Raymond Burr and the King of Monsters
Some pictures from the very odd but enjoyable Godzilla: King of Monsters (1956), starring Raymond Burr. This was a Japanese-American re-cut of the original Japanese production of Godzilla, interspersed with completely new scenes featuring Raymond Burr as an American reporter who witnesses the creature’s apocalyptic attack on Tokyo.
King of the Monsters is not as powerful or as serious as Godzilla, but it is interesting, ultimately boiling down to a staring contest between Raymond Burr and a rubber dinosaur. I’m calling it a draw.
The clips from the original show how much care went into composition, costuming, etc.
“My Japanese is a little rusty…” After about 15 seconds of Japanese dialogue Burr asks for translation.
“What’s out there?” Another great composition
Not getting a lot of eyewitness accounts because everyone dies after you pull them out of the water
Raymond Burr mulls over the peasant’s report
Eyewitness to history
Great mask in the dance scene
Getting ready for his live taping
Get outta the way pal, reporter coming through
That can’t be good
Raymond Burr unflinchingly narrates the mayhem
In the aftermath, a chorus of girls sing hymns of hope
Looking on, Raymond Burr is bloodied, but unbowed
Wikipedia says that Ishirō Honda, who directed the original film, was asked if he was offended by the bowdlerization. Nah, he said, he was imitating American monster movies in the first place.