was developed by Jeff Kline and Richard Raynis. Kline worked with Emmerich and Devlin to devise the series’ bible and had initial monster designs drawn up in order to try and sell it to a network. FOX agreed to order 40 episodes of the series for their Fox Kids block.

            Godzilla: The Series picked up almost immediately from where the film left off, although with a slight change to the ending. While one of Godzilla’s eggs did survive, this time Nick (Ian Ziering, replacing Jason Priestley who couldn’t commit beyond the first five episodes he recorded) was present when the baby Godzilla (Welker) hatched. The baby imprinted on Nick, and Nick decided to save him from destruction and study him. Nick formed a team called H.E.A.T., or Humanitarian Environmental (once Ecological) Analysis Team, which dealt with monsters created from ecological pollution. Joining Nick from the film was snarky behavioral expert Dr. Elsie Chapman (Charity James, replacing Vicki Lewis from the film) and cowardly engineer and chemist Dr. Mendel Craven (Malcolm Danare, reprising the role). Newly created for the show was intern and hacker Randy Hernandez (Rino Romano) and DGSE agent Monique Dupre (Brigitte Bako), who was sent to destroy Godzilla initially but was assigned to monitor him as part of the team indefinitely. N.I.G.E.L. (Tom Kenney), or Next-millennium Intelligence Gathering Electronic Liaison, was a robot created by Mendel and Randy that accompanied the team on their missions. Godzilla would be called upon to help deal with threats the team encountered, but ultimately the production decided to make it seem more like he was protecting his turf (Earth) rather than have him at the beck and call of the team as with the earlier Hanna-Barbera effort.

Godzilla, Mendel, Elise, Nick, Randy and Monique.

            In keeping with the immense secrecy surrounding the marketing of the film (Godzilla was never fully shown before the movie hit theaters), the series was produced under the name Heat Seekers (after the team’s boat in the show) and phony concept art of fire-based superheroes with a sheep dog made of pure fire was created to complete the illusion. Further conversations with Emmerich and Devlin were had to find out what elements and characters could be incorporated into the series, as well as general information on the film still in production. Fil Barlow designed the characters, basing their looks on their personalities with only a passing resemblance to their movie counterparts (mostly to avoid likeness rights issues). He also designed the overall appearance of the show before turning his focus on the various monsters that would appear. Because every aspect of the production had to be sent to Japan for approval, and certain monsters from the Godzilla series were tied up in legal issues, they couldn’t visit Godzilla’s rogues gallery and had to create new ones from scratch. Tim Perkins handled additional designs for the human characters on the show following Barlow’s lead.

Godzilla likes calamari.

            With the main characters assembled, the production decided they didn’t need to bring back as many established characters that would only serve to clutter the cast. That’s not to say several didn’t make occasional appearances, including a decidedly more confident Audrey (Paget Brewster) and her cameraman, Victor “Animal” Palotti (Joe Pantoliano); Phillipe (Keith Szarabajka), who assigned Monique to the team and popped up from time to time to provide them with valuable information; Major Anthony Hicks (who apparently was demoted from the Colonel rank he had in the film, but still played by Kevin Dunn), who was placed in charge of the military’s anti-mutation unit and often came at odds with H.E.A.T.; and Mayor Ebert (Michael Lerner, also reprising), the mayor of New York City (and part of Emmerich’s jab at the critic team of Siskel & Ebert over their negative reviews for Independence Day, basing the character on the latter critic). New characters included recurring villain Cameron Winter (David Newsom), an old college rival of Nick’s; Maximillian Spiel (Clancy Brown), a billionaire who sought to make a profit from monster fights; and redneck hunters Dale (Ronny Cox), Hank (Bob Joles) and Bill looking to bag themselves Godzilla. The series attracted a number of notable guest-stars, both who have previously or not often dabbled in animation. Amongst them were Robert Forster as Elsie’s father; Linda Blair as monster rights activist Alexandra Springer; Estelle Harris as an old lady; Ron Perlman as one of the Leviathan aliens that sought to use monsters to conquer Earth; Doug Savant, who appeared as Sergeant O’Neal in the film, as a trespasser; and Roddy McDowall, in what would be his final role before his death, as Dr. Hugh Trevor.

Crustaceous Rex.

            Kline wrote a 20-page treatment for the series outlining the characters, their interactions, the type of stories to be written and the overall tone for the show. From that, story editors Marty Isenberg and Bob Skir wrote the full series bible. Two teams of story editors were used and overseen by Kline and producer/head director Audu Paden: Isenberg and Skir managed the team for one half of the series, while Marsha Griffin and Glen Wiseman handled the other. Since the writers wouldn’t get to see any of the episodes as they were writing their scripts, the story editors were in charge of infusing their scripts with phraseology and characteristics featured in the show and maintaining continuity. The series employed a mixture of writers who had worked on previous Sony series, as well as comic book professionals used to tight deadlines and telling a story with limited space. Amongst the series’ writers were Isenberg, Skir, Griffin, Richard Mueller, Michael Reaves, Steve Perry, Neil Ruttenberg, Steve Hayes, Barry Hawkins, Brooks Wachtel, Steven Melching, Harry “Doc” Kloor, Steve Cuden, Carl Ellswoth, Janna King, Tom Pugsley, Lara Runnels, Craig Miller, Tom Pugsley, Greg Klein, Greg Pincus, Andrew Deutsch, Mark Hoffmeier, George Melrod, Jeff Wynne, Robin Russin, William Stout, Rodney Gibbs, Angel Dean Lopez and Patti Carr, and comic creators Len Wien, Marv Wolfman and Scott Lobdell. The episodes were largely self-contained stories, and were done so as not to be too affected continuity-wise if the network should (and did) air them out of order.

No monster is an island.

            Kline would approve the premise for each episode and assign it to a writer, while Paden would start working on casting, character designs, backgrounds and settings. After Paden and Barlow devised the appearance of an episode’s monster, it would be sent to Raynis, a talented artist himself, for touch-ups and finalization. After working out the details of an episode, it would be turned over to the storyboard artists to draw out within a two-week period. Early on in the production, no one on the crew was allowed to know what Godzilla looked like, so basic shapes and other elements (such as a sock puppet) were used to approximate him. He would later be incorporated into scenes when his appearance was finally revealed. Tatopoulos worked with the crew to help transition Godzilla into animation, defining how he would move and act.

The rats of NY. Yeesh.

            The series was animated by Anima Sam Won, DR Movie, Dong Woo Animation Co., Kiko Enterprises Company, Lotto Animation and New Millennium Animation. The backgrounds used on the show were a heavily-involved process. Rather than being painted on a white background like most shows were at the time, they were painted on animation cels in sections and layered over each other. It created the distinct look prominent in Sony cartoons in that period. Each episode would take an average of 12 weeks to animate before returning back to the United States for review, editing and touch-ups.

Breath mint!

            Godzilla: The Series debuted on FOX on September 12, 1998. Because the people behind the show didn’t get full exposure to the film, the series took on a markedly different tone. As many of those involved with its production were, at one point, fans of the original Japanese movies, the series was closer to those representations; with Godzilla fighting other giant monsters and the use of his atomic breath. The series was also more serious, especially in regards to Nick’s character being less aloof than he was in the film. The largest source of comedy relief came from N.I.G.E.L. and his constant destruction in every episode (a running gag inspired by the deaths of Kenny McCormick on South Park). The series’ theme was composed by Jim Latham while Brain Garland and Craig Sharmat composed the series’ music. Raynis directed the series’ title sequence featuring early monster designs that never appeared in episodes.

Godzilla fighting for his time slot.

            The series was better received than the film on which it was based, and was one of FOX’s highest rated cartoons and number one show of 1998. FOX would air it in small mini-marathons on its weekday schedule as well as on Saturday mornings. During the second season, however, the show fell victim to the “Pokémon Wars” between FOX and The WB. WB’s acquisition of the anime Pokémon had proved a boon for the network and led to them consistently outperforming FOX in the ratings. To combat this, FOX acquired the similar show Digimon: Digital Monsters and would air it in mini-marathons, forcing Godzilla to be moved about the schedule or not shown at all. With all of the constant interruptions, two episodes were left unaired in the United States by the time the show was taken off the schedule for new mid-season programs. Despite the fact that it maintained high ratings with all the constant changes, FOX opted not to order additional episodes and the series ran its course.

            Trendmasters, who had been producing Godzilla-based toys for years, was set to continue that tradition with a line of toys based on the series. Unfortunately, as the Godzilla film toys sold poorly, retailers were unwilling to take another hit for the franchise. The line was ultimately cancelled before production. The only toys specific to the cartoon were released in Carl’s Jr. kids meals in 2000. Two video games based on the show were released for the Nintendo Game Boy Color: 1999’s Godzilla: The Series and 2000’s Godzilla: The Series – Monster Wars. Discovery Zone also featured various creatures from the show as part of an interactive shooting gallery.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released two VHS collections in 1999: Trouble Hatches containing both parts of the pilot, and Monster Wars featuring the trilogy of episodes of the same name. The trilogy was released again on the DVD The Monster Wars Trilogy, as were the episodes “What Dreams May Come”, “Bird of Paradise”, and “DeadLoch” on Monster Mayhem and “S.C.A.L.E.”, “The Twister” and “Where Is Thy Sting?” on Mutant Madness. The 2006 Monster Edition release of the film contained the episodes “What Dreams May Come”, “Monster Wars, Part 1” and “Where Is They Sting?” In 2008, minisodes of the series were released on the Sony-owned Crackle, and Kabillion syndicated the show on Comcast’s On Demand service and online. In 2014, Mill Creek Entertainment released the complete series on DVD, which had the episodes in production order and included the two unaired episodes. The following year, Mill Creek released 10 episodes on a DVD entitled The H.E.A.T. Is On as part of their Retro TV Toons budget disc series. 

            Although Sony maintains the rights to the animated series, the movie rights had long since reverted to Toho. In 2004, they began copyrighting Sony’s version of Godzilla as “Zilla” for future appearances in the Godzilla franchise. The name was a satirical take on the counterfeit Godzilla merchandise that was often released under that name. It was also a jab at Sony, Toho feeling they took the “God” out of “Godzilla”. Zilla made his first appearance in the film Godzilla: Final Wars. It ended up being the last Godzilla film made for a decade until Legendary Pictures acquired the rights and produced the second, and so far more successful, American attempt with Godzilla in 2014. 

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“New Family, Part 1” (9/12/98) – Nick discovers one of Godzilla’s eggs have survived and his team decide to study it, but the U.S. military seemingly kills it.

“New Family, Part 2” (9/19/98) – Nick’s team helps the military try to determine the cause for disappearances in Jamaica and encounter a giant squid, which is only defeated by Godzilla.

“Talkin’ Trash” (10/3/98) – Microbes controlled by nanotech are released to try and curb NY’s garbage problem, but they quickly grow out of control.

 “D.O.A.” (9/26/98) – H.E.A.T. investigates a mutated worm devouring the crops of Costa Rojo and Godzilla ends up poisoned by its ruler.

 “The Winter of Our Discontent” (10/10/98) – After Godzilla defeats robotic insects, the team discovers an old rival of Nick’s is behind it and wants the team to join in his schemes.

“Cat and Mouse” (10/31/98) – While Godzilla is being hunted, NY deals with a plague of mutated giant rats.

“Leviathan” (11/14/98) – The team heads out to rescue xenobiologist Alexander Preloran who disappeared while exploring the wreckage of an alien spacecraft.

 “What Dreams May Come” (11/7/98) – An electrical creature randomly attacks the city, but the team notices it doesn’t behave like other monsters they’ve encountered.

 “Hive” (11/21/98) – Radioactive lava on the island of Santa Marta has caused a mutated ecosystem, complete with carnivorous plants and giant bees.

“Bird of Paradise” (12/5/98) – Elsie’s old fiancé calls the team in to help deal with a winged creature attacking villages in Mexico.

“Freeze” (3/13/99) – A rescue mission in the Antarctic pits the team against a group of monsters and an unscrupulous corporation.

 “DeadLoch” (2/6/99) – The team is called in to investigate the Loch Ness Monster, but end up having to help the monster instead.

“Competition” (3/6/99) – Investigating disappearances in Japan leads their military to consider Godzilla a threat, while the real threat escapes Monster Island and makes its way for Japan.

“Bug Out” (3/20/99) – Audrey lets it slip out that the team is having troubles with Godzilla while mutant termites threaten the Amazon Rainforest.

 “Monster War, Part 1” (2/13/99) – Monster attacks and inner strife only compound problems when the aliens return with an army of monsters under their control.

“Monster War, Part 2” (2/20/99) – The aliens capture the team and reveal their plans to unleash the monsters on various major cities.

“Monster War, Part 3” (2/27/99) – The team manages to escape and renews their efforts to free the monsters and stop the aliens’ plans for conquest.

“An Early Frost” (5/8/99) – When it seems like Godzilla has attacked the city, the military demands the team help contain him while Phillipe returns to kill him.

 “Web Site” (5/1/99) – The Pentagon sends the team to investigate a growing number of spiders by their base in the Canary Islands.

“Juggernaut” (8/14/99) – An alien piece of technology known as the Techno-Sentient comes to Earth and begins bonding with the local technology.

“Trust No One” (7/31/99) – The team encounters a creature that can mimic any living creature it touches.

Season 2:

 “What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been” (1/15/00) – A mutant germ infects Godzilla and Nick and Monique must go inside him to destroy the infection.

“Wedding Bells Blew” (1/22/00) – Elise is forced to be the maid of honor for her sister’s wedding, but the party ends up crashed by the mutated manta ray the team was after.

“Shafted” (2/19/00) – The team helps a little girl recover he brothers from a mine inhabited by a creature that encases people in silver.

 “Lizard Season” (3/11/00) – Cameron frees the hunters and gives them battle robots to take on Godzilla.

 “The Ballad of Gens Du Marais” (N/A) – Audrey leads the team to a strange swamp monster that can easily match Godzilla, and seems to have the favor of the local citizenry.

“Ring of Fire” (4/22/00) – Randy and Craven decide to use a fire creature they captured in money-making scheme and end up setting it free on a rampage.

 “Protector” (10/9/99) – An archeological expedition unearths a sphinx-like monster that had to be put down in the past when it turned on the people it once protected.

 “Vision” (3/18/00) – Mendel has to develop special goggles to allow the team to see the rapid-moving mutated hummingbirds attacking aircraft.

 “Freak Show” (12/11/99) – A traveling mutant circus causes trouble when a sea anemone escapes and beings draining people of all their water.

 “Metamorphosis” (1/29/00) – A mysterious benefactor sends the team to Illinois to deal with a chilopod devouring crops, but soon it changes into a cicada who’s song disrupts all radar.

 “Where Is Thy Sting?” (2/26/00) – The team encounters a mutated scorpion that was created by the military with plans to use its offspring as bioweapons.

 “Underground Movement” (4/1/00) – A lawsuit splits the team’s focus and Randy and Mendel decide to deal with a mutant sighting on their own.

 “The Twister” (2/12/00) – A day at the beach is interrupted by a mutant shrew that has been bonded with a twister.

 “S.C.A.L.E.” (10/2/99) – The team encounters an eco-terrorist group called S.C.A.L.E. that believes the mutated creatures are the next step of evolution and set out to defend them.

 “Future Shock” (9/18/99) – The team is sent to 2022 where they discover the work of scientist Jonathan Insley has left the world an apocalyptic ruin.

 “End of the Line” (12/18/99) – A mutated komodo dragon saves Nick and Audrey from a mutated turtle attack, but the most shocking thing is that the dragon is in love with Godzilla.

 “Area 51” (2/5/00) – Area 51 ends up being a prison for mutations created by underground nuclear testing, and one of them escapes and threatens Las Vegas.

 “Tourist Trap” (N/A) – The team has to try and force a mutated frog fish back out to deeper waters while fending off opportunist Milo Sanders who wants footage of Godzilla.

“Cash of the Titans” (9/25/99) – Billionaire Maximillian Speil manages to take control of Godzilla and make him the feature attraction of his monster fighting ring.


Originally posted in 2017. Updated in 2019.

GODZILLA (1978)

GODZILLA

(NBC, TV Tokyo, September 9, 1978-December 8, 1979)

Hanna-Barbera Productions, Toho Co. Ltd.

MAIN CAST:

Ted Cassidy – Godzilla

Jeff David – Captain Carl Majors

Al Eisenmann – Pete

Hilly Hicks – Brock

Brenda Thompson – Dr. Quinn Darien

Don Messick - Godzuki

            In 1954, Toho Studios needed a picture. The project they had originally counted on fell through, and it was tasked to young producer Tomoyuki Tanaka to fill the void. That year, an American thermonuclear device test on Bikini Atoll had a higher yield than anticipated and a Japanese fishing boat, the Lucky Dragon 5, was caught in the fallout. The resulting radiation sickness in the crew, island natives and military personnel created a fear of the unpredictability of nuclear weapons; not to mention stirring up memories of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from a decade prior. From these fears, an idea began to form.

The beast rises and attacks New York.

Inspired by the success of Warner Bros.’ 1953 film The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, it was decided to make a picture about a prehistoric monster that represented the destructive power of nuclear weapons, as well as having been awoken by them from a deep hibernation. Eiji Tsuburaya served as the special effects artist and went through several designs before settling on a mixture of a Tyrannosaurus Rex, an Iguanodon and a Stegosaurus, while also giving the creature the fire-breathing abilities of a dragon known as atomic breath. 

Godzilla rises from the sea.

Tsuburaya originally wanted to do the monster using stop-motion animation after being impressed with the method’s use in King Kong, but the tight deadline and budget made an actor in a latex suit the way to go. Developed by art director Akira Watanabe, the suit’s skin was texturized to represent the scars seen on survivors of the Hiroshima bombing and given a gray color with white bone protrusions. The sound of the creature’s roar was created by composer Akira Ifukube by rubbing a resin coated glove along a string of contrabass and then slowing down the playback. Toho held a contest to name the creature, and settled on Gojira; a combination of the Japanese words “gorira” (gorilla) and “kujira” (whale), describing his massive size and strength and the fact he lived in the water.

That's a spicy meat-a ball!

Gojira was released on November 3, 1954. It was written by Ishiro Honda and Takeo Murata and directed by Honda. To save expenses, the film was shot in black in white rather than color, which in the end helped to enhance the special effects. It became the eighth best-attended film in Japan that year, although it was heavily criticized for exploiting the nuclear tragedies Japan suffered. In 1955, the film was released to American theaters catering to Japanese-American neighborhoods. In 1956, Jewell Enterprises acquired the rights to the movie and heavily edited it. Certain scenes were removed and new footage starring Raymond Burr as a reporter investigating the monster directed by Terry O. Morse were incorporated into the story. The English-dubbed version became known as Godzilla, King of the Monsters! and became a success with the American public; opening a new interest in imported Japanese productions. 

No matter who wins, the insurance companies lose.

In the meantime, Toho, quick to capitalize on the original’s success, released its second film, Gojira no Gayakushu (or Godzilla’s Counterattack, also known as Godzilla Raids Again in America) in 1955. It was the first in the Godzilla series to feature the titular monster fighting against another monster, which would become a franchise staple. Toho would continue releasing more movies in the series up through 1975 for a total of 15 installments. Throughout the course of the films, Godzilla would be portrayed as a villain against humanity, but would also sometimes be an ally against a bigger threat alongside the humans (although, he could turn on his allies at any moment for any reason). Godzilla’s appearance would also change between pictures, his suit being recreated from scratch every time. It wouldn’t be until the series resumed in 1984 that the suit’s design would become consistent. 

Godzilla gives a monster a dose of bad breath.

As the movies continued to be successful with American audiences, Toho decided to bring the franchise to Saturday morning television. Initially beginning development at DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, it was traded off to Hanna-Barbera Productions in exchange for the Fantastic Four cartoon they were working on. Developed by Dick Robbins and Duane Poole, the series played on Godzilla (Ted Cassidy, providing the sounds rather than using the standard Toho ones) being a heroic figure, often fighting against various other monsters to save humanity and the world. Godzilla’s atomic breath was altered to resemble typical fire, and he was given the additional ability of laser eyes. Godzilla’s size also varied constantly throughout the run--sometimes within a single episode, even. This also occurred during the film series, although that was on a movie-to-movie basis. As in most other media outside the movies, Godzilla was given a green skin color.

Dr. Darien, Brock, Capt. Majors, Pete and Godzuki.

Godzilla was an ally to a team of scientists aboard a hydrofoil research vessel called the Calico. The team consisted of Captain Carl Majors (Jeff David), Dr. Quinn Darien (Brenda Thompson), her nephew, Pete (Al Eisenmann), and her assistant, Brock (Hilly Hicks). Also with the crew was Godzuki (Don Messick), the smaller, cowardly cousin of Godzilla who served as the show’s comic relief and to fulfill Hanna-Barbera’s love of pet sidekicks. He could barely fly with his tiny wings and any attempt to breathe fire usually resulted in smoke and a coughing fit. Godzilla could be summoned by the team using a special communicator or Godzuki could call him. 

The Godzilla Power Hour title card.

Godzilla ran on NBC in America and TV Tokyo in Japan beginning on September 9, 1978. It was written by Tom Swale, Don Heckman, David Villaire, Doug Booth, Martha Humphreys, Glenn Leopold, Ted Pedersen, David Wise, Kathleen Barnes, Bob Johnson, Ray Pakrer and Bob Stitzel, with music by Hoyt Curtin and Will Schaefer. Despite only having two seasons of 13 episodes produced, the series ran continuously through 1981 and was often paired up with other programs to form a packaged programming block. From its debut through October 28, the program was part of The Godzilla Power Hour with Jana of the Jungle. On November 4 through September 1, 1979, the name was changed to The Godzilla Super 90 when reruns of Jonny Quest were added to make the block a full 90 minutes. 

Godzilla carries the Calico to safety.

For the second season, Hanna-Barbera planned to pair the show up with The New Shmoo and The Thing to create the block Godzilla Meets the Shmoo and the Thing, but those plans fell apart. Instead, Godzilla was run independently while The New Fred and Barney Show was attached to the other two programs as Fred and Barney Meet the Thing (and later the Shmoo). On December 8, 1979, the final Godzilla episode and its reruns were paired up with The Super Globetrotters to form The Godzilla/Globetrotters Adventure Hour. On September 27, 1980, Globetrotters was swapped out for Dynomutt, Dog Wonder to become The Godzilla/Dynomutt Hour until Dynomutt was replaced with Hong Kong Phooey on November 22 to create The Godzilla/Hong Kong Phooey Hour. On May 23, 1981, Godzilla once again ran independently until it was ultimately replaced in NBC’s line-up by new series, The Smurfs. 

The VHS for Godzilla.

Two episodes received a limited released on VHS. In 2006, Sony Wonder released the first 8 episodes of season 1 on DVD in Godzilla: the Original Animated Series Volume 1 and Volume 2. In 2007, Classic Media released the final 5 episodes in Volume 3. The series has also been made available to view on streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, and Toho began uploading episodes to their official Godzilla YouTube channel between 2021-23. Toy Vault produced a line of plushies based on the franchise, including one of Godzooky. In 2023, Mondo released a limited-edition statute based on Godzilla’s design from the show in time for its 45^th anniversary.

Custom title card for the Cartoon Network parody short.

In 1999, Cartoon Network produced a short in response to the Y2K bug scare, Godzilla vs. the Y2K Bug, in which The Calico was attacked by a personification of the bug and failure to update the microchip in their device left the crew unable to summon Godzilla for help. Dr, Darien was repurposed as music expert Dr. Gale Melody for the Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law episode “Shoyu Weenie”, voiced by Grey DeLisle. On Cartoon Network Europe, Hanna-Barbera’s Godzilla was featured as a weather reporter in segments of the Toon:FM programming block called ToonFM: Live From Tokyo. Scooby-Doo Team-Up #43 from DC Comics makes mention of Godzilla, as well as the monsters the Eartheater, the Cyclops Creature and the Time Dragon.

EPISODE GUIDE:

Season 1:

“The Fire Bird” (9/9/78) – A fiery bird wants to lay its eggs in the Arctic, and the team must stop it before it melts all the ice.

“The Earth Eater” (9/16/78) – The team must save San Francisco from a creature eating out all the earth beneath the city.

“Attack of the Stone Creature” (9/23/78) – A pyramid investigation turns deadly when stone creatures built to guard it come to life and attack the team.

“The Megavolt Monster” (9/30/78) – The team has to rescue ships in the Pacific under attack by an electrical creature.

“The Seaweed Monster” (10/7/78) – A seaweed monster arises and sets it sight on a small island.

“The Energy Beast” (10/14/78) – After Godzilla stops a monster, the monster transforms into Godzilla and destroys anything electrical.

“The Colossus of Atlantis” (10/21/78) – The team ends up trapped in the lost city of Atlantis and have to destroy the giant robot guarding it to free its populace.

“The Horror of the Forgotten Island” (10/28/78) – The team ends up stranded on an island inhabited by a cyclops, but Godzilla can’t penetrate a force field to get to them.

“Island of Lost Ships” (11/4/78) – Pete and Godzooky have to rescue the others from Sirens before their island disappears at sunset for the next 1,000 years.

“The Magnetic Terror” (11/11/78) – The team must stop a monster from reaching the South Pole and destroying the world.

“The Breeder Beast” (11/18/78) – A creature attacks Washington, DC, and is made up of an explosive material that could level the entire city.

“The Sub-Zero Terror” (11/25/78) – Godzilla has to rescue the team in the Himalayas from the Abominable Snowman.

“The Time Dragons” (12/2/78) – The team ends up transported and stranded back in prehistoric times.

Season 2:

“Calico Clones” (9/15/79) – The team encounters a mad scientist who plans to clone them and use them to steal oil from a rig.

“Micro Godzilla” (9/22/79) – A pink fog shrinks Godzilla and causes a fly to become giant-sized and attack Godzuki and Brock.

“Ghost Ship” (9/29/79) – The team finds a U-Boat from WWI complete with its entire crew before it ends up attacked by a giant octopus.

“The Beast of Storm Island” (10/6/79) – The team ends up stranded on an island and some of them enslaved by Axor along with its inhabitants.

“The City in the Clouds” (10/13/79) – The team ends up on a cloud city and the inhabitants want Godzilla to have him destroy the dragon they’re trying to escape.

“The Cyborg Whale” (10/20/79) – Brock and Pete are stuck in a prototype sub that goes haywire and heads straight for Honolulu.

“Valley of the Giants” (10/27/79) – The team runs aground in a valley of giant insects and ends up trapped in a cave after a cave in.

“Moonlode” (11/3/79) – A monster from the moon comes to Earth and begins affecting the water currents globally.

“The Golden Guardians” (11/10/79) – The team encounters a hostile city that worships gold statues that come to life and turn Godzilla into one of them.

“The Macro-Beasts” (11/17/79) – The team discovers a volcano oozing a strange liquid that turns sea animals into giants.

“Pacific Peril” (11/24/79) – The team investigates a new island that appears in the Pacific only to end up trapped in its volcano with giant lizards.

“Island of Doom” (12/1/79) – Godzilla must save the team from an island inhabited by a terrorist organization before their nuclear reactor suffers a meltdown.

“The Deadly Asteroid” (12/8/79) – Ice aliens plan to use an asteroid to destroy the Earth and capture the entire team except for Pete.


Originally posted in 2015. Updated in 2023.