Godzilla: 20 Mind-Blowing Facts You Didn't Know
After appearing in 35 films over 55 years, let's look at Japan's most celebrated monster, Godzilla.
During the 1950s, monster movies were all the rage. During that decade, it seemed like a B-movie monster flick was being released every week.
The Creature For the Black Lagoon. The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. Them. The Thing From Another World.
Because these films were cheap and usually made a small profit, the Japanese studio, Toho, decided to throw their hat into the ring and make their own monster flick. Despite having no experience with the genre, Toho released Godzilla in 1954. Because it was the most expensive film Toho ever made, it would have bankrupted the studio if it didn't make a profit.
Luckily, Godzilla was more than a monster hit.
The story couldn't be more straightforward. Every movie revolves around Godzilla attacking a city or battling another monster. Even though the plot was simple, viewers have been clamouring for more Godzilla films for decades.
Over the years, Godzilla has spawned sequels, remakes, TV shows, video games, and crossovers. He even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which considering he is a fictional character, is pretty impressive.
With the King of Monsters appearing in his 36th film in 2020, Godzilla vs King Kong, it seems like a perfect time to look back at the Godzilla franchise.
Long live the King.
20. One Film Accidentally Revealed A Classified Weapon
In 1962, Godzilla squared off against the Eighth Wonder of the World, King Kong, in King Kong VS Godzilla. Not only was this film the first crossover in either series but it was also the first time the characters appeared in colour. It was also the first time Kong was depicted by a man in a costume rather than through stop-motion.
Weirdly, the most fascinating thing about this film has nothing to do with the iconic monsters. During one battle, the American army uses a portable missile-launched nuclear weapon called the Davy Crockett.
Now, any audience member would assume that this device is simply a piece of fiction. Monster movies make up fantastical weapons all the time and the Davy Crockett seemed no different.
Well, that's the thing. The Davy Crockett was a genuine weapon. It was one of the smallest nuclear devices ever and was deployed by the US government during the Cold War.
The strangest thing about the Davy Crockett was that it was top secret at the time King Kong VS Godzilla was released. How someone found out about it and put it in this film is anyone's guess.