We laughed when he lumbered across the screen. "Godzilla, King of the Monsters," the ballyhoo went, "makes King Kong look like a midget!"
What we saw, though, was a man dressed in a rubbery dinosaur suit wreaking havoc on toy trains and miniature buildings. Dinosaur? Actually, Godzilla had more in common with the dragons of folklore. The ridges on his back glowed when he was angry, and his hot breath was known to set half of Tokyo on fire.The original black-and-white Godzilla movie was released in Japan in 1954 with the title of "Gojira." Two years later, it was released in the United States and had been "Americanized." Several sequences were inserted with Raymond Burr playing an American newspaperman who reported on the destruction caused by God-zilla's rampages over the Japanese landscape.
Psychologists had a field day, noting that the Japanese had made the film only eight years after the atomic bomb had been dropped on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Somehow, they reasoned, making Godzilla was therapy for the Japanese.
Even though the special effects were hokey, there was a certain eerie appeal about that first "God-zilla" effort. And the film was a big success both here and in Japan.
It didn't take the Toho Co., which invented Godzilla, long to discover it had a potential gold mine on its hands. "Godzilla Rides Again" came along in 1959 with the monster suddenly returning from the depths of the ocean to battle Angorous, another prehistoric monster. The sequel was known as "Gigantis, the Fire Monster" in the United States.
A series of Godzilla movies followed, all of which are now available on video. Prices vary from $13 to $20. Video insiders say Godzilla is a hot-selling item these days.
The Godzilla flood actually began in the 1960s. By that time color had been added to the films, but the special effects varied little. It was still a guy in a suit usually battling another guy in a suit.
Here are a few of the "gems" Toho produced:
"King Kong vs. Godzilla" (1963) - This is one of the funniest of the series. Kong looks like a big monkey who is spaced out on pot. Two endings were filmed. The Japanese version has Godzilla winning. The U.S. version gave the nod to Kong.
"Godzilla vs. Mothra" (1964) - Mothra is a giant moth who attempts to stop Godzilla from destroying Tokyo again.
"Godzilla vs. The Sea Monster" (1966) - Things were really getting pretty silly by the time this entry was released. Here, Godzilla and his former enemy Mothra team up to take on a 200-foot-long sea monster.
"Son of Godzilla" (1968) - The son is a chubby little dinosaur who is just too cute for words. But he helps Pop rid Japan of giant spiders and other insects. Never could figure out why all these creatures had it in for Japan.
"Godzilla's Revenge" (1970) - By this entry we discover that Godzilla and son live on Monster Island, where other weird creatures are constantly attempting to take on the world.
The remaining Godzilla films are pretty much like all the rest: "Godzilla vs. Monster Zero" (1970), "Godzilla vs. Gigan" (1971), "Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster" (1972), "Godzilla vs. Megalon" (1973), "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla a k a The Bionic Monster" (1974) and "Godzilla 1985."
Talk about classic reunions. The latter film, celebrating 30 years of Godzilla, reunited the monster with Burr.
The popularity of the big lummox Godzilla continues to amaze. There have been Godzilla toys, Godzilla comic books and even a Godzilla animated television show.
We laughed when we first saw him, but most of us aren't laughing about the money he has raked in. If you want a good chuckle, though, there's nothing like a Godzilla movie.
VIDEO QUESTION
Question: Why do some new movies on tape cost $94.99 while others, such as "Sister Act," cost $19.99?
Answer: The reasons are many, but the fundamental one is that most movies are not considered collectible. Usually we are content to watch a movie once and go on our way. Thus the popularity of rental stores. The $90 and higher prices reflect the high cost to store owners of "rental" titles - about $70. -Andy Wickstrom (Knight-Ridder)
Do you have a question you'd like answered? Send your queries to Andy Wickstrom, The Philadelphia Inquirer, Box 8263, Philadelphia, PA 19101.
NEW VIDEOS
FOUR EYES AND SIX-GUNS - Don't be scared off by the title. This made-for-cable Western is a suprisingly enjoyable little yarn about a gentle, bespectacled optometrist who migrates to Tombstone and winds up helping near-sighted Wyatt Earp rid the town of the evil Doom brothers. Judge Reinhold is the deadeye eye doctor and Fred Ward is the legendary but "blind-as-a-bat" marshal. 1993. 92 minutes. Closed captioned. Turner Home Entertainment. Rated PD (parental dis-cretion) by the Film Advisory Board. $89.98. - Jack E. Wilkinson (UPI)
T BONE N WEASEL - A very funny road picture starring Gregory Hines and Christopher Lloyd as a couple of nuts on the bolt. The two hapless partners-in-crime run into far more than roadblocks as they forage into the South and go broke breaking the law. They are ripped off by a used car dealer (Rip Torn), taken in and just plain taken by a local politican (Ned Beatty), shaken down by a crooked sheriff, molested by a fat lady and so on. Made for cable. 1992. 94 minutes. Closed captioned. Turner Home Entertainment. FAB rating M for mature. $89.98. - Jack E. Wilkinson (UPI)
WHERE SLEEPING DOGS LIE - There's a nifty premise here: A down-and-out writer resurrects a serial killer of families and creates a book about him. The real killer, meanwhile, moves in with the author. In better hands, "Where Sleeping Dogs Lie" could have been a chilling psychological thriller. Instead, it's a limp imitation. The moves are fairly predictable and the killer lacks the maniacal menace that would give this video an edge. Even Sharon Stone's portrayal of a shark-like literary agent can't save this sleeping dog. Columbia/TriStar, $89.95, rated R. - Dolores Barclay (AP Arts Editor)