Godzilla vs. Megalon (Japanese: ゴジラ対メガロ, lit. Godzilla Against Megalon) is a 1973 kaiju film written and directed by Jun Fukuda, based on a treatment by Shinichi Sekizawa.
Dub history[]
In 1973, a year after Ted Thomas's dubbing group had dubbed Godzilla vs. Gigan, Toho International commissioned them to dub Godzilla vs. Megalon. Thomas's dubbing lineup had changed considerably due to a number of factors, mainly Barry Haigh and Michael Kaye establishing their own dubbing groups, and Ted Thomas' scandals involving the firing of Michael Kaye and Barry Haigh, as well as infidelity during Thomas's marriage to Linda Masson, which resulted in divorce and Linda going on a hiatus from dubbing.
This dub is a relatively early example of Chris Hilton dubbing a lead protagonist, the type of role he became deeply associated with. The English dub also features a late Thomas group appearance by Barbara Laney, who is the other most senior dubber in this film besides Thomas himself.
Cinema Shares bought U.S. distribution rights to the film and released it in 1976 with Thomas's dub; the film was recut to earn a G rating from the MPAA. In the U.S., this is one of the more well-known dubs by Thomas's group, due to the popularity of the film in theaters and later in television syndication, the film's public domain status in the U.S. prior to 1996 due to Cinema Shares neglecting to include a copyright notice on their release of the film, and the film's appearance on the movie-mocking show Mystery Science Theater 3000 in 1991.
Dub cast[]
| Character | Original actor | English dub |
|---|---|---|
| Goro Ibuki | Katsuhiko Sasaki | Chris Hilton |
| Rokuro Ibuki | Hiroyuki Kawase | Barbara Laney |
| Hiroshi Jinkawa | Yutaka Hayashi | Warren Rooke |
| Lead Seatopian agent | Kotaro Tomita | Ron Oliphant |
| Seatopan agent #2 | Ulf Otsuki | Mark Reeves (unconfirmed) |
| Emperor Antonio | Robert Dunham | Ted Thomas |
| Seatopian radar operator | Ralph Jesser | Chris Hilton, Ron Oliphant |
| JSDF commander | Kanta Mori | Mark Reeves (unconfirmed) |
| Truck driver | Gen Nakajima | Mark Reeves (unconfirmed) |
| Truck driver's assistant | Sakyo Mikami | Warren Rooke, Chris Hilton |
| Asuka Island test announcer | Eisuke Nakanishi | Ted Thomas |
| Narrator | Eisuke Nakanishi | Ted Thomas |