King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962)
Episode description
The King of the Monsters fights the Eighth Wonder of the World in this massive crossover! The creative team behind the original Godzilla reunited for this fascinating transition movie that’s half a meta satire of the corporate television industry, and half a silly wrestling match between two very anthropomorphized kaiju. We talk Ishirō Honda's attempts to make Toho's comedy celebration smarter, Eiji Tsubaraya's octopus obsession, the unfortunate Kong suit design, the VERY unfortunate racism (and its roots in King Kong as a whole), and how this movie changed Godzilla forever.
Episode cover art by: Andy Vanderbilt
Twitch: @av_artwork | Twitter: @AVartwork | Instagram: @andy.vanderbilt
Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective
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Theme song: "BIO WARS - Synth Cover" by Kweer Kaiju
Sources include:
Godzilla FAQ: All That's Left to Know About the King of the Monsters by Brian Solomon
A Critical History and Filmography of Toho's Godzilla Series by David Kalat
Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa by Steve Ryfle and Ed Godziszewski
Interview with Teruyoshi Nakano
NPR’s pieces on the racist history of King Kong in 2005 and 2017