# Why don't local TV stations show Saturday afternoon Godzilla movies anymore? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 17, 2002, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-local-tv-stations-show-saturday-afternoon-godzilla-movies-anymore/143431 "2002-12-17T22:24:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2002, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-local-tv-stations-show-saturday-afternoon-godzilla-movies-anymore/143431/21 "2002-12-20T12:50:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skeezix \* > They bought up the North American (and possibly European? Don’t know this for sure) distribution rights for everything “G” when they railroaded **Godzilla vs. Ferris Bueller** into existence. You mean _RoarGames_? ---
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2002, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-local-tv-stations-show-saturday-afternoon-godzilla-movies-anymore/143431/22 "2002-12-21T08:02:13Z")
😃 Nicely done, **Bryan**. Now I’ve got club cracker crumbs all over my lap (and a couple bits shot up into my sinuses, I think). If I didn’t know better, I’d say you timed that. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by **CalMeacham** _: > **IIRC, Raymond Burr still wasn’t in from the beginning – just like in the original, he never appears in any scenes with the main Japanese cast members. His stuff was cut in later.** I’d heard somewhere or other that this was done intentionally, to mirror the feel of the original. Of course, considering that the Japanese release of G85 would be based on the Burr-less version of the original, it _does_ make sense that he was only in the American release of 85, as well. Me, I got so hung up on the Dr. Pepper product placement that I was blinded to anything else that happened in his scenes. And just 'cause: While we’re remembering, WPIX used to have a phone in game they ran for a while. It was (searching the old synapses for a minute) Space Blaster, from the Intellivision game line. The kid who called in (or got picked by lottery and called by the station, perhaps) would yell “Pix!” into the phone to fire at the Cylon looking badguys, and if they scored over some random amount, they got some prize or other, from the station. That really happened outside my brain, right? Anyone remember this more clearly than I? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2002, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-local-tv-stations-show-saturday-afternoon-godzilla-movies-anymore/143431/23 "2002-12-21T08:36:03Z")
I’d give your brain the benefit of the doubt, **Skeezix**. I used to watch Professor Fun in Honolulu Playing TV Pow (or Pau, if you prefer) during his weekday afternoon cartoon show. Same kind of game. The kid fired the weapon by yelling “Pow!” (or Pau) ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2002, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-local-tv-stations-show-saturday-afternoon-godzilla-movies-anymore/143431/24 "2002-12-21T08:58:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skeezix \* > **A small slew of flicks followed, only two others of which were ‘legally’ available in the US, until sometime after the Tristar Godzilla movie, when Tristar finally started letting the newer Toho films into the western market.** No, they were avaliable before that, you just had to know where to get them (and they were legal,) I picked up G vs. King Ghidorah that way. > [@](#): > > The other was **Godzilla 2000AD** , or summat close to that, which was beautiful offhanded Toho slam against Dean and Devlin(the makers of the abysmal Tristar “G” movie), which ended with Godzilla whomping ass on a big flying saucer transformer that turned into an oversized kaiju. > \*\* I hope you are aware there are sequals to that (which are currently not released in the us), Godzilla vs. Megaguirus; Godzilla, Mothra, King Ghiderah: All Monsters attack; and the forthcoming Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. All can ignore previous Godzilla continuity at will now. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2002, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-local-tv-stations-show-saturday-afternoon-godzilla-movies-anymore/143431/25 "2002-12-21T14:17:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Skeezix \* > \*\*And just 'cause: > While we’re remembering, WPIX used to have a phone in game they ran for a while. It was (searching the old synapses for a minute) Space Blaster, from the Intellivision game line. The kid who called in (or got picked by lottery and called by the station, perhaps) would yell “Pix!” into the phone to fire at the Cylon looking badguys, and if they scored over some random amount, they got some prize or other, from the station. > > That really happened outside my brain, right? Anyone remember this more clearly than I? \*\* **Skeezix** , you’re absolutely sane. Or at least your memory of this is no symptom of incipient insanity. We used to get WPIX on our cable system (Warner Cable, Central PA) back when I was in grade school, and they most definitely had PIX. I can remember coming home to watch _The Magic Garden_ and _Tom & Jerry_ and having the little video game come on. I wanted to play it, but didn’t understand the concept of long-distance at the time. :0) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-local-tv-stations-show-saturday-afternoon-godzilla-movies-anymore/143431/26 "2002-12-22T00:08:39Z")
What used to be called Channel 41 in Kansas City used to host a “horror” flick every Saturday evening with an Elvira wannabe called Crematia Mortem. She had an unseen servant called Rasputin. I remember one flick where beautiful virgins were being sacrificed to some idol, and Crematia decided to pacify the spirits in her basement by doing the same thing. So she hollers “Rasputin, bring me a virgin!” Next commercial break she asks if he has found one yet and we hear his voice “In this town? Are you kidding? I went down to the Plaza and they never even _heard_ of virgins!” ---
**Author:** ![raisinbread](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8491ac/32.png) [@raisinbread](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raisinbread)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-local-tv-stations-show-saturday-afternoon-godzilla-movies-anymore/143431/27 "2002-12-22T03:30:32Z")
The best part of WOR showing Godzilla movies on the day after Thanksgiving is Godzilla vs. the Smog Monster would always come on at four in the afternoon just as the sun was setting and that was the scariest movie I ever saw when I was eight years old and I’d hide in the dark watching the movie anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-local-tv-stations-show-saturday-afternoon-godzilla-movies-anymore/143431/28 "2002-12-22T07:25:24Z")
I am suddenly 10 again. Or thereabouts. Nostalgic, anyway. **Tars Tarkas** : Guess I’m mostly out of the loop. I didn’t know about the availability early 90’s G-flicks (aside from the three I mentioned) or the recent Gamera remakes until after the Tristar G.I.N.O. I also was unaware (but I can’t say I’m even mildly surprised) about sequels made after G2K. I need to start tracking these things down. Gracias. **jayjay** : I know I remember the _name_ The Magic Garden, but I’m drawing a blank as to what it was about. What was TMG, d’y’recall? [sub]I keep seeing two girls with a puppet squirrel, and a giggle patch that had corny jokes written on the leaves, and I’m pretty sure that was Romper Room.[/sub] **raisinbread** : I’d forgotten that, but I do b’lieve you’re right. They tended to run the same movies, at the same times, every year. Friday always ended with Godzilla vs Megalon, didn’t it? I’m thinking they ran the flicks in chronological order, but that may be stretching it. TNT ran every pre-85 Godzilla movie over a weekend a couple years ago, and it was the first time I’d seen Godzilla Raids Again. Or maybe not every one, because I still don’t think I’ve ever seen Godzilla vs Gigan (or whatever the name of the movie he was in before G vs Megalon) Time to head off to [stomptokyo.com](http://stomptokyo.com), for me. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-local-tv-stations-show-saturday-afternoon-godzilla-movies-anymore/143431/29 "2002-12-22T07:46:55Z")
You got it in one, **Skeezix**. Carol and Paula shared the garden with Sherlock Squirrel and a bird puppet I can’t remember the name of now, the magic tree, the chuckle patch, and the story box. WPIX had a retrospective on Thanksgiving of The Magic Garden. I sat and watched in nostalgic fascination both the retrospective and the two episodes they ran afterward. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-local-tv-stations-show-saturday-afternoon-godzilla-movies-anymore/143431/30 "2002-12-22T16:38:17Z")
Well, face it, those Godzilla movies were pretty unrealistic. I mean a thawed out T Rex that breathed fire and stomped Tokyo every now and then? Come on. Now Gamerra… There was a monster you could believe in! ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-local-tv-stations-show-saturday-afternoon-godzilla-movies-anymore/143431/31 "2002-12-22T22:14:04Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ranger \* > \*\*Now Gamerra… There was a monster you could believe in! \*\* \ _o/` Gamera is really neat! Gamera is filled with meat! We've been eating Gamera! o/`_ \ Sorry. It’s a reflex… ---
**Author:** ![a35362](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@a35362](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/a35362)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-local-tv-stations-show-saturday-afternoon-godzilla-movies-anymore/143431/32 "2002-12-23T01:41:09Z")
I miss watching the Son of Svengoolie on local Chicago TV. He would host cheesy horror movies and end his lead-in back to the movie with the setup for a joke, and when they returned to the movie, the first line would be the punchline. Great stuff to have on while you’re babysitting. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Skeezix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@Skeezix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skeezix)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2002, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-local-tv-stations-show-saturday-afternoon-godzilla-movies-anymore/143431/33 "2002-12-23T06:04:20Z")
“There are no locks on story box, on story box, on story box…” Damn. Those old synapses aren’t completely atrophied into uselessness after all. I recall thinking, as a lad of about 7 or 8, that there were two Gameras; one was the giant turtle, and the other was the flameshooting flying saucer that either controlled him, or told him where the badguys were, so he could go stomp on them. [sub]“Gaos, his face locked forever in a hideous deathmask…” “I see _someone’s_ renewed his subscription to the Steven King Book of the Month Club.”[/sub] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-local-tv-stations-show-saturday-afternoon-godzilla-movies-anymore/143431.md?page=1)