# The Persistence of Godzilla **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 10, 2018, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162 "2018-04-10T12:30:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/21 "2018-04-10T18:43:22Z")
Or consider this: [http://turoks.net/Cabana/ElvisAndGodzilla.php](http://turoks.net/Cabana/ElvisAndGodzilla.php) ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/22 "2018-04-10T18:51:14Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > Which makes you wonder, where the hell is the Elvis vs Godzilla movie? It would make a fantastic elevator pitch for a novel mix-genre. But then you realize it is going to lead to _Buddy Holly vs. Mothra_, _The Beatles: A Hard Day’s Fight Against Ghidorah_, and _The Jackson 5 on the Island of Monsters_. Hey, at least it is better than more _Transformers_ movies. Those movies are like someone ran through a consumer electronics show with a giant buzzsaw mounted on the front of an airboat and filmed the resulting cloud of debris. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/23 "2018-04-10T19:02:37Z")
As a kid I loved Godzilla from mostly two sources: ABC’s 4:30 Movie which would often have Godzilla Week (as compared to the more Generic Monster Week which would have Gamera films and other things) and WWOR showing Godzilla movies the Friday after Thanksgiving. Those things were Events for me and I would look forward to them. It’s funny because when I was older I would buy most of the movies on video but would not watch them that often when I could just pop them in. It wasn’t the same. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/24 "2018-04-10T19:22:37Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > it got held up by Willis O’Brien’s pursuit of the Elvis vs. King Kong movie: > > [https://drnorth.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/willis-obrien-frankenstein-vs-king-kong-31.jpg](https://drnorth.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/willis-obrien-frankenstein-vs-king-kong-31.jpg) > Of course, he _said_ it was _Frankenstein_ vs. King Kong, but we all knew he could foresee the future and how Elvis would put on weight. > > Of course, there was THIS abortive Japanese attempt, but it didn’t look much like Elvis. Or Godzilla, for that matter: > > [http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XJOMPlIqWag/Tv0JrDMjxtI/AAAAAAAAAQY/aG-lKRq3cAI/s1600/frankenstein\_conquers\_the\_world\_01.jpg](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XJOMPlIqWag/Tv0JrDMjxtI/AAAAAAAAAQY/aG-lKRq3cAI/s1600/frankenstein_conquers_the_world_01.jpg) > > and here’s always this teaser: > > [Elvis vs. Godzilla - Search Videos](https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Elvis+vs.+Godzilla&view=detail&mid=83D53887349D97A04AE283D53887349D97A04AE2&FORM=VIRE) > > or this > > [Elvis vs. Godzilla - Search Videos](https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Elvis+vs.+Godzilla&view=detail&mid=3A6A477454BD2A140DF93A6A477454BD2A140DF9&FORM=VIRE) > > or this > [http://cheezburger.com/4680079616](http://cheezburger.com/4680079616) You’d think Col. Tom Parker could’ve made this happen, but noooooo… ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/25 "2018-04-10T19:25:23Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > It would make a fantastic elevator pitch for a novel mix-genre. But then you realize it is going to lead to _Buddy Holly vs. Mothra_, _]The Beatles: A Hard Day’s Fight Against Ghidorah_, and _The Jackson 5 on the Island of Monsters_. John: “Okay, Paul, you take the right head; George, you take the left, I’ll take the one in the middle; Ringo… Uh, you stay in the back.” Ringo [moping]: “That’s what I _always_ do.” * * * Hey, if _KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park_ could get made… ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/26 "2018-04-10T19:30:55Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > [Moderating] > A reminder: Posts on this message board should be in English. I’m quoting song lyrics. BOC’s Gozilla, specifically, in response to Blondebear. And not enough to exceed fair use. 🙂 I will post extraordinary news I will post extraordinary news Godzilla is heading toward Ginza Please evacuate soon Please evacuate soon ---
**Author:** ![neofishboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/neofishboy/32/444_2.png) [@neofishboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neofishboy)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/27 "2018-04-10T19:38:21Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > … > > What’s the hold Godzilla has over them? > … Hmmm, let’s see … _scribble scribble_ … cross referencing … carry the 2 … _scribble scribble_ Aha! Okay, according to my calculations it appears that the answer to your question is this: Godzilla is awesome. _double checks_ Yup, same result. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/28 "2018-04-10T19:52:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > [Moderating] > A reminder: Posts on this message board should be in English. > [@Anonymous Japanese TV or Radio announcer](#): > > I will post extraordinary news > I will post extraordinary news > Godzilla is heading toward Ginza > Please evacuate soon > Please evacuate soon Too bad so few of us have access to Google Translate. 😉 It will even read it to you with more emotion than Stephen Hawking. The robot sounds cute. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/29 "2018-04-10T20:01:58Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > As a kid I loved Godzilla from mostly two sources: ABC’s 4:30 Movie which would often have Godzilla Week (as compared to the more Generic Monster Week which would have Gamera films and other things) and WWOR showing Godzilla movies the Friday after Thanksgiving. Those things were Events for me and I would look forward to them. It’s funny because when I was older I would buy most of the movies on video but would not watch them that often when I could just pop them in. It wasn’t the same. the running joke in our house, when he see that the same or similar movies are playing simultaneously on different stations, or in sequence on one, is “It’s \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_Week on the 4:30 movie” You know, like it’s Matrix Week. Or James Bond Week, or Hannibal Lecter Week. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/30 "2018-04-10T20:04:57Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > Nothing much to add other than that as I was setting a recording over this past weekend, I happened across “Godzilla vs Monster X” … Apologies for my error. The movie was Godzilla vs Monster 0. The ALIENS were from Planet X! :smack: (And - yes, Monster 0 was Ghidorah!) ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/31 "2018-04-10T20:40:29Z")
Could you imagine living in a world where Godzilla existed? There’d be special categories of traffic sign alerts: high traffic, earthquake, tsunami, Godzilla activity. Just another day in Megasaki City. “Where weer you when Godzilla attacked?” “Which time?” “The time Tokyo got destroyed” “2012?” “No, that was the second time. 1995.” “Ah, yes, I was driving a tank. We were in position to fire, but he attacked the powerlines, and we never got a shot.” ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/32 "2018-04-10T21:37:45Z")
Re: What is the mystical power that makes Godzilla acceptable TV watching? Godzilla is a giant lizard with radioactive breath who trashes miniatures while battling it out with other monsters. It is performance art of the highest order, representing the chaotic tendencies of civilization, which can be regenerative as well as destructive. As such, Godzilla movies have an instinctive appeal. More critically, the name “Godzilla” evokes not just the Big G, but a whole world of monsters, tech, malevolent aliens and imaginative VFX whose better films(1) and characters(2) stand as instantly recognized global icons of fantasy cinema. The real questions are why would anyone not be into Godzilla and why would you want to associate with such a person. As far as I’m concerned, these queries have no legitimate answer. 1: _Godzilla_ (1954) _Mothra_ (1961) _Ghidorah, The Three-Headed Monster_ (1964) _Destroy All Monsters_ (1968) _Godzilla vs. Mecha-Godzilla_ (1974) _Terror of Mecha-Godzilla_ (1975) I’ve heard good things about _Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack_ (2001), but haven’t seen it. Great title, though. 2: Godzilla isn’t even my favorite monster. I like Mothra and King Ghidorah better. And I have a soft spot for Baragon. Biollante’s pretty cool, too. But probably my favorite is Hedorah, the Smog Monster. Any of them are way cooler than Captain America and would beat the shit out of him any day. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/33 "2018-04-10T22:11:59Z")
I always enjoyed the Creature Feature on the UHF Sunday Afternoon cinema, like WPIX 11. The interest really peaked when I learned the Japanese make more movies in the 1990s. It even prompted me to make a Geocities type web page: [Michael’s Godzilla vs Destoroyah Page](http://gvsdestoroyah.dulcemichaelanya.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Stephe96](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Stephe96](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephe96)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2018, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/34 "2018-04-10T23:44:34Z")
I think there’s a very simple answer: the word ‘Godzilla’ is very effective, unusual and memorable. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/35 "2018-04-11T00:01:34Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > “It still boggles my mind that NBC could show a film as atrocious as Godzilla vs. Megalon on prime time TV, hosted by John Belushi in the Saturday Night Live Godzilla suit. Try doing that with the Beast from 20,000 Fathoms!” > > Gotta tell you, the Saturday night showing of Godzilla v. Megalon was an _event_ in the JohnT domicile. I hated the joke skits, but completely forgot (or didn’t care - I was 10 or so) that it was John Belushi doing that. I do recall I absolutely hated them as they weren’t giving Godzilla the respect he so clearly earned. 🙂 Then I strongly advise you not to watch MST3K’s treatment of the film.😃 ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/36 "2018-04-11T01:18:00Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Of course, there was THIS abortive Japanese attempt, but it didn’t look much like Elvis. Or Godzilla, for that matter: > > [http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XJOMPlIqWa...e\_world\_01.jpg](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XJOMPlIqWa...e_world_01.jpg) I don’t believe I have ever seen that one (Frankenstein Conquers the World)–but I see it’s available on the internet archive site. I’ll have to check it out. I _have_ seen the “sequel” though, the very entertaining _War of the Gargantuas_. It’s one of my favorite kaiju flicks. I have it on a DVD which also has Rodan, a nice double feature. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/37 "2018-04-11T04:54:29Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Godzilla is a perfect TV monster: at the midpoint between scary and silly. He’s a giant monster, but on the small screen, the model cities he’s destroying are just that: models. > > So if you like monsters (and are younger), you can get the thrill of a monster attacking. If you don’t buy into monsters, the oddness of the Japanese milieu and the silly stories (oxygen destroyer?) are entertaining. Godzilla has the body of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and the head of a dog. His arms are made for hugging. Godzilla’s cuteness is part of his appeal, broadening the audience. The Beast of 20K has nothing on him. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/38 "2018-04-11T16:48:40Z")
Speaking of Godzilla’s cuteness, was there ever anything cuter in a giant monster movie than Godzilla’s son blowing smoke rings? ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/39 "2018-04-11T17:48:39Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > …would be the coolest Salvador Dali painting, ever. And this, in turn, is possibly the greatest post ever. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2018, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162/40 "2018-04-11T19:00:54Z")
actually now days Robert rodriguez owns the broadcasts rights via his ElRey network hes a uberfan and has some type of long term lease going Tho yall missed the 2 week long 24 hours one he ran between xmas and new years [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-persistence-of-godzilla/812162.md?page=3)