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King Kong Escapes
is a 1967 ''kaiju'' film directed by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. The film was a Japanese– American co-production between Toho and Rankin/Bass, and stars Rhodes Reason, Linda Miller, Akira Takarada, Mie Hama, Eisei Amamoto, with Haruo Nakajima as King Kong and Hiroshi Sekita as Mechani-Kong and Gorosaurus. The film is loosely based on Rankin/Bass' series, ''The King Kong Show'', and was the second and final Toho-produced film featuring King Kong. ''King Kong Escapes'' was released in Japan on July 22, 1967, and released in the United States on June 19, 1968. It is the fourth entry in the ''King Kong'' franchise. Plot An evil genius named Dr. Who creates Mechani-Kong, a robot version of King Kong, to dig for the highly radioactive Element X, found only at the North Pole. Mechani-Kong enters an ice cave and begins to dig into a glacier, but the radiation destroys its brain circuits and the robot shuts down. Who then sets his sights on gettin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ishirō Honda
was a Japanese filmmaker who directed 44 feature films in a career spanning 59 years. The most internationally successful Japanese filmmaker prior to Hayao Miyazaki, his films have had a significant influence on the film industry. Honda entered the Japanese film industry in 1934, working as the third assistant director on Sotoji Kimura's ''The Elderly Commoner's Life Study''. After 15 years of working on numerous films as an assistant director, he made his directorial debut with the short documentary film ''Ise-Shima'' (1949). Honda's first feature film, ''Aoi Shinju, The Blue Pearl'' (1952), was a critical success in Japan at the time and would lead him to direct three subsequent drama films. In 1954, Honda directed and co-wrote ''Godzilla (1954 film), Godzilla'', which became a box office success in Japan, and was nominated for two Japanese Movie Association awards. Because of the film's commercial success in Japan, it spawned a Godzilla (franchise), multimedia franchise, re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Haruo Nakajima
was a Japanese actor best known for playing Godzilla in 12 consecutive films, starting from the original ''Godzilla'' (1954) until ''Godzilla vs. Gigan'' (1972). He also played various other giant monsters in '' kaiju'' films, including ''Mothra'' and ''The War of the Gargantuas'' and also appeared in a minor role in the Akira Kurosawa film '' Seven Samurai''. Career Nakajima was born in Yamagata. His first credited role in a motion picture was in the 1952 film '' Sword for Hire''. He began his career as a stunt actor in samurai films and he acted in a small role in the 1954 film '' Seven Samurai'', portraying a bandit slain by master swordsman Kyūzo (Seiji Miyaguchi). He was considered by many to be the best suit actor in the long history of the Godzilla franchise. At the time, Toho's visual effects director, Eiji Tsuburaya considered him completely invaluable, and he was employed to essay the roles of most of the '' kaiju'' (Japanese monsters) during his career as a suit a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Susumu Kurobe
(born ; 22 October 1939) is a television, film and stage actor from Kurobe, Toyama, Japan, widely known for his portrayal of Shin Hayata, the first Ultraman in the '' titular character series'', a role he has played since the original series in 1966 and many other times during the franchise. In 2005, he played chief Kenzo Tomioka in ''Ultraman Max''. He made his film debut with ''Akatsukino Gasho'' in 1963. After appearing ''Ultraman'' he turned into a villain actor and appeared in many jidaigeki dramas. His daughter, Takami Yoshimoto, is also an actress, who portrayed Rena Yanase in ''Ultraman Tiga'' (1996). Filmography Films *1963: ''Akatsuki no gasshô'' *1964: ''Kokusai himitsu keisatsu: Tora no kiba'' as Sabato *1964: ''Hadaka no jûyaku'' as Kajimoto *1964: ''Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster'' as Moustachoied Assassin *1965: ''None but the Brave'' as Private Goro *1965: ''Taiheiyô kiseki no sakusen: Kisuka'' as Kato *1965: ''Kemonomichi'' *1965: '' Kokusai himitsu ke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shoichi Hirose
, occasionally miscredited as Masakazu Hirose and nicknamed for his survival in the naval Battle of the Eastern Solomons, was a Japanese actor. Hirose portrayed Godzilla's archenemy King Ghidorah and King Kong in ''King Kong vs. Godzilla'', along with several "tough guy" roles. Career In 1950, he started working at the Toho, where he played minor roles in films. Due to the popularity of the kaijū-eiga genre, he was interested in playing the monster in one of these films. This opportunity arose in 1962, when Eiji Tsuburaya offered him the role of King Kong in the emerging ''King Kong vs. Godzilla''. Tsuburaya ordered Hirose to go to the zoo and study gorilla behavior in order to better play the role of a monster. In later years, Hirose confessed that he never went to the zoo and then lied to Tsuburaya, saying that he had gained a lot of experience during the alleged visit. Despite his enthusiasm for working with the special effects team, he had difficulty playing King Kong, bec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yoshifumi Tajima
Yoshifumi Tajima (4 August 1918 – 10 September 2009) was an actor in Japanese ''kaiju'' films, best known for his role as Kumayama in '' Mothra vs. Godzilla''. He was born in Kobe, Japan. Selected filmography * ''Pu-san'' (1953) * ''Hiroba no kodoku'' (1953) - Tachikawa * ''Waseda daigaku'' (1953) - Detective * ''Mitsuyu-sen'' (1954) - Soga * ''Otsukisama ni wa warui kedo'' (1954) * ''Ore no kenjû wa subayai'' (1954) * ''Tenka taihei'' (1955) * ''Ai no onimotsu'' (1955) * ''Shônen shikeishû'' (1955) * ''Ôkami'' (1955) * '' Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple'' (1955) - Yoshioka samurai * ''Yakan chûgaku'' (1955) * ''Aijô'' (1956) - Tamura * ''Shujinsen'' (1956) * ''Rodan'' (1956) - Izeki, reporter of Seibu Nippou * ''Kono futari ni sachi are'' (1957) * ''Ninjitsu'' (1957) * ''Zoku Ôban: Fûun hen'' (1957) - Yamaka * ''Saigo no dasso'' (1957) - Chin * ''Hadairo no tsuki'' (1957) - Jimbo * ''Datsugokushû'' (1957) * ''Zoku aoi sanmyaku Yukiko no maki'' (1957) * ''Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Frees
Solomon Hersh "Paul" Frees (June 22, 1920November 2, 1986) was an American actor, comedian, impressionist, and vaudevillian. He is known for his work on Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Walter Lantz, Rankin/Bass, and Walt Disney theatrical cartoons during the Golden Age of Animation and for providing the voice of Boris Badenov in ''The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show''. Voice actor Mel Blanc said Frees was known as "The Man of a Thousand Voices", though the appellation was bestowed on Blanc himself. Early life Solomon Hersh Frees was born to a Jewish family in Chicago, Illinois, on June 22, 1920. He grew up in the Albany Park neighborhood and attended Von Steuben Junior High School. He had an unusually wide four-octave voice range that enabled him to voice a scale from the thundering ''basso profundo'' of the unseen "Ghost Host" in the Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland in California and at Walt Disney World in Florida to the voice of the farmer who educates the Little Green Sprout (voic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hideyo Amamoto
was a prolific Japanese actor from the Wakamatsu ward of Kitakyūshū best known for portraying Dr. Shinigami in the original '' Kamen Rider'' series as well as many other characters in tokusatsu films and the ''Godzilla'' series. Amamoto also used the pseudonym of Eisei Amamoto for most of his career, Eisei being a misreading of the kanji in his real name, Hideyo. He died on March 23, 2003 of complication from pneumonia at the age of 77. Film and television credits 1950 *''Nijushi no hitomi'' (1954) as Hisako's husband *''The Garden of Women'' (1954) as Professor (uncredited) *''Twenty-Four Eyes'' (1954) as Ôishi Sensei no Otto *''Ai wa furu hoshi no kanata ni'' (1956) as Chen LongCheng *''Yûwaku'' (1957) as Kyôzô Ikegami *''Kunin no shikeishû'' (1957) as Takao Nakamura *''Yatsu ga satsujinsha da'' (1958) *''Mikkokusha wa dare ka'' (1958) as Nakao *''Jinsei gekijô - Seishun hen'' (1958) * (1959) *'' Songoku: The Road to the West'' (1959) *''Aru kengo no shogai'' (1959) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Julie Bennett
Julie Bennett (January 24, 1932 – March 31, 2020) was an American actress and later talent agent and realtor. Early years Bennett was born in Manhattan, New York, on January 24, 1932. Acting career A native of Hollywood, Bennett worked as a character actress on stage, on old time radio, radio, and in several film and television programs, including ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', ''Adventures of Superman (TV series), Adventures of Superman'', and ''Dragnet (franchise), Dragnet''. Voice-acting career Bennett worked as a voice actress from the 1950s until the early 2000s. She recorded voices for UPA (animation studio), UPA, Warner Bros. Cartoons, Warner Bros., Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Animation, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Format Films' ''The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show'' (for the segment "Fractured Fairy Tales"), and Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions. She is best known as the voice of Hanna-Barbera's Cindy Bear on ''The Yogi Bear Show'' and its feature-film spin-off ''H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tokyo Tower
is a communications and observation tower in the Shiba-koen district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan, built in 1958. At , it is the second- tallest structure in Japan. The structure is an Eiffel Tower-inspired lattice tower that is painted white and international orange to comply with air safety regulations. The tower's main sources of income are tourism and antenna leasing. Over 150 million people have visited the tower. FootTown, a four-story building directly under the tower, houses museums, restaurants, and shops. Departing from there, guests can visit two observation decks. The two-story Main Deck (formerly known as the Main Observatory) is at , while the smaller Top Deck (formerly known as the "Special Observatory") reaches a height of . The names were changed following renovation of the top deck in 2018. The tower is repainted every five years, taking a year to complete the process. In 1961, transmission antennae were added to the tower. They are used for radio and televi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
King Kong (1933 Film)
''King Kong'' is a 1933 American pre-Code adventure fantasy horror monster film directed and produced by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack. The screenplay by James Ashmore Creelman and Ruth Rose was developed from an idea conceived by Cooper and Edgar Wallace. It stars Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong and Bruce Cabot, and tells the story of a giant ape dubbed Kong who attempts to possess a beautiful young woman. It features stop-motion animation by Willis O'Brien and a music score by Max Steiner. It is the first entry in the King Kong franchise. ''King Kong'' opened in New York City on March 2, 1933, to rave reviews, and has since been ranked by Rotten Tomatoes as the greatest horror film of all time and the fifty-sixth greatest film of all time. In 1991, it was deemed "culturally, historically and aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. A sequel, titled ''Son of Kong'', was fast-tracked and rel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
King Kong (franchise)
''King Kong'' is an American media franchise featuring King Kong, a character initially created by Merian C. Cooper at RKO Radio Pictures and now owned by Warner Bros. (owners of 1933 film), Universal Pictures (owners of 2005 film) with more recent films being licensed to Legendary Pictures for production with Warner Bros. handling distribution. Films featuring Kong over the years are currently owned by various studios, including Toho, Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. The film franchise consists of twelve monster films, including seven Hollywood films, two Japanese kaiju films produced by Toho, and the first three direct-to-video animated films. The first film, ''King Kong'', was directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack and released by Radio Pictures in 1933 and became an influential classic of the genre. Toho was later inspired to make the original ''Godzilla '' after the commercial success of the 1952 re-release of ''King Kong'' and the succ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The King Kong Show
, commonly referred to as ''The King Kong Show'', is an Anime-influenced animation, anime-influenced series produced by Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment, Videocraft International and Toei Animation. American Broadcasting Company, ABC ran the series in the United States on Saturday mornings between September 10, 1966, and August 31, 1969. It is the first anime series produced in Japan for an American company (not counting Rankin/Bass' previous Animagic stop motion productions, which were also animated in Japan). This series is an animated adaptation of the famous film monster King Kong with character designs by Jack Davis (cartoonist), Jack Davis and Rod Willis. In this series, the giant ape befriends the Bond family, with whom he goes on various adventures, fighting monsters, robots, aliens, mad scientists and other threats. Unlike King Kong's destructive roles in his films, the cartoon turned him into a protector of humanity. Included is a parody of spy films of the 1960s call ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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