63 Years of "Donovan's Reef"

I am surprised that I missed this one. But it's better late than ever!

Yesterday marked 63 years that the John Wayne, Jack Warden, Lee Marvin, Cesar Romero and Elizabeth Allen feature, Donovan's Reef was released. It was the last feature Wayne was directed by John Ford. 

I remember seeing it at the old Balboa Theater in the Vermont Ave./Manchester Blvd. section of Los Angeles with my parents and a couple of friends. It was paired with King Kong vs. Godzilla. 

Donovan's Reef was the first movie shown of the double-feature. We mainly went there to see the Godzilla movie, but we enjoyed the light comedy set in the South Seas. 

Here is the official trailer: 

61 Years of "Donovan's Reef"

Above, Lee Marvin, Elizabeth Allen and John Wayne in Donovan's Reef.

Yesterday, the official John Wayne Facebook page posted the following:

Today marks the 61st Anniversary of the release of Donovan's Reef (1963).​​​​​​​​​

“Yeah, well, frangipani and flamethrowers donʼt seem to go together, but thatʼs the way it was.” —John Wayne Michael Patrick “Guns” Donovan in Donovan’s Reef

This is the final film in which John Wayne appeared under the direction of John Ford. Duke worked on 22 films with John Ford over the course of his career. Duke began in the props department herding geese on the set of John Ford's film Mother Machree (1927).

It is hard to believe that 61 years have passed since June 12, 1963. My parents took two friends and I to see King Kong vs. Godzilla at the Balboa Theater in the Vermont and Manchester area of Los Angeles. It was the co-feature with Donovan's Reef, which played first. 

Fortunately, we weren't bored with it and found it enjoyable. I think this may have been the first John Wayne movie I saw theatrically. I was nine years old at the time. 

"McLintock!" 60th Anniversary

Above, a McLintock! poster.

Yesterday marked the 60th anniversary of the John Wayne/Maureen O'Hara western comedy, McLintock! It was a western version of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew.

This was the second John Wayne movie I saw in 1963. I saw Donovan's Reef at the Balboa Theater in Los Angeles with King Kong vs. Godzilla, which was released in the U.S. in June of 1963. Two friends joined my parents and me to see the double-feature.

I do remember that the Kennedy cortege passed by a movie theater with McLintock! on the marquee. So November would be right. 

Above, the Kennedy cortege about to pass a theater showing McLintock!

It is hard to believe sometimes how much time has passed. 

60 Years of "King Kong vs. Godzilla"

Above, Universal's cheesy U.S. poster.

Sixty years ago yesterday, Toho's King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) was released in the U.S. by Universal Pictures on June 26, 1963.

It was a heavily-edited version that really did an injustice to the original Japanese version. But, at least it was released theatrically around the country. It was the first Godzilla movie I saw on the big screen. 

Above, looking south on Vermont Avenue, the Balboa Theater can be seen center left, early 1950s.

During its run, my parents took two friends and I to go see it at the Balboa Theater in Manchester/Vermont section of Los Angeles (the shopping area there got hit hard two years later during the Watts Riots of August 1965). It was the second feature to the John Ford/John Wayne comedy, Donovan's Reef. We sat up in the balcony.

After closing down, the Balboa Theater was used as a mosque. Currently, it is being used as a production studio. 

Above, the Balboa Theater in the 1970s.

For us, it was a night of brawls. First, between John Wayne and Lee Marvin and then between King Kong and Godzilla.

Here's the Universal teaser trailer:

Back then, it was inconceivable to me that I would eventually interview actress Akiko Wakabayashi, know THE Godzilla suit actor Haruo Nakajima and meet actor Kenji Sahara, all stars of King Kong vs. Godzilla.

"King Kong vs. Godzilla": 50 Years Since Release

Above, Godzilla and King Kong pose with Tomoyuki Tanaka (third from left) and Eiji Tsuburaya (far right).

Next year this month marks 50 years since King Kong vs. Godzilla was released in theaters in the United States by Universal Pictures.  It premiered in New York on June 26, 1963.  It was released 50 years ago in Japan in August 1962.

My parents took me (along with some friends) to see the movie at the Balboa Theater in the Vermont Ave./Manchester Blvd. area of Los Angeles.  I was nine years old at the time.

Above, Atami Castle, featured in "King Kong vs. Godzilla."  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The first feature in the double-bill was John Wayne's Donovan's Reef.

There's an interesting interview with the Americanized King Kong vs. Godzilla screenwriter Paul Mason at Sci Fi Japan.  To read it, go here.

King Kong vs. Godzilla is the highest-grossing Godzilla movie produced by Toho Co., Ltd. to date.

Above, a view of Atami Castle (perched on the hill) from Atami's harbor.  Photo by Armand Vaquer.

The climax in both the Japanese and Americanized versions is the battle between Kong and Godzilla.  The battle began at Mount Fuji and ends with both monsters toppling into the sea after demolishing Atami Castle.  Contrary to legend, there is only one ending to the movie in both versions.  It was erroneously stated that Godzilla won the battle in Japanese and other Asian prints, whereas Kong wins in non-Asian countries.

Atami Castle is spotlighted in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan.

King Kong vs. Godzilla

Above, Godzilla and King Kong go after each other while demolishing Atami Castle in the process.

Over at the Classic Horror Film Board (CHFB), there is currently a topic in the Japanese Giants section titled, "Was KING KONG VS GODZILLA especially loathed in monster fandom?"

One thing about G-fans (or fanatics of any genre), there's always disagreements (some heatedly) amongst them. The subject of King Kong vs. Godzilla is one of those that brings up the passion level.

King Kong vs. Godzilla was released in the U.S. by Universal Pictures in June 1963. It as a heavily-edited version that inserted American actors to "help" with the narrative. Unfortunately, those edited-in scenes actually marred the movie. The original Japanese version plays out better as the satire it was intended to be.



I first saw King Kong vs. Godzilla at the Balboa Theater in Los Angeles in the Manchester-Vermont shopping area with my parents and friends. We sat in the balcony (photo left). I was nine-years-old at the time. It was paired with John Wayne's Donovan's Reef. (This was the subject of my first G-FAN article, by the way.)

While my parents and us kids laughed at the mangy King Kong suit, we were still greatly entertained by the movie. It was my first Godzilla movie to be seen on the big screen.

The premise of the thread, "Was KING KONG VS GODZILLA especially loathed in monster fandom?" really doesn't have any legs as there was no "fandom" back in 1963. Maybe a few monster elites didn't much care for it (Forrest J. Ackerman was one, so maybe that's why he came up with the phony "two-endings" tale), but to younger teens and pre-teens (and some adults), King Kong vs. Godzilla was good, mindless entertainment. If anyone "loathes" the movie, it is mainly by revisionist fans of today. King Kong vs. Godzilla still remains the boxoffice champ (by number of tickets sold) of all the Toho-produced Godzilla movies.

As an adult, I still find it fun and entertaining, but I now prefer the Japanese version.

A few side notes:

Back in 1972, I was perusing the now-defunct Los Angeles Herald-Examiner's sports section and on page two, there was a doctored photo of King Kong and Godzilla in a boxing ring wearing boxing gloves. It was to hype KABC-TV Channel 7's airing of the movie. That got me wanting to see it again.

Some of the locations in King Kong vs. Godzilla are covered in The Monster Movie Fan's Guide To Japan. They include Atami Castle, Diet Building, Mt. Fuji and Ginza (interestingly, the overhead tracking shots of Ginza are only in the American version).

The Balboa Theater still stands, but it had been converted into a mosque and is now up for sale. The theater opened in April 1926. It was once part of the Fox-West Coast Theater chain.