My dinner with Ultraman

Brett hangs out with Dore Kraus after an excellent meal at L.A.'s Drago Centro.

On October 8, I had the pleasure of sharing a meal with Dore Kraus, best known to G-fans as playing Jack Shindo (Ultraman's alter ego) in Tsuburaya Productions' Ultraman: Towards the Future (a.k.a. Ultraman Great). The show, which aired on L.A.'s KCOP-TV (channel 13) in early 1992, was my first exposure to Ultraman, and would remain the only Ultra-show I would see for many years.

Dore Kraus is no stranger to Godzilla fandom, as he made guest appearances at John Roberto's KAIJU-CON '96 in New York and G-CON '97 in Chicago (along with Kenji Sahara and Masanari Nihei).

I could go on and on about the dinner and what a gentleman Dore was, but when you have actual footage from the event, why not let that do the talking? So, without further ado...

RIP Keiju Kobayashi

Actor Keiju Kobayashi in a recent photo.

The Japan Times is reporting that actor Keiju Kobayashi died September 16, 2010, of heart failure. He was 86.

Mr. Kobayashi is best known to G-fans as playing Japan's prime minister in Godzilla 1985 (1984) and Dr. Tadokoro in Submersion of Japan (1973). He was born on November 23, 1923, and enjoyed a long and successful acting career that started in 1942 (appearing in more than 250 films in total) and continued to work until his death.

The Japan Times adds:

A Gunma Prefecture native, Kobayashi made his movie debut in 1942 and gained
popularity in the 1950s starring in a series of comedies featuring salaried
workers with ordinary man-next-door personalities.

Appearing in about 260 movies and TV dramas in roles ranging from prime ministers to police detectives, Kobayashi received medals of honor from the government for his longtime achievements and cultural contributions.

Thanks to Fabien Mauro for the tip.

Happy birthday, Ib Melchior!

Ib Melchior, the director of The Angry Red Planet and The Time Travelers, turns 93 today. I'd like to extend my wishes to Ib for a happy birthday!

Oh, and don't forget to order Ib's new book, Six Cult Films from the Sixties!

Agoura Hills Patch penetrates 'Mushroom Clouds'

Author Peter H. Brothers, July 2010.

The Agoura Hills Patch recently ran an article on Peter H. Brothers' Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men: The Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda. The article quotes Brothers at length, and toward the end you might recognize the name of a certain blogger.

To read the article for yourself, just click here.

G-FAN #92

Monsterland Ohio's Mark Matzke has published an excellent review of G-FAN #92. To read the review for yourself, just click here.

For more information on G-FAN magazine itself, follow this link.

G-FEST XVIII: Return to the Crowne Plaza!

J.D. "Da Chief" Lees, me, and Robert Scott Field check out the newly-renovated Crowne Plaza this past July, examining it for a possible return.

On the subject of conventions that still exist, J.D. Lees (a.k.a. The Chief) has announced that G-FEST XVIII will take place at the Crowne Plaza in Rosemont, IL (G-FEST's stomping grounds from 2004-09), from July 15 to 17.

Be there when G-FEST, North America's longest-running kaiju convention, finally hits maturity! (Hm. Now that G-FEST will turn 18, maybe it'll finally want to move out of Rosemont...)

J.D. and Scott give two big thumbs up (or a thumb and a peace sign, anyway) to the Crowne Plaza!

Make your plans to attend now! For more information, please visit G-FAN.com.

August 25: A year old

What a year it's been!

On August 25, 2009, I created this very blog. I had no real expectations for it, and I wasn't sure what direction it would ultimately take. While many blogs come and go, I'm very proud that this one has made it this far.

On the blog's first day of existence, I posted a notice about Akira Takarada's appearing in a stage adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's Red Beard. Less than a year later, I would assist Mr. Takarada throughout his entire stay at G-FEST. (I picked him up from the airport and dropped him off at the airport security line. I was the first and last person who saw him in Chicago.) For this reason, I decided to use the above photo of Mr. Takarada from G-FEST's Sunday morning interview to illustrate this blog post. It certainly feels like it's come full circle!

Now we officially start the second year of Sidelong Glances of a Pigeon Kicker. I hope it's just as fun as the first!