'Son of Frankenstein' Child Actor Donnie Dunagan Passes Away at 92

With Donnie Dunagan in April 2010.

According to Tom Weaver, Donnie Dunagan, who is famous among Monster Kids for portraying young Peter von Frankenstein in Son of Frankenstein (1939), recently passed away at the age of 92.

I had the privilege of meeting Donnie Dunagan in April 2010 at an L.A.-based convention, and, even though I've never been a huge fan of the old Universal monster movies, I was excited to meet him as a living link to a bygone era of filmmaking.

I'm very glad I did; Donnie Dunagan was a class act. The first time I encountered him, I happened to be sitting in the hotel lobby that was adjacent to the convention center. I presume he came down from his hotel room, but he suddenly appeared in the lobby and walked past me. As he did, he looked at me and politely greeted me.

I'd imagine most convention guests would avoid initiating such communication with random attendees (for a variety of reasons), but it always stuck out to me that Donnie Dunagan decided to lead with courtesy. (For what it's worth, I had a similarly positive experience with Ernie Hudson in 2006 in Fargo.) 

Donnie Dunagan during his Q&A. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I attended Dunagan's Q&A session at the convention, which I recall as being enormously entertaining. He was an excellent communicator, and, despite not being overly familiar with the movie and some of the actors in it, I was completely engaged.

The main thing I remember from his discussion was, when asked about his memories of Lionel Atwill, Dunagan simply said he was advised not to waste his time with Atwill and avoided going into the harrowing details of what happened on the set. (Given the circumstances and the venue, I can't argue with his decision.)

The only other thing I remember is that, once or twice, Dunagan made reference to a "buck sergeant" (for reasons I have long since forgotten) and then gestured in my direction. I wish I had a better memory of what he said, but it was along the lines of, "He was a buck sergeant, who looked like this young man" (and then pointed my way). Again, that's not anything near a direct quote, just a vague recollection of what he said.

At the time, I was in my late 20s with a crewcut, and I think I fit the description of what he was describing better than any of the "Monster Kids" in the room, so I gotta believe he was referring to me. I was flattered by the attention, and it always makes me smile whenever I reflect on it.

I later met Dunagan at his table where we had a fun and lengthy chat. We even discussed the merits of the duck walk in the military, which he agreed wasn't very useful. The only other thing I can recall is, by this time, my digital camera had died, so I asked if I could recharge it and bring it back for our picture. Dunagan readily agreed, and that's exactly what happened. I came back a few minutes later, and we took the picture at the top of this blog post.

Of course, Donnie Dunagan led an amazing life after walking off the Son of Frankenstein set. He's very much like the Universal Pictures version of Carl Craig. The similarities between the two gentlemen are striking, and I've always made that connection in my mind.

A life very well lived. Rest in peace, good sir. 

Godzilla Expo: Minus World!

On Sunday, November 8, I visited Daimaru Tokyo, next to Tokyo Station, for an exhibit called Godzilla Expo: Minus World, which feature screen-used props, storyboards, and other production materials from Godzilla Minus Zero (2026). It was an interesting look at what went into the making of the film, so I enjoyed giving it a look. Photography was allowed during much of the exhibit, so I took quite a few photos, which are below. Enjoy!

Cameras used by the news crew filming Godzilla's attack on the Nichigeki. 

The reference model for Godzilla Minus One (2023). 

Shikishima's Meguro motorcycle.

Shikishima's motorcycle gloves and goggles.

I don't know. Takashi Yamazaki's personal storyboards?

The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper Hideaki Anno reads on the train. Yes, I know it says, "Aratana Godzilla," but it sure looks like "Shin," so . . . ha?

Is it safe, Noriko?

The anchor cannon fired at King Ghidorah.

Kenji Noda's glasses.

A Kaiju-Size Dinner Fit for a King (of the Monsters)!

Mizuho Yoshida with Syabuyo's Godzilla Minus Zero-themed menu. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Sunday, November 8, my friend Jacob and I met GMK (2001) Godzilla suit actor Mizuho Yoshida at Akihabara Station for a delicious shabu-shabu dinner. Yoshida-san chose the location, and it soon became very evident why he did. The restaurant he selected, Syabuyo, currently boasts a collaboration campaign with Godzilla Minus Zero (2026). I mean, where else should one have dinner with Godzilla himself?

Yoshida-san gave his best shabu-shabu recommendations, and, since he's the connoisseur, we let him choose on our behalf. He went into detail about each course and how they were different, so I asked him to go with what he felt was the best choice. It turned out he made a pretty good decision!

Godzilla brings you your dinner. Photo by Brett Homenick.

It's also worth noting that Yoshida-san is a stunt performer in Minus Zero. While I read that on social media in recent days, he confirmed that with us in person. Apparently, he shot his scene in the summer last year in an open set in Saitama, and it was a wire stunt where he was sucked into the sky by King Ghidorah in Matsumoto. 

It seems Minus Zero's stunt coordinator gave Yoshida-san the offer because Takashi Yamazaki is a big fan of the GMK Godzilla, going so far as using that Godzilla's white eyes in Always 2 (2007) for his very first version of Godzilla. Yoshida-san saw Minus Zero in IMAX in Shinagawa because the screenings in other theaters were already sold out. He watched the film closely for his scene but couldn't find himself onscreen.

Yoshida-san was in great spirits -- is he ever not? -- and talked about a variety of things. Apropos of nothing, I asked him if he was familiar with the Three Stooges, using their Japanese name, and showed him their picture. He wasn't familiar with them, but, when I explained they were comedians, he brought up Police Squad! (1982) and The Naked Gun (1988) as American comedies he likes. 

It was a lovely evening with a lot of smiles and laughs. But, like all good things, it had to come to an end. As we were saying our goodbyes in Akihabara Station, Yoshida-san took out his phone and took a photo with all three of us. Again, it's always a plus when a celebrity wants to take a photo with you. 

And that's a wrap! It's been one heck of a week, but things will start to settle down. Suffice it to say, this week's been one for the history books!

New (and Explosive) Vintage Account Is Now Live!

Kazuaki Sekiyama in May 2023. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Have you ever wondered what it's like to blow up Godzilla? Kazuaki Sekiyama knows, and he talks all about it in this new vintage account from Vantage Point Interviews! 

From Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973) and Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975) to Shin Godzilla (2016) and Shin Kamen Rider (2023), Sekiyama-san has seen and done it all in Japanese SFX. Learn all about it in this exhaustive Q&A.

It was a great interview and one I'm especially proud of, touching on topics that are rarely discussed by other researchers. Don't miss it -- be there!

A 'Perfect Day' at Tokyo Tower!

Tokyo Tower. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Friday, November 6, I joined my friend Jacob as we visited Tokyo Tower, a location I haven't frequented all that much, despite its relevance to the genre. 

Of course, Tokyo Tower is featured prominently in Mothra (1961) and King Kong Escapes (1967), among many other titles. It was quite fun to see, which hopefully comes across in these photos. 

However, something a bit more interesting took place on my way to the tower. I was in my neighborhood, about a block away from my nearby train station. 

As I'm passing a corner facing an intersection, I overhear a woman asking a gentleman wearing a track suit, dark sunglasses, and a ball cap if she could take a picture with him. 

That was rather unusual request to overhear in my neighborhood, so I slow down and start paying closer attention.

As the man politely (and quietly) denies the request, I can tell through the hat and sunglasses who the individual was -- Koji Yakusho. How's that for some perfect days?! 

OK, I'm officially out of things to say, so I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking. Enjoy!

An Afternoon with a Godzilla's Millennium Director!

Masaaki Tezuka. Photo by Brett Homenick.

On Thursday, November 5, I got to spend several hours in the company of director Masaaki Tezuka, who of course directed three Millennium series Godzilla movies. But his Toho career prior to his turn in the director's chair runs the gamut of decades and has touched so many classic Japanese films.   

It was an enlightening discussion, and I'm so glad we got to talk so much about his early career, which tends to get glossed over in the interviews I've seen. I was also relieved that Tezuka-san remembered me when I walked into the room and pointed out that we both attended Yuriko Hishimi's event at her restaurant in 2014. Tezuka-san asked me when the last time we met was, to which I replied Wataru Mimura's memorial event in 2023. While I saw him in person there, I didn't have a chance to speak with him, so it had been years (and years!) since we last spoke. 

I was joined by my friend Jacob and the Takaradas (whom I met for the first time, believe it or not), so the atmosphere was quite warm and friendly. We all spent much more time together than I could have expected, so that should tell you how everything went. It wasn't just a fun afternoon; it was a great evening, too!

A Trip to Kaiju Paradise!

With Tomoo Haraguchi and some of his incredible props.

On Wednesday, November 4, I was privileged to visit the kaiju bar owned and operated by Tomoo Haraguchi, the director of such tokusatsu movies as Mikadroid (1991), Sakuya: Slayer of Demons (2000), and Death Kappa (2010). Among many other credits, he was a modeler for all three Heisei Gamera movies, as well as Gamera the Brave (2006). 

Angilas' 1968 carapace. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I'd heard about the bar for years but never had a chance to visit until last night. A couple of weeks ago, I made my reservation directly with Haraguchi-san and brought my friend Jacob with me. It was amazing to see all the props on hand.

Haraguchi-san gave us full permission to photograph any items in the bar proper. The stuff on display would be enough to make it a tokusatsu museum in its own right. The original Jet Jaguar flying prop from Godzilla vs. Megalon (1973), Angilas' carapace from Destroy All Monsters (1968), which was also used through Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974), the English-language newspaper front page from War of the Gargantuas (1966), the photo of Akiko Wakabayashi from Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster (1964), a Return of Ultraman (1971-72) flying prop, and so much more.

In all, we spent about two and a half hours at his bar. Since the establishment is technically closed, Haraguchi-san made an exception and opened it just for us. As a result, the three of us spent the evening hanging out together. Now how's that for hospitality?

With a Return of Ultraman flying prop.

Haraguchi-san talked about a variety of subjects, revealing that he worked on the suits as an unpaid volunteer on Godzilla vs. Megalon when he was 12 years old. Of course, he did it just for fun, so money was of no concern to him at the time. His first paid gigs in the business were a bit later in the '70s. 

The Jet Jaguar flying prop from Godzilla vs. Megalon. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I was especially fascinated to learn that Haraguchi-san loves pretty much all the Showa-era Godzilla movies. I suppose, because his style seems so contemporary, I expected him to be more captivated by modern movies. Of course, he's also into Willis O'Brien and Ray Harryhausen flicks, as well as movies with Rick Baker SFX. 

When it was all said and done, Haraguchi-san refused to be paid. We were both surprised and insisted we pay, but Haraguchi-san would not accept any money. He said it was fun, so no money was required. I can't tell you how grateful I felt, and I did my best to express that sentiment to Haraguchi-san. Suffice it to say, you just don't see that spirit very much anymore.

Many thanks to Haraguchi-san for the wonderful evening! Please enjoy the rest of the photos.

Dichard Nixon back again! The newspaper front page from War of the Gargantuas. Photo by Brett Homenick.

The story reads: "The fishermen fled in terror from the scene as if pursued by the devil." Hey, Gaira isn't the devil! Fake news! Photo by Brett Homenick.

A newspaper from King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962). Photo by Brett Homenick.

Akiko Wakabayashi from Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster. Photo by Brett Homenick.