Monster of the Day #164

Don’t think I’ve gotten to this lady yet.  Nice to know we haven’t used them all up.  The film’s in color, of course, but as is often the case, you get a better look at the suit via publicity stills.

  • BeckoningChasm

    In that first still, it almost looks like she’s going to hang a Christmas ornament. Also, is that supposed to be underwater?

  • Gorgo looks like my cat playing with a string toy.

  • Gamera

    Yes, Virginia Japan isn’t the only island nation to suffer attacks from giant ravaging hell beasts.

    My biggest question is: where were the Doctor and UNIT when Gorgo was on the rampage? Were they all on holiday? Seems like at least MI6 would have sent in #007.

  • Rock Baker

    The top shot is Gorgo himself, the lower pic is of the female.

    And yes, this movie had some of the best publicity shots ever done up for a giant monster movie.

    I’ve always wondered why no Italian, Spanish, or German studios made movies like this in the 60s. (The X From Outer Space does have the vibe of an Italian movie, giving one a taste of what could have been…) As pointed out in the Reptilicus review, Konga, Gorgo, and the destroyer of Denmark were pretty much it for European ‘kaiju’ in the 60s. (At the very least, the next decade would offer some King Kong knock-offs. Though I note the majority still came from Asia.)

  • BeckoningChasm

    Wasn’t The Giant Behemoth British as well?

  • Yes! I posted a chart of Euro giant monster attacks in my Reptilicus review, if I remember correctly. That might be out of date by now, though. [Duh, just noticed Rock mentioned this already. I’m woozy from staring at the picture he sent me.]

  • Rock Baker

    And you know I missed a great one by not drawing Reptilicus in there somewhere!

    Speaking of European giants, has anyone ever seen a movie with two giant gorillas (one light, one dark) fighting while the hero and his girl hide behind a giant bolder in a scene very much like the duel of dino-lizards in The Lost World (1960)? I have this vague memory of seeing that in a movie when I was a little kid, something we rented on video. When I was younger I wanted to see it again and was certain I’d seen such a film. There was a jungle set, and two giant guy-in-suit gorillas battling it out. Looked like it came from overseas, maybe Italy because it seems like the people were white, maybe late 60s or very early 70s. Did I see this? Or did I have a dream or something that mixed together The Lost World, Where Time Began (haven’t seen that one since then), and King Kong Escapes or War of the Gargantuas? Was there a video release of Kong Island that had a painting of something like this on the box? I seem to remember that too. Please, HELP! I have to know if that exists, and if it doesn’t, I need five million dollars so I gan run out and MAKE it exist!

  • The Rev.

    I seem to recall the trailer for White Pongo showing a black and a white gorilla fighting; they weren’t giant, though.

  • Rock Baker

    Whatever this was, it was in color. Maybe it was a dream I had, because it seems a sure thing I would’ve heard of a movie like that since….I would think….

  • sandra

    Ah yes, Gorgo and Gorgo’s Mom : Mother Love Triumphant ! It was fun to see her taking out Tower Bridge and Big Ben. Serve them righr shooting at her. There she was, wading up the middle of the Thames, bothering nobody, intent only on reaching Battersea Fun Fair and getting her offspring, and those idiot army types just had to attack.