Saturday, July 31, 2004
7/31: Today in G-History
1932: TED CASSIDY, who provided the roar of Godzilla on "The Godzilla Power Hour", is born in Pittsburgh. The 6'9" Cassidy is best remembered as Lurch and Thing on "The Addams Family".
1935: SANAE NAKAHARA, who played the young mother in "Virus", is born. She was married to Kinji Fukasaku.
1949: AKIRA SAKAMOTO, who played Momochi Sandayu on "Ninja Task Force Kakuranger" and the taxi driver on "Ringu: Kanzen-ban", is born in Saitama, Japan.
1966: "Furankenshutain no kaiju – Sanda tai Gaira" ("Frankenstein Monsters — Sanda vs. Gaira") a.k.a. "War of the Gargantuas" is released in Japan.
Episode 3 of "Ultraman", "Science Patrol Move Out", debuts on Japanese TV.
1971: Episode 18 of "Kamen Rider", "Fossil-Man Hitodenger", debuts on Japanese TV.
1973: Episode 30, the final episode of "Fireman", debuts on Japanese TV.
1976: Episode 57 of "Secret Task Force Goranger" debuts on Japanese TV.
1984: MASUMI OKAMURA, who was in "Isola: Multiple Personality Girl", is born in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
1987: JOSEPH E. LEVINE, who produced the U.S. release of "Godzilla, King of the Monsters", dies in Greenwich, CT.
1988: Episode 42 of "Kamen Rider Black" debuts on Japanese TV.
1993: Episode 18 of "Electronic Superhuman Gridman", "Dragon's Legend", debuts on Japanese TV.
1998: G-FEST kicks off at the Wyndham Hotel in Chicago.
1999: Episode 122 of "Godzilla: The Series", "Juggernaut", premieres on Fox.
Note: I'll be fulfilling that longtime ambition of going to Japan for the next ten days. I'll be back on 8/11.
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Friday, July 30, 2004
7/30: Today in G-History
1917: MINORU CHIAKI, who played self-sacrificing pilot Hiroshi Kobayashi in "Godzilla Raids Again", is born Katsuharu Sasaki in Hokkaido, Japan. He also played the woodcutter samurai in "The Seven Samurai" and a bickering peasant in "The Hidden Fortress" who was the basis for C-3PO in "Star Wars", as well as appearing in "Stray Dog" and "Hana ichimonme". He was the father of Katsuhiko Sasaki.
1948: JEAN RENO, who played Phillippe Roache in "Godzilla", is born Don Juan Moreno y Jederique Jiminez in Casablanca, Morocco. His other films include "La Femme Nikita", "The Professional", "Mission: Impossible", "Ronin", and "Just Visiting".
1957: Part One of "Koketso no kyojin — Supa Jyaiantsu" ("The Steel Giant — Super Giant") a.k.a. "Atomic Rulers" is released in Japan.
1961: "Mosura" a.k.a. "Mothra" is released in Japan.
1972: Episode 18 of "Superhuman Barom-1" debuts on Japanese TV.
1973: "Son of Godzilla" is rereleased in an edited version in Japan.
Episode 18 of "Zone Fighter", "Directive: Destroy the Japanese Laboratory!", debuts on Japanese TV.
1974: Episode 15 of "Inazuman Flash" debuts on Japanese TV.
1979: Episode 13 of "Megaloman, Warrior of Fire", "The Battle of the Monsters", debuts on Japanese TV.
1989: Episode 39 of "Kamen Rider Black RX", "Mini Explosion! 4WD", debuts on Japanese TV.
1993: Episode 23 of "Five Star Task Force Dairanger", "True Love at Full Speed", debuts on Japanese TV.
2000: Episode 26 of "Kamen Rider Kuuga", "Self", debuts on Japanese TV.
2001: "Ringu 2" is released on video in the U.K.
2003: "Dark Water" is released in the Philippines.
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Thursday, July 29, 2004
7/29: Today in G-History
1917: FUMIO YANOGUCHI, sound recordist on "The Last War", "Attack of the Mushroom People", "Godzilla vs. the Thing", "Dogora the Space Monster", "Godzilla on Monster Island", "Godzilla vs. the Cosmic Monster", and "Terror of Mechagodzilla", is born in Nagano, Japan. He also worked with Akira Kurosawa on films like "Kagemusha" and "Ran".
1924: ROBERT HORTON, who played Jack Rankin in "The Green Slime", is born Howard Horton in Los Angeles. He is best remembered at Flint McCullough on TV's "Wagon Train".
1929: KEITH ALDRICH, who played Jerry the C47 copilot in "The Deadly Mantis", is born. He was also in "The Bridges of Toko-Ri".
1963: MASAHIRO KAMIYA, who played Masauru Komyoji on "Kikaida" and "Jumping Out, Android Kikaida" and Hiroshi on "Electroid Zaborger", is born in Tokyo. He was also on "Giant Ironman 1-7".
1966: RICHARD STEVEN HORVITZ, who was the voice of Alpha 5 on "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers", "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie", "Power Rangers Zeo", "Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie", and "Power Rangers Turbo", is born in Los Angeles. Billed as Richard Wood, he also did the voices of Smogger on "Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue", Mantamobile on "Power Rangers Time Force", and Alpha 7 on "Power Rangers Wild Force", as well as "The Angry Beavers", "Invader ZIM", and "Grim & Evil", and can be seen in "Safe at Home" and the film "Summer School".
1970: "War of the Gargantuas" and "Godzilla vs. Monster Zero" are released on a double bill in the U.S.
1972: Episode 3 of "Kikaida", "The Curse Orange Ant's Challenge of Death", debuts on Japanese TV.
Episode 70 of "Kamen Rider", "Demon Electric Guitar Battle — Fireball Attack", debuts on Japanese TV.
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Tuesday, July 27, 2004
7/27: Today in G-History
1903: STANLEY FLEISCHER, art director on "Them!", is born.
1930: TADAO TAKASHIMA, who teamed with Yu Fujiki as Osamu Sakurai in "King Kong vs. Godzilla" and photographer Susumu Hatanaka in "Atragon", is born in Kobe. The jazz drummer-turned-actor also starred in "Fearful Invasion of the Flying Saucers", and played Dr. Yuzo Kawaji in "Frankenstein Conquers the World", project leader Dr. Kusumi in "Son of Godzilla", and Mr. Hosono of the psychic institute in "Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II". He is the father of actors Masahiro and Masanobu Takashima.
1949: HIROSHI KATSUNO, who played Yoichi Kawazu in "Deathquake", is born in Kumamoto, Japan.
1965: DAVID AVALLONE, a writer for "V.R. Troopers", is born in New Brunswick, N.J.
1972: TAKASHI SHIMIZU, who wrote and directed the "Katasumi" and "4444444444" stories on "School of Ghosts G", is born in Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture, Japan.
1973: Episode 43 of "Warrior of Love Rainbowman", "I Swear by the Sun and the Green!", debuts on Japanese TV.
1974: Episode 24 of "Kamen Rider X", "Fiend of Revenge Geronimo! The Silent Attack", debuts on Japanese TV.
Episode 17 of "Electroid Zaborger", "Murderous Kick! Mecha-Borg Team", debuts on Japanese TV.
RIKA NANASE, who played Zonnette on "High-Speed Task Force Carranger" and "High-Speed Task Force Carranger vs. Ohranger", is born in Tokyo.
1982: RYOSAKU TAKAYAMA, monster designer on "Destroy All Planets" and "Gamera vs. Guiron", dies.
1985: SHIGERU AMACHI, who played Iuemon Tamiya in "The Ghost of Yotsuya", dies in Tokyo.
1986: AYAKA KOMATSU, who plays Minako Aino a.k.a. Sailor V/Sailor Venus on "Pretty Guaridan Sailor Moon", as well as singing on the show, is born.
2003: "Ultraman Cosmos: First Contact" premieres in Canada at the FanTasia film festival in Montreal.
posted by Jay | permalink
Monday, July 26, 2004
7/26: Today in G-History
1926: JAMES BEST, who played the radar man in "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms", is born Jules Guy in Powderly, Ken. A cousin of the Everly Brothers, he is best remembered as Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane on "The Dukes of Hazzard", and was in films like "Three on a Couch".
1969: "Ido zero daisakusen" ("Latitude Zero: Great Military Battle") a.k.a. "Latitude Zero" is released in Japan.
1973: Episode 17 of "Robot Detective" debuts on Japanese TV.
1974: EDMUND COBB, who played Dr. McDermott in "The Amazing Colossal Man", dies of a heart attack in Woodland Hills, Calif.
1975: Episode 15 of "Secret Task Force Goranger" debuts on Japanese TV.
Episode 15 of "Kamen Rider Stronger" debuts on Japanese TV.
1985: "Godzilla 1985" is released in West Germany.
1986: Episode 21 of "Super Nova Flashman", "Sadness of Sara", debuts on Japanese TV.
2002: "Versus" premieres in Germany at the Fantasy Filmfest in Munich.
2003: "Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack" premieres in Canada at the FanTasia film festival in Montreal.
"Dark Water" premieres in Denmark at the J-Horror Cavalcade.
posted by Jay | permalink
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