Attending Another Hollywood Show in Burbank!

With Barbara Steele.

On Saturday, June 7, I attended the Hollywood Show in Burbank. Overall, unfortunately, I didn't enjoy it as much as I did the one in January. It was still a pretty fun time, but the January edition was one for the history books.

The first guest I met was horror-movie icon Barbara Steele. As a connoisseur of the various Mill Creek 50-movie box sets, I've become rather familiar with a number of her films. I can't say I'm the hugest fan of hers, but I do admire her work, and her movies are quite often pretty entertaining. 

Funnily enough, I met her 15 years ago (!) at the same event. (Time sure does fly.) Ms. Steele was polite but a bit guarded, which I suppose is to be expected given her age. 

The most notable interaction I could share about our encounter was that I originally picked out a Nightmare Castle (1965) photo for her to sign. Given all the black spaces on the image, I asked her to sign in silver, which she did. The silver pen, however, must have been running out of ink, because the autograph was barely visible.

Not wanting to make waves, I was prepared to accept it and move on, but she and her assistant offered a free replacement and let me keep the other autograph. Well, that was an easy decision on my part! I happily accepted their proposal and selected a She Beast (1966) photo, which had plenty of space appropriate for an autograph written in black ink. That signature looked fantastic, so I ended up with two for the price of one. Not too shabby!

With Hal Linden.

The next guest I met was Hal Linden. Most people will know Mr. Linden from his work on the TV series Barney Miller (1975-82), but, if you're a Godzilla fan, then you're more likely to him as the voice of Akira Takarada in the Titra/Titan dub of Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966), as well as the voice of Akira Kubo in the Titra/Titan dub of Destroy All Monsters (1968).

When I approached Mr. Linden, I told him that I was a fan of his dubbing work and that I had interviewed many of his voice-acting colleagues, such as Paulette Rubinstein. He replied that dubbing kept him alive during the early part of his acting career.

Mr. Linden asked me if I knew when he dubbed the films. Thinking he was talking about the Godzilla flicks, I said it was around 1968 or '69. He said it went much further back than that, adding that he dubbed many other movies than just the Godzilla ones and went on to list several other flicks that I wasn't familiar with that he had also dubbed.

In the end, he signed my Media Blasters Blu-ray of Destroy All Monsters, which is a cool addition to my collection. 

With Martha Smith.

The last guest I met was Martha Smith, who played Babs Jansen in Animal House (1978). I asked her about working with director John Landis, to which she replied I was the first one to ask her about him, as everyone else wanted to know about John Belushi. While he didn't do it to her, she said that Landis would whack actors on the head with the script and shout, "Be funny!"  

Animal House, of course, is a classic, and it's a great showcase for the talents of John Landis as a director. Naturally, Martha Smith is great in it, as well. After we took our obligatory photos, I said to her, "And, remember, be funny!" That got a chuckle out of her, so I guess it was a nice way to put a bow on the whole experience.

After that, I went on to other appointments. As I wrote above, I definitely had more fun at the January show than this one, but it was still a pleasant experience. I look forward to adding the next one!

Celebrating the New Year with a Toho VIP!

Toru Ibuki. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight (Wednesday, January 10), I had the distinct privilege of spending the evening with former Toho actor Toru Ibuki. Would you believe it had been about five years since I last met him? Ibuki-san turns 84 at the end of the month, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that he was still looking well. 

Toru Ibuki signs autographs. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Ibuki-san stays healthy by going for long walks and doing squats every day, which is hard even for me at my age!

I was able to attend a beginning-of-the-year party, at which Ibuki-san was the guest of honor. Ibuki-san and his daughter gave me a Godzilla-themed T-shirt as a gift, which I wasn't expecting but was more than pleased to receive. In honor of Ibuki-san's upcoming birthday, I presented him with not one but two omiyage boxes.

Of his own movies, Ibuki-san named Operation Enemy Fort (1962) as his favorite, as well as talking about some of his memories of Frank Sinatra in America. I asked Ibuki-san if he'd seen any movies recently, which he hasn't. I also enjoyed speaking to Ibuki-san's daughter on a wide range of topics.

Naturally, I couldn't resist bringing a few items to get signed, which Ibuki-san graciously did. The items were Blu-ray sleeves (of Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster and Terror of Mechagodzilla), as well as Godzilla Store cards of Sea Monster and Monster Zero. I told the attendees that Ibuki-san had a beard in Terror of Mechagodzilla, and, when I asked him if it was a real beard, he said it was.

The party lasted just over two hours, and I enjoyed every bit of it. I can't tell you how good it was to see Ibuki-san again after such a long time. It felt even better to see that he was doing well. Tonight was certainly an evening for the history books.

Seeing 'Sea Monster' on the Big Screen!

With Teruyoshi Nakano.

Tonight, I was able to attend an event with former SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano. As part of the event, a 35mm print of Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966) was screened. It was my first time seeing it in 35mm, and after the screening, I can see why it was the first time. Suffice it to say, the print was in awful shape. It was faded, scratchy, and there were tons of splices. All the go-go dancing toward the beginning of the movie was missing from this print. Still, I'm glad to have it seen it at all in 35mm, which is an increasingly rare event these days.

As usual, it was great to see Nakano-san again, who's still doing very well. Spring has certainly sprung in Japan!

MONSTER ZERO REUNION! Akira Takarada and Kumi Mizuno Take the Stage!

In a rare joint appearance, legendary actors Akira Takarada and Kumi Mizuno greet their fans at the Godzilla Tokusatsu exhibit in Yokohama. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Sunday, August 28, was a special day. It saw two of Toho's biggest names, Akira Takarada and Kumi Mizuno, reunite in a rare joint appearance. The two co-starred in Monster Zero (1965) and Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966), but since Mizuno-san makes only a few personal appearances, they are rarely seen together. This day was a major exception.

Takarada-san essentially took over as host, asking many questions of Mizuno-san himself. It certainly made for an entertaining chat. Naturally, many Nick Adams stories were shared. At one point, Takarada-san asked me from the stage about the cause of Nick Adams' death.

As the talk was winding down, the staff handed the two actos props from Monster Zero. The pair enjoyed posing for pictures with the items. I know it was a lot of fun watching these two legends relive a classic movie that is now more than 50 years old.

Everything went smoothly, but no pictures with the guests were allowed. At one point, Takarada-san suggested that we take a picture together, but it was refused by the organizer who was standing nearby. That's the way it goes at events like these.

Overall, it was tremendous fun to see Mizuno-san and Takarada-san again. Both were in high spirits, and their energy excited the audience. It was great to be a part of it.

At least I did get a photo with Millennium series director Masaaki Tezuka, who was there in an official capacity.

All in all, it was a great day!

A NIGHT AT THE FIGHTS! Joining Toru Ibuki for a Night of Boxing!

Yours truly, seated next to former Toho actor Toru Ibuki, at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.

A few days ago, I was invited to join Toru Ibuki (Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster, Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster) for a night of boxing at Tokyo's legendary Korakuen Hall. Korakuen Hall is located next to the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo Dome City, and it is an excellent venue in which to host a boxing card.

Two heavyweight boxers give it their all in the ring. Photo by Brett Homenick.

It was my first live sporting event in Tokyo, and I couldn't have had a better time. Our seats were ringside, which only enhanced the excitement. While I'm much more of a pro wrestling fan (at least of pre-2001 pro wrestling), I had no trouble getting into the action. All the fighters brought their A-game and deserve the highest accolades for their efforts in the squared circle.

It's always great to see Ibuki-san, but it was that much cooler to take in an evening of boxing seated next to him. He is always a gracious host. Thank you very much, Ibuki-san!

LUNCH WITH TORU IBUKI! A Wonderful Meeting with a Toho Icon!

Also earlier in the week was my lunch with former Toho actor Toru Ibuki. We had an enjoyable lunch near his office, during which he signed my Ghidrah the Three-Headed Monster (1964) DVD sleeve. It was already signed by the film's star, Yosuke Natsuki, so I was pleased to add Ibuki-san's!

Following our meal, we returned to his office, and he showed me many pictures and news clippings from his collection. It was exciting to see everything. As always, Ibuki-san was a generous and gracious host, and I hope to have a chance to see him again very soon!

SNOWY TIMES IN TOKYO: Bad Weather Isn't Enough to Deter This Fan!

Before I begin, I should point out (as the title suggests) that Tokyo was hit by its worst snowstorm in about 16 years just before I made my way to the city. (I was there between February 9 and 11.) Despite that, most of my plans went on without a hitch, and I had a successful stay.

As pictured above, my friend Yasushi and I ate lunch with designer Akihiko Iguchi at an Indian restaurant.

Even though we first communicated circa 2006, I didn't meet Daniel Kahl until February 10. Although he is a well known TV personality in Japan, we Godzilla fans know him as the one and only Major Spielberg from Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah (1991)!

Now here was a major highlight. I got to spend a couple of hours chatting with Toho supporting actor Toru Ibuki on February 9 as well. Ibuki-san played the long-lost brother, Yata, in Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster (1966) and the bearded alien, Tsuda, in Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975), among various other roles during the 1960s and '70s. Ibuki-san was incredibly warm and polite, as so many of the actors I've met have been.

Eating dinner with producer-writer-director Yoshimitsu Banno is almost a required event for me these days, but it's always enjoyable. Banno-san started at Toho during 1955, so the information at his fingertips is nothing short of amazing!