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Godzilla and JOHN BELUSHI

Author	Comment
joker5339	Godzilla and JOHN BELUSHI	Lead	[-]
Jun 14 09 2:00 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	during the late 70's wnbc in new york broadcast "godzilla vs. megalon" it was hosted by john belushi in a godzilla siut. anybody remember this or even better anybody got a tape.
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TheCreep		#1	[-]
Jun 14 09 6:17 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Yes as a matter of fact I DO remember this! I remember the little live action wraparounds he would do, including one where he had fake boulders thrown at him. I also remember the movie being edited quite badly for TV. I first remember that because the girlie photos inside the garbage truck at the movie's beginning were blocked out, LOL It was NBC 4 NY that hosted the event. It was also around this time that I had seen G vs.M in the theatres, where we were each given a poster and a small comic book (seriously!) In the comic, Jet Jaguar was referred to as "Robot Man." I wish I had those now..I think what they were trying to do was the Japanese thing where moviegoers are usually given little trinkets when they go to see the movie. I don't remember the idea working out too well.
ArmandV101		#2	[-]
Jun 14 09 6:36 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	It was heavily edited to fit into the one-hour time slot. I remember watching it. Armand's Rancho del Cielo
Hachigatsu		#3	[-]
Jun 14 09 7:19 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	TheCreep wrote: YIt was also around this time that I had seen G vs.M in the theatres, where we were each given a poster and a small comic book (seriously!) In the comic, Jet Jaguar was referred to as "Robot Man." I wish I had those now..I think what they were trying to do was the Japanese thing where moviegoers are usually given little trinkets when they go to see the movie. I don't remember the idea working out too well. It actually did work out well; Cinema Shares' advertising campaign actually made GODZILLA VS. MEGALON a big box office hit (for a genre film) in the Summer of '76! Why is why NBC picked it up -- the first (and only) Godzilla movie to air on Network Television in the US. August Ragone Author EIJI TSUBURAYA: MASTER OF MONSTERS Blog THE GOOD, THE BAD AND GODZILLA
ThunderScore		#4	[-]
Jun 14 09 8:18 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hachigatsu wrote: NBC picked it up -- the first (and only) Godzilla movie to air on Network Television in the US. I remember NBC cut MEGALON's run time almost in half. The suit Belushi wore, IIRC was built by Rob Short (PIRANHA, SCARED TO DEATH, BEETLEJUICE, THE FLASH, etc.) and appeared a few times on SNL. Just Found this from March 15, 1977: Last Edited By: ThunderScore Jun 14 09 8:36 PM. Edited 1 times.
The Mighty Bongo		#5	[-]
Jun 14 09 8:44 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Boy do I remember that ! I actually liked the Belushi footage as much as (or more than ) the movie itself. You can see Rob Shorts Godzilla suit in the movie Hollywood Boulevard. The segment is called " Atomic War Brides" where " Godzina" is being given " her" motivation for the next scene by director Paul Bartel. You can also see this suit on Youtube in a clip called " Godzilla sells out " ! As a kid I wanted that goofy suit more than anything .
Hachigatsu		#6	[-]
Jun 15 09 2:53 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The suit was originally created for Joe Dante and Allan Arkush's HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD (1976). August Ragone Author EIJI TSUBURAYA: MASTER OF MONSTERS Blog THE GOOD, THE BAD AND GODZILLA
Grant		#7	[-]
Jun 15 09 9:04 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The suit (the same one?) was also used in a movie parody from the 1979-80 season of SNL, called "Kramer vs. Godzilla."
starhawk60.movieserialmess...		#8	[-]
Jun 15 09 10:40 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I remember watching it and getting a kick out of Belushi hosting the show. Thanks for the TV Guide piece ThunderScore, I had forgotten it was edited down to 48 min. If only I had access to a VHS machine...
ThunderScore		#9	[-]
Jun 15 09 12:59 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	starhawk60 wrote: Thanks for the TV Guide piece ThunderScore, I had forgotten it was edited down to 48 min. If only I had access to a VHS machine... Somewhere I have an audio cassette recording of it... IIRC, it was an NBC "Big Event"...
Dread		#10	[-]
Jun 15 09 1:11 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I have very fond memories of this film. I saw it in the theater in 1976 and watched the Belushi hosted "special" on NBC in 1978. Thanks for sharing.
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TheCreep		#11	[-]
Jun 15 09 2:20 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hachigatsu wrote: It actually did work out well; Cinema Shares' advertising campaign actually made GODZILLA VS. MEGALON a big box office hit (for a genre film) in the Summer of '76! Why is why NBC picked it up -- the first (and only) Godzilla movie to air on Network Television in the US. Well, I guess Network TV got a boost, but I just didn't like the way it was edited for TV since I saw the film in the theatres beforehand. I LOVED the theatrical version! However, the NBC version was very rushed and it seemed the only purpose was to get a high rating at the expense of the movie's integrity. The cuts were so obvious to the trained eye, while other folks probably thought that that WAS the entire movie. A lot of people got the wool pulled over their eyes just so NBC could get a high rating.
Edkkakumon		#12	[-]
Jun 15 09 4:09 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	With 48 minutes, there's not much time to develope any plot. But John Belushi in a Godzilla suit does sound amusing.
Hachigatsu		#13	[-]
Jun 15 09 6:39 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Let's not kid ourselves, GODZILLA VS. MEGALON was a children's film, made for Toho's Kiddie Matinee series, and the plot could be done in 30 minutes on ULTRAMAN. With that being said, I love all 82 minutes of MEGALON, and it forever has a special place in my heart... But, it was conceived and produced as a children's flick, and issued as a mainstream release here, out of the original Japanese context. This caused a lot of negative reaction to the film from critics who thought it was intended for general audiences. August Ragone Author EIJI TSUBURAYA: MASTER OF MONSTERS Blog THE GOOD, THE BAD AND GODZILLA
joker5339		#14	[-]
Jun 15 09 6:56 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	NBC showed this film because a local sporting event was blacked out.
TheCreep		#15	[-]
Jun 15 09 7:33 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hachigatsu wrote: Let's not kid ourselves, GODZILLA VS. MEGALON was a children's film, made for Toho's Kiddie Matinee series, and the plot could be done in 30 minutes on ULTRAMAN. With that being said, I love all 82 minutes of MEGALON, and it forever has a special place in my heart... But, it was conceived and produced as a children's flick, and issued as a mainstream release here, out of the original Japanese context. This caused a lot of negative reaction to the film from critics who thought it was intended for general audiences. The Ultraman quality is definitely there in G vs. M because of the Tsuburayas and their cross influences that each had on the other in terms of visuals, storytelling, and sound fx. There's no denying that relationship between the Godzilla series and the Ultraman episodes. G vs. M being a kids story, that's a given. And I can understand the suprise of the critics when they saw it and realized that it wasn't your standard monster flick. However, in today's market, General Audience kids' movies are tailored so that adults wind up liking them too. And that said, if G vs. M was released in it's original format in today's market, I think the critics might have given it some better due. And, not to mention a toy deal that would spring up from a certain fast food chain, lol
Hachigatsu		#16	[-]
Jun 15 09 8:25 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	joker5339 wrote: NBC showed this film because a local sporting event was blacked out. Local? It was a nationwide broadcast... August Ragone Author EIJI TSUBURAYA: MASTER OF MONSTERS Blog THE GOOD, THE BAD AND GODZILLA
Godziwolf		#17	[-]
Jun 15 09 10:50 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Hachigatsu wrote: It actually did work out well; Cinema Shares' advertising campaign actually made GODZILLA VS. MEGALON a big box office hit (for a genre film) in the Summer of '76! Why is why NBC picked it up -- the first (and only) Godzilla movie to air on Network Television in the US. Godzilla (1998) was on NBC in 2001, wasn't it?
Hachigatsu		#18	[-]
Jun 15 09 11:37 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	That doesn't count... it's not, and never will be, a true Godzilla film. Besides, when I mean "Godzilla film", I'm talking only about the Japanese productions. August Ragone Author EIJI TSUBURAYA: MASTER OF MONSTERS Blog THE GOOD, THE BAD AND GODZILLA
BijouBob8mm		#19	[-]
Jun 16 09 10:27 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Let's not kid ourselves, GODZILLA VS. MEGALON was a children's film And yet there were the girlie photos in the truck that had to be blocked out for TV. I remember the Belushi broadcast, as well. Had mixed feelings about it, at the time. It was a chance to see a Godzilla film I'd never seen, but I was afraid it would be hokey (or would be made hokey by the way television was going to handle it). The chopped-down broadcast version did the film no favors, IMO. Only in recent years have I had the chance to see the complete Japanese version in widescreen. In spite of having long had one of the old pan & scan VHS tapes, seeing it this way was like watching an all-new movie. While it's unlikely this will happen, it would be great to see GvsM get a proper DVD release and include the Belushi material as a bonus feature. (But I know I'm only dreaming.) it's not, and never will be, a true Godzilla film Loved them showing the real Godzilla slamming the '98 critter in GODZILLA: FINAL WARS. Taken on its own terms, the 1998 film isn't a bad giant-monster-on-the-loose flick, but it's no Gojira. Last Edited By: BijouBob8mm Jun 16 09 10:32 AM. Edited 1 times.
joker5339		#20	[-]
Jun 16 09 4:23 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	it was only on wnbc in nyc. rest of country got football i think.
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