R. J. Kizer, Director of the American Version of 'Godzilla 1985,' Passes Away at 73

R. J. Kizer in November 2025. Photo by Brett Homenick.

According to Godzilla 1985 (1984) producer Tony Randel, Robert (R. J.) Kizer, director of the American inserts of Godzilla 1985, passed away a few days ago after a battle with cancer. He was 73.

I was fortunate to interview R. J. twice (first in 2007 and then in 2020) and then meet him in person twice (in 2024 and 2025). During our first in-person meeting in 2024, R. J. told me about working with Roger Corman at New World on Battle Beyond the Stars (1980) and other such projects. I was genuinely surprised to learn just how mercurial Corman could be, as he always seemed so calm and level-headed in interviews. He also went into great detail about the making of the Roddy Piper vehicle Hell Comes to Frogtown (1988), the production of which was so bonkers I thought it'd make a great movie in its own right.

During our second visit, I gifted R. J. an unopened Blu-ray copy of Yojimbo (1961), which I no longer needed, as well as a VHS copy of Godzilla 1985 that I found at a thrift store. R. J. was very happy (though reluctant -- it took a bit of convincing on my part that I didn't need the disc anymore) to receive Yojimbo. He had a few Kurosawa movies in his collection, but Yojimbo wasn't one of them.

We talked more about Godzilla 1985 during our second meeting, and I was floored just how many more details he shared about the movie that weren't contained in either of our interviews. R. J. Kizer was a walking encyclopedia of film knowledge -- not just about his own movies -- and he was always willing to share his knowledge with me. 

In particular, whenever I had a technical question about things related to cinematography or film editing for the interviews I was doing with Toho alumni, I could always ask R. J. for guidance, who wouldn't hesitate to pull out old books and give me the best answer he could. He would help me put those technical answers in ways that were accurate and made sense in English, and I'll always be grateful that the director of the last great Americanization of a Godzilla movie made time for me when I asked.

When we were returning to our cars in 2025, I asked R. J. what project was he most proud of. I thought I knew what he would say, but he surprisingly said none of them. I thought for sure he'd say Godzilla 1985, as it went on to make money and is still revered by fans to this day. I'm not sure I was able to convince him that he should be proud of his work on the film, but I wanted him to know that I certainly was proud of what he accomplished.

Frogtown Lives, good sir. Rest in peace.

UPDATE (8/21): According to his younger brother Richard, R. J. Kizer passed away on August 12.

The Legend Is Reborn ... Again!

R. J. Kizer with a VHS release of his most famous movie. Photo by Brett Homenick.

 

On Tuesday, November 4, I returned to Los Angeles and enjoyed a pleasant afternoon in the company of director R. J. Kizer, best known as the director of the American version of Godzilla 1985 (1984). We met at a diner near Warner Bros., which made me wonder if we'd perhaps catch a celebrity there. (More on that later.)

R. J. Kizer holds a Blu-ray copy of the film he helped bring to American audiences. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I came bearing gifts. I found a VHS copy of Godzilla 1985 at a nearby thrift store a couple of months ago and gave it to R. J., as I had no idea what else to do with it. (Not having a VCR has become a real inconvenience!) I also gave R. J. my extra copy of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo (1961), which I bought last year during Criterion's summer 50%-off sale.

R. J. Kizer signs the Blu-ray sleeve of The Return of Godzilla (1984). Photo by Brett Homenick.

This year, I purchased the Yojimbo/Sanjuro (1962) double pack, so my other copy of Yojimbo became redundant. Interestingly, I found out that R. J. does own several Kurosawa titles but that Yojimbo wasn't among them. That was certainly welcome news!

R. J. and I spent a lot of time talking about Godzilla 1985, which we basically didn't discuss at all the first time we met. Despite the number of interviews I've done on the movie, it's still fascinating to learn new details about it. I'm surprised there's still so much to know!

While we were talking, I couldn't help but notice that Gary Busey entered the diner and sat down with another gentleman. Perhaps I was eyeballing Busey a bit too much because I noticed he was occasionally looking back at me. While I didn't approach him at all, but it was quite fun to see him in person. 

What a fun afternoon it was. Not only did we talk about movies, but R. J. gave me some advice about some locations around the city. I'm so glad we had this opportunity to catch up again!

An Evening with the Director of 'Godzilla 1985's' American Version!

R. J. Kizer poses with a photo of an old friend. Photo by Brett Homenick.

After spending the afternoon with Adryan Russ, I headed over to the Tallyrand restaurant to meet up with director and film editor R. J. Kizer, whom I've interviewed more than once. This was also our first face-to-face meeting. 

When I pulled into the parking lot, I spotted R. J. entering the restaurant. He saw me, as well, and waited for me to park my car. When I walked up to him, he commented that I was taller than he expected. That made me feel like I was back in Japan!

While we ate, R. J. shared quite a few stories about his time at New World Pictures, most of which I'd never heard before. But, because I'd never really spoke to him about anything other than his work on Godzilla '85, that was to be expected. 

The stories were just as often hilarious as they were fascinating. I felt someone could make quite an entertaining movie based on some of R. J.'s experiences. It certainly would be a lot more fun than the recent Jason Reitman flick Saturday Night.

I'm amazed it took us this long to meet in person, given how Godzilla 1985 is one of my favorite films. But I'm overjoyed it was finally happened. After dinner, R. J. gave me directions back to the freeway, which turned out to be spot-on. Many thanks to R. J. for a wonderful evening!

Vantage Point Interviews Featured on YouTube's Toy Galaxy Channel!

Vantage Point Interviews as seen on the Toy Galaxy YouTube channel.

Well, that's a cool, unexpected shoutout! The YouTube channel Toy Galaxy, which features videos on nostalgic pop culture icons of the '80s and '90s, has just uploaded a video on the history of New World Pictures' Godzilla 1985. I was pleasantly surprised that my interview with director R. J. Kizer from last year was quoted in the video, with host Dan Larson even citing the URL of Vantage Point Interviews in the video as the source. There's also a direct link to the interview in the description.

I've watched several Toy Galaxy videos in the past and always admired how well made they are. I especially enjoyed their video on the Mutant League cartoon show, as that program just doesn't get the love it deserves.

Many thanks to the fine folks at Toy Galaxy for the shoutout! 

Vantage Point Interviews Returns with a New Look at 'Godzilla 1985'!

Photo courtesy of James Melkonian.

Vantage Point Interviews presents a new interview with James Melkonian, who worked on the post-production side of Godzilla 1985's Americanization. You might recognize Mr. Melkonian as the writer-director of the mid-'90s comedies The Stoned Age (1994) and The Jerky Boys (1995), but he got his start about 10 years before that working at New World Pictures.

Content is king once again at Vantage Point Interviews!

Did the Star of 'Alien' Dub a Tokusatsu Movie?

In space, no one can hear you loop!

The 1979 Ridley Scott film Alien is widely considered a sci-fi classic, which has spawned a long-running series of movies. For fans of tokusatsu movies, it turns out that there's a connection between Alien and one of the most celebrated Japanese disaster flicks of all time, Submersion of Japan (1973).

Well, maybe not Submersion of Japan per se but rather its American release, Tidal Wave (1975). According to one of the voice actors who worked on the film, Tom Skerritt (who plays Dallas in Alien) dubs Hiroshi Fujioka's character in the New World Pictures version. The timing actually makes sense, too, as Skerritt was fresh off playing Fred Diller in the Roger Corman-produced Big Bad Mama (1974). (Corman owned New World Pictures at the time.) 

This information comes courtesy of an unlikely source: an article by film critic Peter Rainer in the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, dated August 29, 1985. In his column "Peter Rainer on Film," the critic recounts his experience dubbing a couple of small parts in Tidal Wave after reviewing Godzilla 1985 (1984). The review was published under the headline "Return of 'Godzilla' — and Raymond Burr: His presence makes the '1985' version." (For those curious, his Godzilla 1985 review is mostly negative and condescending.)

In the article, Rainer writes the following concerning Tidal Wave:

Tom Skerritt — just the sort of laid-back SoCal beachfront kind of guy you'd expect to dub a Japanese — was the lead voice. 

I was given a couple of different characters to dub — a bathysphere technician and an office boy — and I also dubbed in a long stretch of narration. (I also dubbed crowd screams; in other words, three or four of us stood around in a circle and hollered the same lines over and over while, on the screen, a building collapsed onto a phalanx of unfortunates.) 

Describing his own experience dubbing the film, he writes:

There I stood before the mike with my script in hand, listening for the aural cue (a beep tone) to begin the dub job. My bathysphere technician is saying something simple, like "It's a nice day, Akiko, don't you think?" and I'm not even close. I sound constipated. After a half-dozen trials, I manage to at least finish the line at the same time as the guy up there on the screen, and it's on to the next line. Dubbing is a line-by-line process. At least it was with me.

Among many other credits, Tom Skerritt plays Duke Forrest in MASH (1970), Viper in Top Gun (1986), Sheriff Jimmy Brock in the TV series Picket Fences (1992-96), and David Drumlin in Contact (1997). 

The relevant portion of Rainer's Godzilla 1985 review, in which he discusses his Tidal Wave memories, is shared below in two parts.

Special thanks to R. J. Kizer for sending me the above article.

Secrets of Americanizations Revealed on Vantage Point Interviews!

A recent photo of Richard Krown. Photo © Richard Krown.

First up is a brand-new interview with Richard Krown, UPA's post-production supervisor on the company's various Japanese releases, including Monster Zero (1965), The War of the Gargantuas (1966), Godzilla's Revenge (1969), and Terror of Mechagodzilla (1975). He was also heavily involved in the American releases of Woody Allen's What's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966) and the Toho war epic Retreat from Kiska (1965), about whose Americanization he goes into great detail.

Also on deck is a brand-new interview with director R. J. Kizer, who Americanized Godzilla 1985 (1984) for American release. This is the most in-depth director Kizer has ever gotten about the making of the film, and he reveals many new details for the first time. Who was the Roger Corman regular up for the role of General Goodhue? Read the interview to find out!

If you didn't already know that content is king on Vantage Point Interviews, you do now!

Danny Goldman, Godzilla 1985's Casting Director, Passes Away at 80

Actor Danny Goldman in the famous opening scene from the Mel Brooks comedy Young Frankenstein (1974).

Actor Danny Goldman passed away on April 12 due to stroke-related complications at his L.A. home. He was 80. Goldman was an actor known for his roles in the hit films MASH (1970) and Young Frankenstein (1974), but folks of my generation would probably know him best as the voice of Brainy Smurf on the long-running cartoon series The Smurfs (1981-89).

The news of Goldman's passing was widely reported last month, but what I didn't realize at the time (until director R. J. Kizer pointed it out to me yesterday) was that he also worked as the casting director for the American scenes of Godzilla 1985. 

Suffice it to say, I was floored to learn that the voice of Brainy Smurf had worked in any capacity on Godzilla 1985. I can't begin to explain how I missed that intriguing bit of information in all my research of the film, but it just goes to show that you can always dig deeper. 

RIP, Danny Goldman.

GODZILLA 1985: Production Notes on the Last Great Americanization

Director R. J. Kizer reads a copy of G-FAN magazine in 2007. Photo courtesy R. J. Kizer.

While looking through some of my old files, I discovered a few notes on the production of Godzilla 1985 that director R. J. Kizer sent me around the time I interviewed him for G-FAN magazine in 2007. As I recall,  none of this made it into G-FAN, and while I always intended to do something with it, other projects kept coming up and needed my attention. So I'm reproducing those notes below. Enjoy!

June 8, 1985 - Breakfast meeting with Tony Randel. Set to meet at Nick's Restaurant at corner of Westwood and National. Nick's was closed. Didn't open until 11:30. We go to Hamburger Hamlet at National and Sepulveda. Tony offers me the "chance for immortality."

June 28, 1985 - My last day as film editor on "A Dollar a Day," later released as "Planet Rage."

July 1, 1985 - I watch "Godzilla, King of the Monsters"

July 2, 1985 - I watch "The Philadelphia Experiment" (Tony has some extra footage from that film that he wants to use in "Godzilla, 1985")

[[July 2 -- ADR programming of Japanese sequences begun]]

July 8, 1985 - I officially start work on "Godzilla, 1985" Casting starts; casting director = Danny (Goldman)

July 24, 1985 - Pre-light Stage One, Raleigh Studios; 6:30 pm Dinner meeting with Raymond Burr at Le Mondrian Hotel, Sunset Blvd

July 25, 1985 - 1st day of shooting -- all shots involving Raymond Burr

July 26, 1985 - 2nd day of shooting -- rest of the shots

July 27, 1985 - 3rd day of shooting -- Dune Creek Ranch, 6238 Bonsall Drive, Malibu (camera truck gets lost, we don't start shooting until close to sunset)

July 29-30 -- ADR at Ryder Sound, Vine Street, Hollywood

Aug 8-9, 1985 -- Final Sound mix -- Ryder Sound, Vine Street, Hollywood

August 23, 1985 -- Theatrical release

Cast:

"Professor Hiyashida" Yosuke Natsuki (English voice = Paul Wilson)

"Goro Maki" Ken Tanaka (English voice = Tony Plana)

"Naoko Okumura" Yasuko Sawaguchi (English voice = Lara Cody)

"Hiroshi Okumura" Shin Takuma (English voice = Andy Goldberg)

English dialogue for Japanese sequences = Lisa Tomei and Tony Randel

American scene script = Straw (Weisman)