YURIKO HISHIMI'S NEW BOOK! 50 Years of Ultra Seven!

The year 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the superhero classic Ultra Seven (1967-68), which remains widely popular in Japan. In honor of the show's milestone, Shogakukan has published a brand-new, 256-page softcover memoir by actress Yuriko Hishimi, who played Anne Yuri on the series. (Hishimi-san would be better known to Westerners as the karate-kickin' Tomoko Tomoe in Godzilla vs. Gigan.)

I'm pleased to report that the publisher mailed me a copy of the book today and that my name is listed among the contributors. (You can read it in katakana in the image above.) Suffice it to say, I was happy to help. The book can be ordered on amazon.com here.

Here's to 50 years of Ultra Seven! Congratulations to Hishimi-san!

MORE PHOTOS! Shinjuku's Special Ultra-Event!

Bin Furuya describes the difficulties of suit-acting.

The real Ultraman has a look at his action figure.

Ultraman Jack suit actor Eiichi Kikuchi joins forces with the original Ultraman!

Actress Yuriko Hishimi joins the event!

Hishimi-san was all smiles.

Director Minoru Kawasaki poses with his longtime writing partner Masakazu Migita.

Yuriko Hishimi and Bin Furuya fire their Specium Rays at enemy monsters!

BIN FURUYA AND YURIKO HISHIMI CONQUER SHINJUKU! Ultra-Heroes Converge at Antonio Inoki's Restaurant!

Yuriko Hishimi (left) and Bib Furuya (right) reminisce about their days as Ultra-heroes. Photo by Brett Homenick.

June 12 saw at great event take place at Shinjuku's Inoki Saka-Bar. The featured guests were Ultraman suit actor Bin Furuya and Ultra Seven heroine Yuriko Hishimi (Anne Yuri). The two actors have done many events together, and this was another fun experience. 

Bin Furuya gives his heroic alter ego the once-over. Photo by Brett Homenick.

During the first part of the event, Furuya-san recounted his early experiences as a suit actor and the advice that Haruo Nakajima gave him. At one point, Furuya-san was joined on the stage by Eiichi Kikuchi, the Return of Ultraman suit actor. The two Ultra-heroes had great chemistry together. 

Actress Yuriko Hishimi smiles at the emcee. Photo by Brett Homenick.

In the second part of the event, Ultra Seven actress Yuriko Hishimi came onstage and answered questions about her career. Hishimi-san was particularly lively and had great interactions with the audience. 

Yours truly with screenwriter Wataru Mimura.

During the event, there were just as many stars in the audience as onstage. I was pleasantly surprised to see Godzilla series screenwriter Wataru Mimura there. We gabbed for a bit about a few topics. It's always great to see him.

Posing with Return of Ultraman suit actor Eiichi Kikuchi.  

Even though he took the stage as an official guest, Eiichi Kikuchi spent most of his time in the audience, mingling with the people.

In between director Minoru Kawasaki and screenwriter Masakazu Migita.

I had a blast shooting the breeze with director Minoru Kawasaki and his screenwriting partner Masakazu Migita. We talked about everything from the Young Guy movies series to various places around Tokyo. It was my first time to meet Migita-san. Aside from screenwriting the majority of Kawasaki-san's movies (Monster X Strikes Back: Attack the G8 Summit, The World Sinks Except Japan, etc.), he's also written for the Ultra-series, including Ultraman Tiga, Ultraman Dyna, and Ultraman Gaia. 

Of course, it was great to see and spend time with Furuya-san again. He keeps enormously busy these days, but he always has time for his fans. Following the event, I was invited to attend Furuya-san's after-party, and naturally I accepted the invitation.

Furuya-san's kindness and generosity is second to none. He gave me a valuable gift during the after-party that I wasn't expecting, but it's something I'll always remember and appreciate. Thank you very much, Furuya-san!

JAPANESE HEROES WALK THE MIRACLE MILE! A Who's Who of Fandom Celebs Attends a Jazz Concert!

Bin Furuya, Mari Shimizu, and Hiroyuki Takano pose for photographers during intermission at a jazz concert in Tokyo. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Saturday, November 21, saw a jazz concert take place at Hotel Molino near Shin-Yurigaoka Station. Mirai Miracle performed a number of jazz songs for a lively audience. In fact, toward the end of the show, most of the audience was dancing and singing right along with the music. It was truly a sight to behold!

Mirai Miracle sings jazz songs in both English and Japanese. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Although I've attended many jazz shows in Japan, the aspect that stuck out the most for me was the presence of several notable Japanese genre celebrities. Bin Furuya, Yuriko Hishimi, Hiroyuki Takano, and Mari Shimizu were all in attendance. I've talked about these folks so many times on this blog that introducing them all again seems beyond redundant. Still, if you'd like info on their careers, you'd do well to check this blog's archives.

Yours truly with the original Ultraman suit actor, Bin Furuya.

During the show, I was seated at Bin Furuya's table, and joining us were many familiar faces in Japanese fandom. We shared many laughs and great conversations.

Actress Yuriko Hishimi gets in on the fun as the audience starts dancing with the music. Photo by Brett Homenick.

As I mentioned earlier, the concert got especially fun when most of the people in the crowd began dancing and even singing with the music. That certainly never happened at any of the other jazz shows I've attended!

Japanese heroes Bin Furuya and Hiroyuki Takano shake hands and agree to save the world once again. Photo by Brett Homenick.

I was especially pleased to get to know actress Grace Mika. Even though I saw her perform on the stage last year alongside Bin Furuya, this was my first time to talk with her. She was born in Hawaii and speaks English very well (despite being raised in Japan).

Yours truly with actress-singer Grace Mika, who has co-starred with Bin Furuya onstage.

When all was said and done, many of us went to a nearby karaoke place and sang a variety of songs. We were briefly joined by Yuriko Hishimi, but Hiroyuki Takano stayed until the end and probably had more energy than the rest of us combined!

Hiroyuki Takano belts out the theme to Barom-1 during a karaoke after-party. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

As for me, I sang "We Didn't Start the Fire" by Billy Joel. Takano-san later told me that his favorite Billy Joel song is "New York State of Mind." 

It was a great evening in so many ways, and I'm very glad to have attended. I'm also glad to have caught the train home in time! We were out so late it seemed entirely possible I could have missed it!

TOKUSATSU HIHO! The New Edition Features Scoops Galore!

The second volume of Tokusatsu Hiho (a so-called "mook" published by Yosensha) has just been released in Japan, and it is replete with fascinating material. Everything from the new Gamera film to a feature on SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano is included here. There are even exclusive photos from the elusive Fearful Attack of the Flying Saucers (1956), written and directed by Shinichi Sekizawa, and starring Tadao Takashima. Can't find those anywhere else!

I must say that it was a true honor for me to be credited in Tokusatsu Hiho for the feature on the late Linda Hardisty (Ultra Seven, The Green Slime), which was written by Taketo Tomoi. A photo of my credit (written in katakana) is below.

To order your copy, follow this link. 

Celebrating the Life of Linda Hardisty with Yuriko Hishimi

A photo of Linda Hardisty (1947-1986) is situated between two Kobe Port Tower candles at Asian Taipei in honor of her memory. Photo by Brett Homenick.

Tonight I was part of an incredibly special dinner at Asian Taipei, the restaurant owned by actress Yuriko Hishimi (Ultra Seven, Godzilla vs. Gigan) in Chofu, Tokyo. Hishimi-san organized the dinner for those who helped in the search to locate Linda Hardisty. As I wrote about on this blog, Hishimi-san was very interested to reunite with her former Ultra Seven colleague. Unfortunately, Ms. Hardisty passed away almost three decades ago of natural causes.

Yours truly sat next to Yuriko Hishimi during the celebratory dinner at Asian Taipei.

Although we met under sad circumstances, many laughs were had throughout the evening, which lasted nearly four hours. Hishimi-san was very friendly and open with her thoughts and memories, and while she regaled us with stories and answered her questions, we dined on her restaurant's trademark Indian food.

Posing with Hishimi-san and a photo of the late Linda Hardisty.

It's been a long time since I last met Hishimi-san, so it was very enjoyable to catch up with her again. She thanked me for my role in finding out what became of the former Ultra Seven guest star, but it was truly a group effort. The fans in Japan did their part, and I had an assist from Mike Barnum and Jacob Dow. We all pulled together and accomplished something significant.

We hope to continue to celebrate the life of Linda Hardisty. Many thanks to Hishimi-san for graciously hosting this private event.

A Tribute to Ultra Seven Actress Linda Hardisty, 1947-1986

American actress Linda Hardisty, as she appeared in the popular Japanese TV series Ultra Seven (1967-68). Screen capture by Brian Bankston. 

One of the more elusive American actresses who worked in Japan during the 1960s was Linda Hardisty. Her best known credit in the West was playing one of the nurses in The Green Slime (1968), but in Japan she is rather famous in Ultra Seven fan circles for her role as Dorothy Anderson in episodes 14 and 15 of the celebrated series from Tsuburaya Productions.

For many years, Ultra Seven fans in Japan have been attempting to find Linda in an effort to bring her to Japan to reunite her with the cast of the show and to introduce her to her Japanese fans. In particular, actress Yuriko Hishimi (Ultra Seven's Anne Yuri) expressed interest in seeing her old colleague again. Ultra Seven fan Yasushi Shiroi recruited me to help find her, but it had seemed nearly impossible for a long time.

Earlier today, I received a promising tip that would seem to lead me directly to Ms. Hardisty. After giving it a go on my own, I recruited super sleuth Mike Barnum (a contributor to Scarlet Street and other excellent genre publications) to help in the search. Unfortunately, what Mike was able to find turned out to be the worst possible news.

Linda Lee Hardisty, born on June 5, 1947, in Boise, Idaho, died on August 28, 1986, in Battle Ground, WA. She was 39. In 1970, she earned a Bachelor's degree in English from Boise State College (which is now Boise State University). Thus far, no obituary or cause of death has been uncovered, but we are still searching.

In fact, that remains all that's known about her. If anyone has information that he or she could share, please contact me. Any additions or corrections would be most welcome. If you were related to Linda, please contact me.

Linda died much too young, but her memory lives on with Ultra-fans around the world. RIP, Linda Hardisty.

UPDATE (7/31): Actress Yuriko Hishimi uncovered (or came into possession of) this yearbook photo from Boise State College. It is undoubtedly the same Linda Hardisty who appeared in Ultra Seven.

UPDATE (8/5): This obituary confirms her identity. 

UPDATE (12/22/2022): After going through some of my old correspondences, I came across my brief notes on my telephone conversation with Linda's last surviving sister in August 2015. During our conversation, she informed me that Linda died of a perforated ulcer. At the time I spoke with her, Linda's sister seemed open to doing an interview, but she ended up changing her mind much later on in the process. Because I was expecting to publish a full interview with her eventually, I never revealed Linda's cause of death. Since that interview will almost certainly never happen, I've decided to share that information here.

BAROM-1 TAKES THE STAGE! Hiroyuki Takano Returns with a Performance in Shinjuku!

Henshin! Actor Hiroyuki Takano and I strike a familiar pose onstage shortly after his most recent live performance in Tokyo.

Thanks to my friend Yasushi, I had the privilege of meeting actor Hiroyuki Takano earlier today. Takano-san was starring in a play at Theater Brats in Shinjuku, and following the performance, Yasushi introduced us. Even though our meeting was brief, I could tell that Takano-san was the type of actor who enjoyed meeting his fans.

Hiroyuki Takano co-starred in the Toei superhero series Barom-1 (1972) as Kentaro Shiratori. Takano-san has also appeared in episodes of Ultra Seven (1967-68), Fight! Mighty Jack (1968), Operation: Mystery (1968-69), Spectreman (1971-72), Return of Ultraman (1971-72), Kamen Rider (1971-73), Silver Mask (1971-72), and Submersion of Japan (1974-75).

Also of note was that the performance was also viewed by actress Yuriko Hishimi, one of the stars of Ultra Seven and Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972). Hishimi-san and I had a pleasant chat as well.

I look forward to meeting Takano-san again in the future!

MISSION: ATTACK CHOFU! A Godzilla vs. Gigan Reunion Takes Place in Tokyo!

The restauarant Asian Taipei, located in Chofu, Tokyo, hosted an impressive Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) reunion that attracted several notable tokusatsu figures as attendees. The guests at the reunion were Yuriko Hishimi (who plays the karate-kicking Tomoko Tomoe), Hiroshi Ishikawa (who stars as cartoonist Gengo Kotaka), legendary suit actor Haruo Nakajima (who plays Godzilla), and SFX director Teruyoshi Nakano.

The event brought a few notable names who would otherwise be featured guests at such a signing, but they simply came as fans themselves. Millennium series director Masaaki Tezuka (Godzilla vs. Megaguirus, Godzilla against Mechagodzilla, and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.) was among the attendees.

Also on hand were expert model maker Hiroshi Sagae (the Heisei Gamera series) and former child actor Sojiro Uchino (Ultra Q, Ultraman, Kaiju Booska, and Gamera vs. Viras).

Haruo Nakajima was revered by the audience and spoke about his many kaiju memories. Speaking of Nakajima-san, many prizes were given away to attendees. The last such prize was a signed paperback copy of Nakajima-san's autobiography. As it turned out, I was the lucky winner! Interestingly, I had held off on buying a copy of Nakajima-san's book, feeling I'd eventually be able to get a signed copy in such a situation. Luckily, my waiting paid off in the end.

It was quite a treat to see actors Hishimi-san and Ishikawa-san reunited and interacting with each other. They seemed to get along very well, and I have to wonder if this pairing will be featured at future events in Tokyo. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Teruyoshi Nakano lent his SFX expertise to the proceedings, and he discussed the more technical side of the film. He and Nakajima-san had great chemistry together and spoke about the old days very fondly.

I just had to get a photo of this: Gengo helping Godzilla speak to the crowd!

As you can see, it was a night of fun and friends. Not only did I leave with a signed copy of Nakajima-san's autobiography, but I also got a Blu-ray of Godzilla vs. Gigan signed by all four guests, as well as a shikishi board signed by all four. Not a bad haul!

On to the next events!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NAKANO-SAN! Toho's Legendary SFX Director Celebrates His Birthday with Yuriko Hishimi!

Yuriko Hishimi (better known as Anne Yuri from Ultra Seven (1967-68) shakes the hand of her friend Teruyoshi Nakano after handing him a birthday present.

On October 14, I was privileged to attend a special birthday party for Teruyoshi Nakano, the famed Toho SFX director whose worked dominated the '70s. The celebration was held at Yuriko Hishimi's restaurant, Asian Taipei, in Chofu, Tokyo.

The event was sponsored by the Grissom Gang, a group of hardcore film fans who host events for movies from all over the world. However, on October 14, the night belonged to Nakano-san!

When he was served with his cake, I had the distinct honor of leading the group in singing "Happy Birthday" in English. Suffice it to say, it was truly a highlight of the evening!

What came across to me was how friendly Hishimi-san and Nakano-san were. Hishimi-san organized a wonderful dinner at her restaurant and made sure everyone in attendance was taken care of. Bravo for a job well done!

All in all, it was a fun event. I certainly hope there will be another celebration organized for next year. If there is, I plan to be there!