Embassy Pictures released Godzilla, King of the Monsters! in the United States on 27 April 1956.

But before any of the Godzilla geniuses out there complain, let me provide the background. (They can just sit quietly while I explain what they, in their genre magnificence, already know!)

Godzilla was first released to the public on 3 November 1954. Edmund Goldman bought the US rights to the film from Toho Studios for $25,000 (about a quarter million today). He was planning to just dub it into English and then release it.

But things got a bit out of hand. With the help and encouragement of a whole bunch of people, the film was transformed. It still told the same story. But it told it from the perspective of an American reporter played by Raymond Burr.

The result isn’t a better film. In fact, in many ways, it is a weaker film. But it does have advantages over the original. The main thing is that by using the equivalent of a million dollars, they took a distinctly Japanese film and made an American film. It is notable that the film is so different that it had its own Japanese release on 29 May 1957.

It’s a remarkable accomplishment. And it is great that we now have both these films to enjoy.

I highly recommend getting the Warner Brothers Godzilla: King of the Monsters Special Edition. It comes with two discs: one for the original Japanese version and one for the American release. Both include commentary tracks by David Kalat, author of A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series.

If you would rather watch the original with English subtitles, there is a good print. And here is the American print:

Other 27 April Anniversaries

Filmmakers:

• Walter Lantz (1899-1994): Animator and creator of Woody Woodpecker.
• Jack Klugman (1922-2012): TV’s Dr Quincy he appeared in lots of other things like 4 episodes of the original The Twilight Zone.
• Sandy Dennis (1937-1992): Actor who was truly amazing in The Out-of-Towners; she also starred in Robert Altman’s That Cold Day in the Park.
• James Le Gros (1962-): Actor in Phantasm II, Drugstore Cowboy, and many others.
• Lisa Wilcox (1964-): Star of later “Nightmare on Elm Street” films.
• Matt Reeves (1966-): Director of Cloverfield, The Batman, and some of the recent “Planet of the Apes” films.
• Andre Gower (1973-): Actor in The Monster Squad.

Films:

• The Man From Planet X (1951): Space alien lands and is mistreated.
• Scared Stiff (1953): Martin and Lewis haunted castle film.
• The Dark (1979): Space werewolf.
• Love at First Bite (1979): Count Dracula (George Hamilton) comes to America and finds love.
• Unmasked Part 25 (1988): Slasher comedy.
• The Guardian (1990): Evil druid nanny.
• Spaced Invaders (1990): Comedy about space aliens during a rebroadcast of “War of the Worlds.”
• The Forsaken (2001): Aspiring filmmaker gets involved in a vampire war.
• Adam & Evil (2004): Slasher in the woods.
• Mulberry St (2006): A virus turns Manhattanites into rats.
• High Stitches (2007): Archaeologists unleash a space alien monster.
• The Invisible (2007): After a beating, a young man turns invisible to others.
• Wind Chill (2007): Two friends caught in a storm are harassed by ghosts.
• The Raven (2012): A fan tests Edgar Allan Poe (John Cusack).

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Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956) poster via Wikipedia. It is in the public domain.