Kaiju Obituaries

[baragon2005]

'Noriaki Yuasa, director of Gamera The Invincible, died of a stroke on June 14. Few details are available but more information should be expected soon.'

www.clubtokyo.org/monsterzero

It's a shame, he was really a nice guy aiming to please children around the world. I've met him, and he had a picture taken with me and my friend. He also did the SFX for the complete Showa Gamera series and directed them all except for War of the Monsters.

[Alien-G]

He didn't direct Gamera vs Viras, I think his brother did

[baragon2005]

No, he did. The Japanese version and actor Carl Craig (Jim in the movie)confirm this.

[Cole Deschain]

At any rate, rest in peace, Yuasa.

[Showa Godzilla]

He died?I Loved his movies and he was agreat guy.Rest in Peace Noriaki Yuasa.

[Neo-Crucifer]

R.I.P. Mr. Yuasa. Children everywhere will continue to enjoy your films.

[Kaiju Nexus]

I've heard Mr. Yuasa was a great guy. And I'm sure that seeing how much people in America enjoyed his films by attending G-Fest in 1999, 2000, and 2003 made him very happy as he neared his untimely end.

He will live on forever as the eternal father of our beloved flying turtle Gamera.

[Alien-G]

No, some guy named Kenji Yuasa directed Destroy All Planets

or was this a mistake in the U.S. version?

[baragon2005]

It was a mistake in the American version.

Don't mess with my facts, I KNOW what I'm talking about. (J/K)

[Raptor]

This is indeed sad news! DBZelda said it best about him being a wonderful, talented person. He indeed seemed most pleased that we here in the States enjoyed his films so much.
It was like the childhood spirit in both he and us could come together with these fun and exciting stories. His magic and charm will be missed by many, I'm sure, but at least the Showa Gamera films will always be with us to enjoy again and again. Sayonara, Yuasa-san.

[C-R-V]

Goodbye Noriaki Yuasa,

I love your films and will continue to love them, and I cant wait to show them to my children when I have some, you will live on threw your great work in the kaiju genere, kaiju fans, sci-fi fans, and children all over the world owe you a great dept.

-your fan
Curtis M. Whitear

[rodan70]

Why did it take this long for anyone to find this out? That's truely sad.

[Melkor]

This is a sad day indeed. Mr. Yuasa's films made me laugh as a kid, and they still do. DBZelda hit the nail on the head when he said he was a wonderful and talented person. Goodbye, Noriaki Yuasa, may God rest your soul.



Peace,



Melkor

[Raptor]

From Frank Parr, artist and illustrator:

It is very sad.
Last year I had Mr. Yuasa sign a picture I drew of G-fantis and Gamera
fighting in Detroit and I was so honored when he asked me for a signed copy from me to him.
It was such an honor to give my autograph to someone who gave me so any happy monster movie memories.
My earliest memories of Gamera were watching almost the entire Gamera vs. Gyoas movie on a tv at Sears while my parents were buying who knows what. They had to drag me away just as it was ending and then the times I played as Gamera at recess in 1st or 2nd grade.

Thank you, Mr. Yuasa !
Frank Parr, IROKUS
http://community.webtv.net/IROKUS1/NewbreedComix

Truly a magic moment!

[Solar_Behemoth]

Well that is just plain sad. He was just at last year's G-FEST too.
Rest in Peace, the man who made Gamera fly.

[Raptor]

From Chris Cornell:

Noriaki Yuasa was born into a show business family--his father and grandmothers were stage performers. Young Noriaki grew up in an area populated by actors and soon began to be cast in small roles.
The arrival of World War II curtailed his acting opportunities but when the war ended, he again had some chances to work as an actor but by this time, his years living among actors and actresses had soured him on the profession. Reportedly, Yuasa disapproved of the loose morality many in the profession displayed. Upon graduation from college, he sought work behind the camera, joining Daiei Studios in 1955.
In 1964 he got to direct his first film, a musical comedy. His next project was Daikaiju Gamera (1965; the exported version of which was featured in episodes K05 and 302 of MST3K). The tale of a giant mutated flying turtle was a surprise hit and was the first box-office challenger to rival Toho Studio's already-successful Gojira (Godzilla) series.
After working on just the special effects for the first sequel, Gamera tai Barugon (1966; featured in episodes K04 and 304), he assumed the role of director for the next six sequels, including: Gamera tai Gyaosu (1967; featured in episodes K06 and 308), Gamera tai daikaiju Giron (1969; featured in episodes K08 and 312), Gamera tai Shinkai kaiju Jigura (1971; featured in episodes K07 and 316).
As with the competing Godzilla films, the early works were intended as gripping adult fare but the later iterations grew increasingly juvenile as the studios discovered these films were more popular with children. Yuasa was reportedly delighted to learn this and is said to have been happier making films for children than for adults.
In 1971, the Daiei studio went bankrupt and Yuasa turned to television work, directing many episodes of the TV series "Ultraman 80" before he retired.
In 1980, he directed "Gamera, Super Monster" but it was largely composed of footage of the previous films.

Thanks to Jay, Aaron and Jennifer for assistance with this report.

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[Jet Jaguar]

Just got the news from MST3KINFO.COM
Sad news indeed

[Rainbow_Mothra]

This is a sad day in daikaiju history. Noriaki made wonderful movies that I loved when I was very little and still do today. Rest in peace Noriaki Yuasa, you will be remembered in the hearts of Gamera fans forever.

[Saruman]

NEW YORK(AP) Fay Wray, who won everlasting fame as the damsel held atop the Empire State Building by the giant ape in the 1933 film classic "King Kong," has died, a close friend said Monday. She was 96.
Wray died Sunday at her Manhattan apartment, said Rick McKay, a friend and director of the last film she appeared in. There was no official cause of death.

"She just kind of drifted off quietly as if she was going to sleep," said McKay, director of the documentary "Broadway: The Golden Age."

"She just kind of gave out."

During a career that started in 1923, Wray appeared with such stars as Ronald Colman, Gary Cooper and Spencer Tracy, but she was destined to be linked with the rampaging Kong in movie fans' minds.

"I used to resent `King Kong,'" she remarked in a 1963 interview. "But now I don't fight it anymore. I realize that it is a classic, and I am pleased to be associated with it. Why, only recently an entire issue of a French magazine was devoted to discussing the picture from its artistic, moral and even religious aspects."

She wrote in her 1988 autobiography, "On the Other Hand": "Each time I arrive in New York and see the skyline and the exquisite beauty of the Empire State Building, my heart beats a little faster. I like that feeling. I really like it!"

"King Kong" obscured the other notable films Wray made during the '30s. They included adventures "The Four Feathers" (with Richard Arlen and William Powell) and "Viva Villa" (Wallace Beery), Westerns "The Texan" (Cooper) and "The Conquering Horde" (Arlen), romances "One Sunday Afternoon" (Cooper) and "The Unholy Garden" (Colman) as well as horror films "Dr. X" and "The Mystery of the Wax Museum."

After appearing in Erich von Stroheim's 1928 silent "The Wedding March," playing a poor Viennese girl abandoned by her lover, a playboy prince, Wray became a much-employed leading lady. In 1933, the year of "King Kong," she appeared in 11 films, co-starring with Beery, George Raft, Cooper, Jack Holt and others.

In 1980, she told of her dissatisfaction with roles of that period: "In those days, the female characters never knew who their parents were. Leading ladies were not supposed to be funny but were supposed to stand there and look beautiful. That was frustrating as an actress."

In her autobiography, the actress recalled that she had been paid $10,000 for "King Kong" (budget: $680,000), but her 10 weeks' work was stretched over a 10-month period. "Residuals were not even considered, because there were no established unions to protect us," she added.

In "King Kong," she plays an unemployed actress who agrees to take a job with a movie company that is going on location to a mysterious island. Kong is the huge ape that inhabits a part of the island.

When the film company discovers him, Kong is attracted to Wray and abducts her. But he is eventually captured and brought to New York and put on display. Kong escapes and finds Wray, with terrifying results, but eventually meets his death on the Empire State Building.

[Angiru-San]

It always sucks to lose such talent, especially one associated with our beloved Genre. May she rest in peace, she had a long and meaningful life!

[Raptor]

A truly sad piece of news to hear! Fay Wray is yet another of the great pioneers of the movies who will be sorely missed.

[HolyGoji777]

at least she was blessed with a long life and will forever be remembered.

[Neo-Crucifer]

She lived a long and good life, and passed away peacefully. R.I.P. Fay. You will always be remembered.

[Evil alla Pure]

Oh man the legendary Fay Wray has passed on. Sad to see suchh a talented person who was a very large contributer to our favorite genre die. R.I.P. Mrs. Wray may you're legacy never be forgotten.

[Raptor]

Sheila Fiene has prepared Miss Wray's list of movies from the IMDb:

1. Gideon's Trumpet (1980) (TV) .... Edna Curtis
2. Dragstrip Riot (1958) .... Mrs. Martin
... aka Reckless Age, The (1958) (UK)
3. Summer Love (1958) .... Beth Daley
4. Tammy and the Bachelor (1957) .... Mrs. Brent
... aka Tammy (1957) (UK)
... aka Tammy and the Bachelor (1957) (UK)
5. Crime of Passion (1957) .... Alice Pope
6. Rock, Pretty Baby (1956) .... Beth Daley
7. Hell on Frisco Bay (1955) .... Kay Stanley
8. Queen Bee (1955) .... Sue McKinnon
9. Cobweb, The (1955) .... Edna Devanal
10."Pride of the Family, The" (1953) TV Series .... Catherine Morrison (1953-54)
11.Small Town Girl (1953) .... Mrs. Gordon Kimbell
12.Treasure of the Golden Condor (1953) .... Marquise
13.Not a Ladies' Man (1942) .... Miss Hunter
14.Melody for Three (1941) .... Mary Stanley
15.Adam Had Four Sons (1941) .... Molly Stoddard
... aka Legacy (1941) (USA)
16.Wildcat Bus (1940) .... Ted Dawson
17.Navy Secrets (1939) .... Carol, Navy Undercover Operative
18.Smashing the Spy Ring (1939) .... Eleanor Dunlap
19.Jury's Secret, The (1938) .... Linda Ware
20.Murder in Greenwich Village (1937) .... Kay Cabot
... aka Park Avenue Dame (1937) (USA)
... aka Park Avenue Girl (1937) (USA)
21.It Happened in Hollywood (1937) .... Gloria Gay
22.They Met in a Taxi (1936) .... Mary
23.Roaming Lady (1936) .... Joyce Reid
24.When Knights Were Bold (1936) .... Lady Rowena
25.Come Out of the Pantry (1935) .... Hilda Beach-Howard
26.White Lies (1935) .... Joan Mitchell
27.Bulldog Jack (1935) .... Ann Manders
... aka Alias Bulldog Drummond (1935) (USA)
28.Mills of the Gods (1935) .... Jean
29.Clairvoyant, The (1934) .... Rene
... aka Evil Mind, The (1934)
30.Woman in the Dark (1934) .... Louise Loring
... aka Woman in the Shadows (1934)
31.Cheating Cheaters (1934) .... Nan Brockton
32.Richest Girl in the World, The (1934) .... Sylvia Lockwood, aka Dorothy Hunter
33.Black Moon (1934) .... Gail Hamilton
34.Affairs of Cellini, The (1934) .... Angela
... aka Firebrand, The (1934)
35.Viva Villa! (1934) .... Teresa
36.Once to Every Woman (1934) .... Mary Fanshane
37.Countess of Monte Cristo, The (1934) .... Janet Krueger
38.Madame Spy (1934) .... Marie Franck
39.Master of Men (1933) .... Kay Walling
40.Bowery, The (1933) .... Lucy Calhoun
41.One Sunday Afternoon (1933) .... Virginia 'Virgie' Brush Barnstead
42.Big Brain, The (1933) .... Cynthia Glennon
... aka Enemies of Society (1933) (USA: changed title)
43.Shanghai Madness (1933) .... Wildeth Christie
44.Woman I Stole, The (1933) .... Vida Carew
45.Ann Carver's Profession (1933) .... Ann Carver
46.Below the Sea (1933) .... Diane Templeton
47.King Kong (1933) .... Ann Darrow
... aka Eighth Wonder of the World, The (1933)
... aka Eighth Wonder, The (1933)
48.Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933) .... Charlotte Duncan
... aka Wax Museum (1933)
49.Vampire Bat, The (1933) .... Ruth Bertin
50.Most Dangerous Game, The (1932) .... Eve Trowbridge
... aka Hounds of Zaroff, The (1932) (UK)
51.Doctor X (1932) .... Joanne 'Joan' Xavier
52.Stowaway (1932) .... Mary Foster
53.Unholy Garden, The (1931) .... Camille de Jonghe
54.Lawyer's Secret, The (1931) .... Kay Roberts
55.Finger Points, The (1931) .... Marcia Collins
56.Dirigible (1931) .... Helen Pierce
57.Three Rogues (1931) .... Lee Carleton
... aka Not Exactly Gentlemen (1931)
58.Conquering Horde, The (1931) .... Taisie Lockhart
59.Captain Thunder (1930) .... Ynez Dominguez
60.Sea God, The (1930) .... Daisy
61.Border Legion, The (1930) .... Joan Randall
62.Texan, The (1930) .... Consuelo
63.Paramount on Parade (1930) .... Sweetheart (Dream Girl)
64.Behind the Make-Up (1930) .... Marie Gardoni
65.Pointed Heels (1929) .... Lora Nixon
66.Four Feathers, The (1929) .... Ethne Eustace
67.Thunderbolt (1929) .... Ritzy
68.Honeymoon, The (1928/I) .... Mitzi
69.Wedding March, The (1928) .... Mitzi Schrammell
70.First Kiss, The (1928) .... Anna Lee
71.Street of Sin (1928) .... Elizabeth
72.Legion of the Condemned, The (1928) .... Christine Charteris
73.Spurs and Saddles (1927) .... Mildred Orth
74.One Man Game, A (1927) .... Roberta
75.Loco Luck (1927) .... Molly Vernon
76.Lazy Lightning (1926) .... Lila Rogers
77.Wild Horse Stampede, The (1926) .... Jessie Hayden
78.Don't Shoot (1926)
79.Man in the Saddle, The (1926) .... Pauline Stewart
80.Don Key (A Son of Burro) (1926)
81.One Wild Time (1926)
82.No Father to Guide Him (1925)
83.What Price Goofy (1925)
84.Should Sailors Marry? (1925)
85.Moonlight and Noses (1925) .... His daughter
86.Your Own Back Yard (1925) .... Woman in quarrelsome couple
87.Unfriendly Enemies (1925) .... The girl
88.Madame Sans Jane (1925)
89.Chasing the Chaser (1925)
90.Isn't Life Terrible? (1925) .... Potential Pen Buyer
91.Coast Patrol, The (1925) .... Beth Slocum
92.Gasoline Love (1923)