ONE 'BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE' AFTER ANOTHER! Visiting a Veteran of One of Toho's Best Sci-Fi Films!

Heinz Bodmer with a Blu-ray of Battle in Outer Space (1959). Photo by Brett Homenick.

From Monday, October 13, through Wednesday, October 15, I visited the home of former Toho actor Heinz Bodmer, whose biggest role for the studio was appearing in Battle in Outer Space (1959) as a SPIP crew member who goes to the Moon to fight the evil creatures from the planet Natal. 

I've been in touch with Heinz for more than 10 years, mostly over the phone. We stayed in touch after our interview that covered his time in Japan and the movies in which he appeared, but this was the first time we met in person.

Heinz Bodmer at Everglades Holiday Park. Photo by Brett Homenick.

While I can't remember when exactly he offered it to me, I remember speaking to Heinz a couple of year ago, during which he invited me to stay at his house should I ever find myself in Florida. That, of course, was an offer I couldn't refuse, so I made plans to visit the Sunshine State for the first time ever.

I stayed at Heinz's house during my entire stay, so I enjoyed plenty of opportunities to speak with Heinz and hear about his memories of Japan. One of the highlights was watching Battle in Outer Space in the evening on October 14 at his house while Heinz offered occasional comments about the proceedings.

One fascinating tidbit that didn't come out during our original interview was that Heinz did about three German-language dubbing jobs in Tokyo, though he doesn't remember who was involved or what the movies were. Heinz suggested that this dubbing work may have come through Osman Yusuf because he was Heinz's usual go-between for acting jobs.   

Heinz Bodmer and Brett touring the everglades on an airboat.

When I asked him, Heinz confirmed he never did English-language dubbing in Tokyo, just German. He just remembers doing about three separate dubbing jobs, though he has no memory of what the content might have been. Watching your old movies is certainly a great way to jog your memory!

Prior to watching Battle, however, we watched The Last Voyage (1960), starring Robert Stack, the same night. The Last Voyage is a disaster movie that feels like it would have been made in the early 1970s by Irwin Allen. Heinz has a background role early on in the film as a ship crew member who tries to stop the flooding in the boiler room.

Holding a baby gator at the Everglades Holiday Park!

Apparently, the filming conditions on the ship were about as unpleasant as they looked onscreen, and, since Heinz only acted for the bucks and wasn't looking to get discovered by Hollywood, he elected not to stand in the muck all day just to get on camera. After all, you got paid the same! 

The last movie we watched was Who Are You, Mr. Sorge? (1961), a fascinating World War II espionage thriller based on true events. Unfortunately, the picture quality of this particular version left a lot to be desired (it looked like it was taken from an old VHS tape), so I couldn't spot Heinz in the film. According to Heinz, he appears in a scene with several soldiers or military personnel, but I just wasn't able to pick him out. 

Heinz at home. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Not everything was about movies, though. We stopped by Everglades Holiday Park for an airboat tour of the swamp. It was actually a lot of fun, even if one of the spots we passed was a place the park calls "vulture island." Not only did we get to see those vultures, we also saw an honest-to-goodness alligator in the wild, who swam near our airboat. After taking in an alligator show, we also posed for a photo with a baby alligator. Fun stuff!

Later on, we also ate pizza at a nearby restaurant. It was a great time, during which we talked about world events. Suffice it to say, October 14 was a busy day!

 

Of course, I also did some sightseeing in Florida, but that's for a separate blog post. I really want to thank Heinz for his hospitality. It was a wonderful few days, and I have him to thank for it!