TIME FOR REFLECTION: A Sunday to Remember

Sunday, April 27, turned out to be a very busy day for me, and was quite an emotional rollercoaster. I started the day by attending the funeral of William Ross. Although I figured I'd only be a spectator, I actually served as a pallbearer. Suffice it to say, it was a true honor. I was moved by the ceremony, and it made me reflect on the important things in life. Rest in peace, Mr. Ross.

Following the funeral, I made my way over to Super Festival. Akira Takarada was joined by Koichi Kawakita (who was an unbilled guest) onstage for his talk show. I joined the session with only about two minutes remaining, so I missed the announcement that Takarada-san's cameo has been left on the cutting room floor.

While the interview was wrapping up, I met Kikaider star Daisuke Ban while he was getting ready to begin his interview. We shook hands, and he seemed to remember me from our meeting in Los Angeles four years ago. Still, with all the autograph signings sold out, there wasn't much else for me to do at the show, except look at some overpriced toys.

I did get to meet Kawakita-san again and get his autograph. Kawakita-san, of course, will be a guest at this summer's G-FEST. I also got to meet Takarada-san just before he sat down for his signing. I handed him a birthday card and told him about my new digs. He was very happy to hear about it.

After that, I returned home. What a day it was, full of ups and downs. Other things are in the works, so stay tuned.

William Ross, 1923-2014

Source: Tsutomu Suzuki of Frontier Enterprises, Inc.

Noted voice actor and Frontier Enterprises founder William Ross died on April 19, 2014, in Tokyo. He was 90 years old. Mr. Ross worked on the "international" releases of Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster, Son of Godzilla, and many other titles. He appears onscreen in The War in Space (1977) as Dr. Schmidt, among other film apperances.

Funeral services will be held in Tokyo on April 27.

CLIFFORD V. HARRINGTON: 1932-2013

Cliff Harrington (left) spots Godzilla in his best-known role to Western kaiju eiga fans, that of Al in King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962).

Former actor and voice actor in Japanese films, Cliff Harrington, died in Kyushu, Japan, on August 9, 2013. He was 81.

Born in Seattle, WA, on June 18, 1932, military life eventually brought Cliff to Japan where he became involved in the entertainment industry. He appeared as Al in King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), and by happenstance ended up dubbing the voice of the helicopter pilot he sat next to (in the Japanese version). Cliff dubbed a lot more films via William Ross and Frontier Enterprises, and even worked as cinematographer on Robert Dunham's independent film Time Travelers (1966).

I interviewed Cliff in 2006 and remained in touch with him over the years. He moved to Kyushu in 2011 to be closer to his wife Tomoko's aging parents. While Cliff had been healthy during the time I knew him, he suddenly became ill several months ago and never recovered. I last spoke to Cliff (from the hospital) in April or May, but he didn't sound well at all. Only tonight did I learn of the sad news.

Farewell, Cliff.