Anyne watch/favor the Showa Films in US Release Order?

[Chrispy_G]

The US release order of the Showa films is actually slightly adjusted from the original Japanese theatrical order
1. Godzilla, King of the Monsters! - 1956
2. Gigantis, the Fire Monster - 1959
3. King Kong vs Godzilla - 1963
4. Godzilla vs The Thing - 1964
5. Ghidrah, The Three-Headed Monster - 1965
6. Godzilla vs The Sea Monster - 1968
7. Son of Godzilla - 1969
8. Destroy All Monsters - May 1969
9. Godzilla vs Monster Zero - 1970
10. Godzilla's Revenge - 1971
11. Godzilla vs The Smog Monster - 1972
12. Godzilla vs Megalon - 1976
13. Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla - March 1977
14. Godzilla vs Gigan - 1977
15. Terror of MechaGodzilla -1978

I couldn't find exact dates for #7 and #14...so there is always the chance that they might be a spot early or a spot late in the exact order.

I'm just curious....this is the order that represents how US audiences were first introduced to these films. So I'm wondering if there is any section of the fanbase that is interested or ever advocates for giving the "Americanized Order" a chance?

[szmigiel]

Looks pretty accurate to the notes I have on the US release dates.
I have Son of Godzilla released to TV in 1969
Godzilla on Monster Island (aka Godzilla Vs Gigan) was Summer 1977
Back in 1977 there was no nationwide release for the Godzilla films. Instead there was a number of prints, a print would be sent to a theater, play for a week, or two, or a month, and then be sent to another theater to play. Godzilla Vs Mechagodzilla, Terror of Mechagodzilla, and Godzilla on Monster Island (aka Godzilla Vs Gigan) all traveled around to different cities and theaters in 1977 and into 1978.

[Terasawa]

As szmigiel said, there was seldom a nationwide release for these movies. For that reason, some of the release dates listed online and in print are somewhat misleading. For example, it seems that researchers often noted when a film first played in LA: Half Human is often listed as a 1958 release for this reason, although this was actually one of that film's last dates (it was in conventional release throughout most of the rest of the country in 1957, prior to Rodan). AIP rolled out Atragon at Christmas, 1964, mostly on the east coast, but because it was primarily seen in 1965 many sources give that year as the year of its release.

9. Godzilla vs Monster Zero - 1970
...
13. Godzilla vs MechaGodzilla - March 1977
14. Godzilla vs Gigan - 1977

These titles weren't used in the U.S. until long after their theatrical runs had concluded.

Mechagodzilla was first seen as "Godzilla vs. the Bionic Monster" around Thanksgiving 1976 in the southeast in what basically amounts to a test run. It was in release across the nation from February to July of 1977. Universal sued over the use of "Bionic" and Cinema Shares and Downtown Distribution began advertising and showing it as "Godzilla vs. the Cosmic Monster" by mid July in the tri-state area (Cinema Shares was based in New York, so it only makes sense that the hastily-assembled "new version" would first appear on the company's home turf).

Similarly, Godzilla on Monster Island (Gigan) was first seen in a very limited run in the Carolinas from August to the end of 1977. It was then released through the rest of the country starting from April 1978.

I couldn't find exact dates for #7 and #14...so there is always the chance that they might be a spot early or a spot late in the exact order.

It's a bit difficult to nail down exactly when Sea Monster and Son of Godzilla were first seen because they went straight to TV. The earliest dates I've found for both (through newspaper archives):

• Godzilla versus the Sea Monster - 1968, Sunday February 25, 11:30 p.m. WNBC-TV 4, New York, NY. (Reported as the TV premiere in the February 24, 1968 issue of the News, Paterson, NJ.) (90 minute time slot.)
• 1969, Friday April 11. 8:30 p.m. KEMO-TV 20, San Francisco, CA. (Reported in the Saturday Apr. 5, 1969 issue of the Times from San Mateo, CA.) (2 hour time slot.)

If you lived in the Bay Area you might have seen SOG before DAM. Otherwise, you probably saw DAM first because neither SM or SOG were widely syndicated until the early '70s.

Terror of Mechagodzilla represents another oddity: two vastly different editions of the film in release at the same time. The theatrical version ("The Terror of Godzilla") was the heavily-edited version that was later prevalent on video and DVD, and it was released roadshow style beginning in June, 1978. In November, Terror of Mechagodzilla showed up on TV: this version being nearly uncut (except for nudity and some language) and with the additional "Godzilla's history" prologue. In short, some parts of the country had the opportunity to see the longer TV version before seeing the slaughtered theatrical hackjob. UPA and Bob Conn did a decent job keeping the two versions out of the same market at the same time, although I've found one case where it's conceivable that audiences might have seen the TV version (out of northwest Indiana) only days prior to a brief run of the theatrical version (in the Chicago metro area).

I have watched the U.S. versions in this order before but I generally don't watch the Godzilla movies in any order.

[Tamura]

Rodan didn’t reach some regions until 1958, including NYC. This was typical US exploitation movie exhibition practice at the time. Simultaneous nationwide release on thousands of screens wasn’t a thing until the 1970s, either.

[Terasawa]

Rodan didn’t reach some regions until 1958, including NYC. This was typical US exploitation movie exhibition practice at the time. Simultaneous nationwide release on thousands of screens wasn’t a thing until the 1970s, either.

And for the Godzilla series it wasn't a thing until Godzilla 1985.

[Ivo-goji]

I never marathon movies, so no.

[Crazy Jim Films]

Never felt the need to sit through the entire series in any given order. The continuity is so loose that it doesn't much matter.

[eabaker]

Never felt the need to sit through the entire series in any given order. The continuity is so loose that it doesn't much matter.

I like to watch them in release order from time to time not for narrative continuity, but for historical continuity. It's interesting to see the franchise transform as Japanese culture, cinematic techniques and technology, and audience expectations changed.

[Crazy Jim Films]

Never felt the need to sit through the entire series in any given order. The continuity is so loose that it doesn't much matter.

I like to watch them in release order from time to time not for narrative continuity, but for historical continuity. It's interesting to see the franchise transform as Japanese culture, cinematic techniques and technology, and audience expectations changed.

There is something to be said for that approach. I think I had done that with a few smaller franchises but Godzilla is pretty large and with all the nostalgia attached, I find myself jumping to specific ones too frequently and often, there are some that I just don't feel the mood to sit through on certain occasions.

[UltramanGoji]

The only time I usually marathon the films is in preparation for the latest release and even then with the frequency they're coming out at, I usually leave out a few of the entries.

The only time I ever fully marathoned it, G54 to GFW, was for G14. It was such a heavy endeavor that I refrained from doing it again for KOTM, just picking and choosing certain ones to watch. That's probably going to happen again with GVK in the Fall.

[LSD Jellyfish]

Never felt the need to sit through the entire series in any given order. The continuity is so loose that it doesn't much matter.

I like to watch them in release order from time to time not for narrative continuity, but for historical continuity. It's interesting to see the franchise transform as Japanese culture, cinematic techniques and technology, and audience expectations changed.

I think the Godzilla franchise is special because despite how long it is, most of the entries are really easily approachable in the Showa era without watching all the rest. The films approach to continuity is frequently rewarding viewers for knowing things from past entries, not requiring them. An example would be like watching Godzilla vs. Mothra and Rodan before GTTHM. You get rewarded for knowing the monsters prior but the film does a decent job at establishing Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra separately.

The only thing that is jarring, is watching an early Showa film and then bouncing into the late Showa entries. Part of the fun of marathoning the films in order, like you say, is seeing the cultural shifts, but also seeing how Godzilla's depictions gradually change.