Popular culture in 1962 experienced many notable firsts. That year, The Beatles released their debut single "Love Me Do" in England, The Beach Boys first LP, Surfin' Safari, was stocked on record store shelves, The Rolling Stones played their first shows, Dr. No marked the opening James Bond adventure to hit theaters, Marvel Comics' "The Incredible Hulk" was splashed on the pages of comic books-and two of the greatest movie monsters, King Kong and Godzilla, clashed on the big screen.
When King Kong and Godzilla were originally introduced to theater-going audiences, many critics foresaw their mass appeal. Screenplay called the film King Kong "Breath-taking, fascinating!" and said, "Words are inadequate to express the thrills and unusual entertainment values of this absorbing product of directorial and imaginative genius" in 1933. And in what could be best described as a moment of clairvoyance, Leslie Dard of San Mateo, California newspaper The Times wrote about Godzilla's introduction to American audiences in 1956, "With Tokyo a wreck it's fairly obvious that Godzilla is destined for bigger things-destroying the world for example."
Although King Kong and Godzilla were introduced to audiences two decades apart, on two separate continents, by two different movie studios, perhaps it was inevitable that King Kong and Godzilla would be forever intertwined in their respective histories, eventually brought together, and grappled in most colossal conflict the screen has ever known-King Kong vs. Godzilla.
Also included is a foreword by writer/producer/comedian/podcaster Dana Gould and an interview by the author with Toho's King Kong Escapes (1967) star Linda Miller, who gives insight into the creative vision of Ishiro Honda and Toho Studios.
