{"id":294,"date":"2019-12-18T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-12-18T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/?p=294"},"modified":"2019-12-18T05:18:37","modified_gmt":"2019-12-18T05:18:37","slug":"jimmys-notes-on-episode-6-nick-hayden-vs-king-kong-escapes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/2019\/12\/18\/jimmys-notes-on-episode-6-nick-hayden-vs-king-kong-escapes\/","title":{"rendered":"Jimmy&#8217;s Notes on &#8216;Episode 6: Nick Hayden vs. King Kong Escapes&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"783\" height=\"327\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/JIMMYS-NOTES.jpg?resize=783%2C327\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-188\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/JIMMYS-NOTES.jpg?w=783&amp;ssl=1 783w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/JIMMYS-NOTES.jpg?resize=300%2C125&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/JIMMYS-NOTES.jpg?resize=768%2C321&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 783px) 100vw, 783px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Another \u201cKong Quest\u201d\n(ba-dum-tish) episode has come and gone, and I find myself feeling the weight\nof my contractual obligations as Nathan dumps asteroid-sized notes on me. I\u2019m a\nbusy man, and as much as I like my blog, I have other things to do with my time\n(like finish rebuilding Mechani-Kong). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regardless, here are my\nnotes on episode six, wherein Nick Hayden and Nathan discussed <em>King Kong Escapes<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Something they didn\u2019t bring up that I thought was funny was while they watched the film, Nick theorized the old hermit was exiled from his tribe because he spoke in bizarre poetry.<\/li><li>John Pertwee played the Third Doctor on <em>Doctor Who<\/em> from 1970-1974. His archnemesis, the Master, first appeared in 1971 played by Roger Delgado. So yes, the Dr. Who of <em>King Kong Escapes<\/em> predates both of them by several years. (He also looks like William Hartnell, the first actor to play the Doctor, as you can see by the image below). Too bad Nathan\u2019s affinity for their capes ate up most of his paycheck this week. (Gotta read that contract, man!)<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"797\" height=\"398\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/the-doctors-who-1.jpg?resize=797%2C398\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-283\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/the-doctors-who-1.jpg?w=797&amp;ssl=1 797w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/the-doctors-who-1.jpg?resize=300%2C150&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/the-doctors-who-1.jpg?resize=768%2C384&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 797px) 100vw, 797px\" \/><figcaption>William Hartnell (left) as the Doctor and Hideyo Amamoto (left) as Dr. Who.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Did these two forget Peter Cushing is British? At this time he was acting in British films exclusively and only has a few American films (most notably <em>Star Wars: A New Hope<\/em>) to his credit. I mean, come on? Does his posh accent not give it away?<\/li><li>As I was instructed, here\u2019s a link to the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ytWz0qVvBZ0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Diggy Diggy Hole<\/a>\u201d video.<\/li><li>The <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Burj_Khalifa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Burj Khalifa<\/a> (or \u201cthe tower in Dubai,\u201d as Nick called it) is the tallest building in the world currently at 2,717 feet (or 828 meters). The Empire State Building is <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_tallest_buildings#Tallest_buildings_in_the_world\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">number 49<\/a> at 1,250 feet (or 381 meters). It was the tallest building in the world from 1931-1972.<\/li><li>Linda Jo Miller was dubbed over by <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Julie_Bennett\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Julie Bennett<\/a>, who is best known for voicing Cindy Bear on <em>The Yogi Bear Show<\/em>. She was also a voice on <em>Fractured Fairy Tales<\/em>, a segment of <em>The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show<\/em>.<\/li><li>The \u201cWarren\u201d caveman story from <em>Latitude Zero<\/em> was named after Warren Lewis, and it was an acid pool he was dropped into.<\/li><li>Nick says I\u2019m jealous of Disney <em>Star Wars<\/em>. Me, jealous of a space war franchise being given lots of money by the biggest movie studio in the world while my space war film fades into obscurity? Not at all! Nope, I\u2019m not crying.<\/li><li>How could I forget to pipe in to mention that Nick Adams is my spirit animal and astronaut Glen trained me?! I need to be more intrusive!<\/li><li>There were a lot of kaiju films released in 1967. Toho released two (<em>Son of Godzilla<\/em> and <em>King Kong Escapes<\/em>) and every other studio in Japan released one. These were: <em>Gamera vs. Gyaos <\/em>(Daiei Film), <em>The X from Outer Space<\/em> (Shochiku), and <em>Gappa: The Triphibian Monster <\/em>(Nikkatsu). Meanwhile, Keukdong Entertainment Company and Toei Company made <em>Yongary, Monster from the Deep<\/em> in South Korea that year. (And you thought there were too many superhero movies this year).<\/li><li>Well, RKO isn\u2019t quite the true \u201cparent\u201d of Kong. His copyright is more convoluted than <a href=\"https:\/\/godzilla.fandom.com\/wiki\/Commander_Hell\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Commander Hell\u2019s<\/a> world conquest plan. But that\u2019s a discussion for a future episode.<\/li><li>Nathan does contradict John LeMay a bit from the previous episode about the genesis of <em>Ebirah: Horror of the Deep<\/em>, but I think it\u2019s because that was the first theory he read. He\u2019s forgiven\u2026this time. \ud83d\ude1b<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>My\ncorrections\/additions\/riffs are done, so here are Nathan\u2019s leftover notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The Film:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Carl Nelson: not to be confused with Clark Nelson [from 1961\u2019s <em>Mothra<\/em>]. (Nathan has to remind himself of this when he watches this film).<\/li><li>I retract my statement on <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/yfyXQXR4vjg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KVR<\/a> about there being no snow in kaiju films.<\/li><li>\u201cIU data\u201d? Indiana University is in league with Dr. Who?! I\u2019d think it\u2019d be Purdue the engineering school. <\/li><li>Kong\u2019s grunts were later used for Godzilla.<\/li><li>\u201cIt can\u2019t get any worse,\u201d [says Nelson]. Famous last words. <em>Star Wars<\/em>, anyone?<\/li><li>Except in the Japanese films, Kong didn\u2019t survive a movie until <em>Kong: Skull Island<\/em>.<\/li><li>Kong uses a rudder as a weapon to destroy a ship before he uses in in <em>Kong: Skull Island<\/em>!<\/li><li>Mechani-Kong came from the Japanese fascination with giant robots that started with <em>Tetsujin 28 <\/em>in 1956 and the anime series in 1963. He paved the way for Mechagodzilla later.<\/li><li>Seiji Tani resented having to work with the narrowing constraints of the genre. \u201cToward the later years, the human drama aspect got thinner and thinner. We had this discussion. [Producer Tomoyuki] Tanaka was there with us, and I asked him directly, \u2018Why can\u2019t we make the same sort of films, but geared toward adults?\u2019 Honda-san didn\u2019t say anything; maybe he couldn\u2019t say anything. [Tanaka] looked at me with a troubled face. He replied, \u2018The company keeps telling us to target the kids\u2019 market, and if we don\u2019t attract the kids, we can\u2019t get enough box office.\u2019 \u2026Honda-san had a very bitter smile on his face.\u201d<\/li><li>Tsuburaya\u2019s TV shows often depicted superheroes slicing and dicing monster foes, but he shied away from it in films, thinking it was inappropriate. He put his foot down when making this film, compromising that Gorosaurus would vomit a white foam.<\/li><li><em>Kinema Junpo <\/em>writer Chieo Yoshida was positive about the film. \u201cI see this as the filmmaker\u2019s [satirical] view of the modern world, where everything must be mechanized. But if they are aiming for kids, what\u2019s Mie Hama\u2019s irrepressible sex appeal doing here? Perhaps that\u2019s a little present for the dads who have to bring kids to the theatre?\u201d<\/li><li>Tsuburaya emphasized the rare moments of Kong\u2019s cuteness and not the innate dread. Comes from telling stories about Kong to youngsters during WWII bombing raids. Perhaps saw him as an inspiration to kids. Or he wanted to create a positive hero to counter Godzilla\u2019s destruction. Didn\u2019t want to frighten the kids. More like a chimp than a stereotypical gorilla.<\/li><li>\u201cTanaka and Beck made their money and got their fame, and all it cost was O\u2019Brien\u2019s spirit, Honda\u2019s principles, and Tsuburaya\u2019s reputation\u201d (\u201cThe Kongs of Tsuburaya: Obie and Smoke\u201d by Peter H. Brothers). That seems harsh. I think the film has garnered more credibility since he wrote this.<\/li><li>[Brothers] argues that the original image of Kong can\u2019t be improved or updated.<\/li><li>\u201c\u2026while O\u2019Brien worked with Kong, Tsuburaya played with him\u201d (Peter H. Brothers).<\/li><li>[Brothers] says these different approaches come about because O\u2019Brien was a hard-drinking Irishman besets by tragedy and setbacks while Tsuburaya didn\u2019t face any major trauma as an adult.<\/li><li>Dr. Who and [James Bond villain] Dr. No are both Asian geniuses who wear black gloves and tinker with radioactive substances. (<em>Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men<\/em> by Peter H. Brothers).<\/li><li>Transmitter conversation takes cues from Yasujiro Ozu\u2019s <em>Tokyo Story<\/em>. (ibid).<\/li><li>This is Nakajima\u2019s finest monster performance, in [Brothers\u2019] opinion.<\/li><li>Susan is the highest-ranking woman in a Honda film. (ibid).<\/li><li>Honda denied there was a \u201clove affair\u201d between Kong and Susan; that it was just a friendship. However, he winked and added, \u201cAfter all, if Kong and Susan really do fall in love, then I can make a sequel, right?\u201d<\/li><li>[Fillipo] says <em>King Kong Escapes<\/em> makes Kong a \u201cModern Male\u201d and Susan a \u201cLiberated Woman\u201d who spends her time \u201ccajoling, cooing, hectoring, chastising.\u201d (\u201cThe Myth Goes Ever Downward\u201d by Paul di Fillipo).<\/li><li>By only having one native, it further removes Kong with the racial connections. (Fillipo).<\/li><li>By making him a hypnotized slave, he becomes what he was meant to stand against (despite breaking free later). (Fillipo).<\/li><li>John LeMay speaks very highly of the film in his book, <em>The Big Book of Japanese Giant Monster Movies, Volume 1<\/em> and <em>Kong Unmade<\/em>.<\/li><li>Stuart Galbraith says the head on this Kong suit is less Eighth Wonder and more Homer Simpson (<em>Japanese Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films<\/em>). He says the film is enjoyable so long as one remembers it\u2019s based on a cartoon.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Toku Topic: Notes on <em>Frankenstein Conquers the World<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Honda insisted\nthat the American backers honor the Japanese system and give the director \u201cthe\nright of final decision.\u201d But things didn\u2019t always go smoothly. (Five of\nHonda\u2019s nine remaining 1960s films would co-productions with Americans).<ul><li>Adams wrote an\narticle for the <em>Los Angeles Times<\/em>\nabout his experiences working in Japan, saying Honda and Tsuburaya were the\nworld\u2019s greatest sci-fi directors.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>Adams was Honda\u2019s\nguinea pig, his first foray into having a foreign star speak English while the\nJapanese cast spoke Japanese. This often led to confusion, but thanks to Adams\u2019\nenthusiasm and interpreters, they pulled it off.<\/li><\/ul><ul><li>The authors say this\nis the first Japanese film to portray a relationship between a Japanese and a\nforeigner, a taboo subject scandalized in Japanese literature. <\/li><\/ul><ul><li>The film was\ntouted as the first sci-fi movie co-produced by Japan and the US with\n\u201cHollywood star Nick Adams.\u201d<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, that covers everything.\nI\u2019ll see you again on New Year\u2019s Day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Follow me on Twitter: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NasaJimmy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">@NasaJimmy<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>#JimmyFromNASALives<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>#WeShallOvercome<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Another \u201cKong Quest\u201d (ba-dum-tish) episode has come and gone, and I find myself feeling the weight of my contractual obligations as Nathan dumps asteroid-sized notes&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/2019\/12\/18\/jimmys-notes-on-episode-6-nick-hayden-vs-king-kong-escapes\/\">Continue Reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Jimmy&#8217;s Notes on &#8216;Episode 6: Nick Hayden vs. King Kong Escapes&#8217;<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"iawp_total_views":3,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,114],"tags":[195,208,206,198,19,207,188,166,15,83,204,209,205],"series":[],"class_list":["post-294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog","category-jimmys-notes","tag-doctor-who","tag-eiji-tsuburaya","tag-hideyo-amamoto","tag-ishiro-honda","tag-jimmy-from-nasa","tag-john-pertwee","tag-king-kong-escapes","tag-kong-quest","tag-nathan-marchand","tag-nick-hayden","tag-peter-cushing","tag-peter-h-brothers","tag-william-hartnell","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=294"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":296,"href":"https:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294\/revisions\/296"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=294"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/monsterislandfilmvault.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}