Remembering Haruo Nakajima

by Armand Vaquer

Above, yours truly with Haruo Nakajima at G-FEST 2000. I later had him autograph the photo.

The news that the original Godzilla, Haruo Nakajima has passed away today at age 88 is just devastating.

I first met him in 2000 at G-FEST 2000 in Hollywood. I got to see first hand how he enjoyed interacting with his fans. He enjoyed being with them as much as they enjoyed being with him.

 A year later, at the premiere of Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorah: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack at the 2001 Tokyo International Film Festival, I met up with him following the movie's screening. Richard Pusateri and I had a photo taken with him.

Above, at the 2001 Tokyo International Film Festival with Richard Pusateri. Photo courtesy of Richard Pusateri.

I next saw him at the 2008 G-FEST in Chicago. In fact, I went to O'Hare International Airport to pick him up. It was at this convention that Nakajima was awarded the Mangled Skyscraper Award for his movie work.

Above, Armand with Haruo and Sonoe Nakajima in their suite at G-FEST in 2008.

Above, Sonoe and Haruo Nakajima at the 2008 G-FEST awards banquet. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Haruo Nakajima during his panel discussion at G-FEST. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Haruo Nakajima with his Mangled Skyscraper Award. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

At the first Monsterpalooza in Burbank following the Great East Japan Earthquake, I ran into him with Miki Hayashi. The proceeds received for his autograph went to earthquake relief.

Above, Haruo Nakajima with Miki Hayashi at 
Monsterpalooza 2011. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

In 2013, I served has his "wrangler" at the Mad Monster Party convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. At the show, we sat together in the dealers room where he signed autographs and I sold copies of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan. I also moderated a discussion with him and "acted" in a spoof monster video where I was fleeing a giant monster attack and tried to tell him to also flee, but he was too interested in reading his newspaper.

 The following photos are from the 2013 Mad Monster Party:

Above, Nakajima signs a fan's poster. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Nakajima with a signed photo for Tony Isabella. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, yours truly "acting" with Haruo Nakajima.

Above, Nakajima with a costumed fan. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Haruo Nakajima with actress Lea Thompson. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Above, Haruo Nakajima and I. Photo by Jeff Blanken.

Above, the panel discussion. Photo by Jeff Blanken.

Above, "Team Nakajima": Yoko Connelly, Sonoe and Haruo Nakajima, Jeff Blanken and Armand Vaquer.

Rondo Awards Voting Ends Tomorrow Night!

by Armand Vaquer

Above, Haruo Nakajima and Armand at the 2013 Mad Monster Party. 

The end of voting for the 2012 Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards is tomorrow night.

Please write in your vote for Haruo Nakajima into the Monster Kid Hall of Fame and vote for the Mad Monster Party as Best Convention.

(It wouldn't be a bad idea to write in a vote for Monster Island News as best blog and best website ... just sayin) - Ken

www.monsterislandnews.com

 To vote, go here.

Mad Monster Party: A Plus For "Team Nakajijma"

Above, Haruo Nakajima with actress Lea Thompson.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Mad Monster Party 2013 is now history.  I had a lot of fun and I met a lot of great people. First, I have to commend Eben McGarr and Joe Moe for putting on a great show.  I think they exceeded their attendance expectations by a few thousand.

Above, the Nakajima panel.  Photo by Jeff Blanken.

Next, I have to thank the members of "Team Nakajima" (translator Yoko Connelly and our volunteer stiff (staff) Jeff Blanken)  for their help in making everything involving the Nakajimas go smoothly.

Above, Haruo Nakajima with a fan-made Godzilla suit.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

As this was the second convention, there were a few bugs that need to be ironed out.  But, learning from experience will greatly aid in making next year's convention even better. The day began at about one o'clock in the morning with the sound of police vehicle units pulling up to the Blake Hotel or driving nearby.  It was a bit hard to sleep with all the noise from the police sirens.  I found out  this morning that seven units of the Charlotte Police Department responded to a call involving two nude girls at the convention at that time.  I'd bet the police fought over who was going to respond.

Above, Haruo and Sonoe Nakajima going over their flight schedule for tomorrow in the R.I.P. room.   Photo by Armand Vaquer.

After breakfast, I met with the Nakajimas and went over the questions for the panel discussion.  Following this, we migrated over to the ballroom for the session.  I received many words of praise for the session which included slides (when the projector decided to work properly) and roars and music from Godzilla (1954) while people were entering the ballroom. After the panel, we migrated over to our tables.  The line was already long of autograph seekers when we go to the tables.  I sold more copies of The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan today than I did with Friday and Saturday put together (which weren't bad either).  Thanks to everyone!

Above, Haruo Nakajima and yours truly.

The Nakajimas did VERY well with their sales of autographs photos with fans.  It will probably hit them when they convert the dollars into yen when they return home to Japan.  I am very happy for them.

Above, Haruo Nakajima with our volunteer helper Jeff Blanken.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Just before the convention ended, we had a photo session for group shots of everyone who comprised "Team Nakajima."

Above, Haruo Nakajima with translator Yoko Connolly.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

After the convention was over, we went over to the V.I.P. room (known as the R.I.P. room) to review everything and to make plans for other future activities.  While there, actress Lea Thompson stopped by to be introduced to Haruo Nakajima.

Above, "Team Nakajima" at Mad Monster Party.  

After we said our goodbyes, I took Jeff out to dinner at the Hickory Tavern.  We relaxed over dinner and beer. The trip to Charlotte, North Carolina was worth it and I enjoyed what I did manage to see of the city.  Would I return to a future Mad Monster Party?  The answer is a definite yes!

The King (of the Monsters) Is In The Building!

Haruo Nakajima and his daughter Sonoe have arrived in Charlotte!

Above, Sonoe Nakajima (far left) and her father Haruo "Mr. Godzilla" Nakajima chat with convention organizer Eben McGarr.

Mad Monster Party Schedule

The Mad Monster Party convention in Charlotte, North Carolina will be held this week (March 22-24) at the Blake Hotel.

The convention's official website now has the schedule up with a map of the convention (click on image to see larger):

The panel discussion with Haruo Nakajima is set for Sunday, March 24 at 11:00 am in the Carolina Ballroom.  The discussion will be led by yours truly.

To view the schedule page, go here.

Haruo Nakajima

by Armand Vaquer

Above, Haruo Nakajima in 2008.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When people think of the “Godfathers of Godzilla,” they usually think of three men: Tomoyuki Tanaka, Ishiro Honda and Eiji Tsuburaya. However, there is also a fourth Godfather: Haruo Nakajima. His importance in making Godzilla a fifty year-plus success story cannot be denied.

Nakajima, an actor and stuntman, first donned the Godzilla suit in Godzilla (1954) and continued to play Godzilla and other creatures, including King Kong in King Kong Escapes, Rodan in Rodan, Gaila in War of the Gargantuas, Varan, Moguerra, Mothra and many others. He played Godzilla in twelve features and monsters in twenty six movies, in addition to TV appearances. His skills as a suit actor became so important that he gained the additional responsibility of becoming the choreographer of titanic monster battles in Toho’s daikaiju eiga epics.

When Nakajima was offered the chance to work in Hollywood productions, Eiji Tsuburaya (angrily) asked him to turn down the offer because, as he said, they couldn’t make giant monster movies without Nakajima.

Above, Nakajima donning the Godzilla suit in 1954.  Note the miniature of the Wako Dept. store in the background.  Photo courtesy of Sonoe Nakajima.

Haruo Nakajima was born on New Year’s Day in 1929 in Yamagata, Japan. He began his career acting in samurai movies. “I was always the one who got killed in a sword fight,” Nakajima says. “One day, I played a pilot in Eagle of the Pacific by Ishiro Honda. In the Midway battle scene, my plane is hit by a bomb. I’m on fire and jump out.  Nowadays, stuntmen specialize in those things, but at the time I was the first Japanese actor to perform such a stunt. This role established my reputation. When they were looking for an actor for Godzilla, they felt I was ideal for it.”

He adds, “They probably thought, ‘He does anything without getting hurt.’” Not always. “When I played the monster Varan,” he said, “a squad of kamikaze planes approached me [to attack]. The explosion [from a special effects bomb] occurred under my thighs. I was burned all the way up to my tummy, but I couldn’t tell anybody during the shoot. Actors didn’t complain at the time (laughs).”

Efforts are now in progress to have Haruo Nakajima inducted into the Rondo Hatton Classic Monster Awards "Monster Kid Hall of Fame."

The Mad Monster Party 2013 will mark the first time in two years that Nakajima-san has attended a North American fan convention. His previous appearance was at Monsterpalooza in Hollywood, California in 2011.

This year, he is accompanied by his daughter, Sonoe Nakajima.  Although Mr. Nakajima does not speak fluent English, fans have found him to be a warm and funny man ready to discuss his monster experiences. He is always happy to greet his public and sign autographs. Please take advantage of this opportunity to honor and meet the man who brought Godzilla and other monsters to life.

Mad Monster Party Press Release

by Armand Vaquer

The following news release has been sent out:

Armand Vaquer, author of "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan," will be  attending the Mad Monster Party convention March 22-24 at the Blake Hotel in  Charlotte, North Carolina.

Vaquer will be selling "The Monster Movie  Fan's Guide To Japan" in the vendors room. He will also moderate panels  featuring the original Godzilla suit-actor, Haruo Nakajima.

Nakajima  played the "King of the Monsters" from the original movie in 1954 to 1972's  "Godzilla vs. Gigan."

"Haruo Nakajima has been a great convention guest  in past years. He began his career as an actor and stuntman in samurai and war  movies and the producers of Godzilla movies took note of his stamina when they  were looking for someone to don the heavy rubber monster suits," said Vaquer.  "He and I will have adjoining tables in the vendors room where fans can obtain  autographed photos from him and get "The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To  Japan.""

"The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan" is the world's first  and only Japan travel guide to monster movie locations and landmarks.

For  additional information on the Mad Monster Party convention, go to the official  website at TheMadMonsterParty.com.

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Haruo Nakajima's 84th Birthday Coming Up

by Armand Vaquer

Above, Haruo Nakajima in 2008.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Haruo "Mr. Godzilla" will be turning 84 this coming January 1.  He was born on January 1, 1929 in Yamagata, Japan.

 As has been a tradition for the past several years, fans wanting to extend their birthday greetings to Mr. Nakajima can post them here in the comments.  I will begin to forward them to his daughter Sonoe on January 1.

Mr. Nakajima will be a special guest at the Mad Monster Party convention this coming March 22-24, 2013 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

If you want to have your birthday greetings sent to Mr. Nakajima, post them here.

Godzilla Turns 58

by Armand Vaquer

Above, the King of the Monsters stands guard at the main gate of Toho Studios.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

In movie history...

On November 3, 1954, Godzilla was unleashed in theaters throughout Japan, thus inaugurating a whole new genre of science-fiction movies: daikaiju eiga.

The genre has had its ups and downs over the span of 58 years.  It has seen good movies and bad movies.  But it has managed to weather them all.  Hollywood is currently in the process of producing a new Godzilla movie under the wings of Legendary Pictures and Warner Brothers.  Hopefully, it will be true to the spirit of the Japanese version and not the abomination that was released in 1998 by Sony/Tri-Star.

Above, the Godzilla statue in Hibiya, Tokyo.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Toho Co., Ltd., citing dwindling box-office returns for its third series of Godzilla movies, had decided to stop producing them eight years ago.  There are no plans to resurrect their most famous character.  If the new U.S. version is a hit, they may change their minds...eventually.

Above, Godzilla approaches the Kachidoki Bridge in 1954.  Photo: Toho Co., Ltd.

The original Godzilla suit-actor, Haruo Nakajima, age 83, will be appearing at the Mad Monster Party convention in Charlotte, North Carolina this coming March 22-24.

Haruo Nakajima At Mad Monster Party Convention

by Armand Vaquer

Above, Armand with Haruo and Sonoe Nakajima.

East Coast Godzilla fans are in for a treat!

The Mad Monster Party Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina will be hosting Haruo "Mr. Godzilla" Nakajima at the March 22-24, 2013 event.

Above, Armand with David Hedison.

Other guests include David Hedison (The Fly, Voyage To The Bottom of the Sea, Live and Let Die, License To Kill), Linnea Quigley, David Naughton and more.  I will also be on hand for the panel discussions with Mr. Nakajima.

The convention will be held at the Blake Hotel in downtown Charlotte.

For more information, go to Mad Monster Party.com.