Mike Starr in April 2025. Photo © Brett Homenick. Rankin/Bass Productions made several live-action films with Japanese director Tsugunobu "Tom" Kotani during the 1970s, and The Bushido Blade (1981) tends to be the most obscure of these productions. Filmed in 1978, The Bushido Blade predates the production of Shogun (1980) but only saw release in … Continue reading LAND OF THE RISING STARR! Actor Mike Starr on Making ‘The Bushido Blade’ in Japan!
Sonny Chiba
ON THE TRAIL OF ‘THE LAST DINOSAUR’! A Candid Conversation with Rankin/Bass Associate Producer Benni Korzen!
Benni Korzen in June 2022. Photo © Benni Korzen. Born on April 1, 1938, in Copenhagen, Denmark, Benni Korzen served as an associate producer on the live-action Rankin/Bass films Marco (1973), The Last Dinosaur (1977), The Bermuda Depths (1978), The Ivory Ape (1980), and The Bushido Blade (1981). Following his involvement with Rankin/Bass, Mr. Korzen … Continue reading ON THE TRAIL OF ‘THE LAST DINOSAUR’! A Candid Conversation with Rankin/Bass Associate Producer Benni Korzen!
GOD WILL UNDERSTAND: Actor Tony Cetera on Performing in Japan
Pennsylvanian Tony Cetera (born on November 9, 1938) came to Japan in the early 1960s to sell American life insurance and American mutual funds to G.I.s on military bases, and before long found himself in demand as an actor in Japanese productions. Mr. Cetera appears as New Guinea researcher Dr. Wilson (who says the line, … Continue reading GOD WILL UNDERSTAND: Actor Tony Cetera on Performing in Japan
PRINCESS FROM SPACE! Peggy Lee Brennan on Playing Meia in the Japanese Cult Classic ‘Message from Space’!
Peggy Lee Brennan portrayed the role of Meia in Kinji Fukasaku’s space opera Message from Space (1978) and played it convincingly. She was one of several American actors, including Vic Morrow and Philip Casnoff, to appear in the film, but what hasn’t been known until this time is how that came to be. Born on … Continue reading PRINCESS FROM SPACE! Peggy Lee Brennan on Playing Meia in the Japanese Cult Classic ‘Message from Space’!
CULT CLASSIC MEMORIES! Philip Casnoff Recalls Acting in the Japanese Space Opera ‘Message from Space’!
Philip Casnoff is a versatile talent in the entertainment world. Nominated for a Golden Globe for his uncanny portrayal of Frank Sinatra in 1992’s CBS miniseries Sinatra, Mr. Casnoff first achieved national fame for his role as Elkanah Bent in North and South, a highly-rated Civil War-era miniseries for ABC, which aired in 1985 and … Continue reading CULT CLASSIC MEMORIES! Philip Casnoff Recalls Acting in the Japanese Space Opera ‘Message from Space’!
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET FIGHTER! Shinichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba Recalls His Japanese Sci-Fi Roles!
Shinichi “Sonny” Chiba is truly an actor who needs no introduction. This worldwide superstar has appeared in innumerable action films in both Japan and America, including Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 1 (2003), Kinji Fukasaku’s The Yagyu Conspiracy (1978), and Shigehiro Ozawa’s The Street Fighter (1974). Mr. Chiba is also internationally recognized for his myriad … Continue reading THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET FIGHTER! Shinichi ‘Sonny’ Chiba Recalls His Japanese Sci-Fi Roles!
GEORGE KENNEDY REMEMBERS JAPAN! The Legendary Actor Recalls Making the Disaster Movie ‘Virus’ in the Far East!
George Kennedy is an actor who truly needs no introduction. Movie fans instantly recognize Mr. Kennedy for his Academy Award-winning performance as Dragline in the 1967 hit Cool Hand Luke, in which he starred opposite Paul Newman. However, Mr. Kennedy has seen and done it all in the acting world, having conquered the action genre … Continue reading GEORGE KENNEDY REMEMBERS JAPAN! The Legendary Actor Recalls Making the Disaster Movie ‘Virus’ in the Far East!
Vantage Point Interviews 