Fuchimu Shimakura in January 2021. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on October 5, 1940, Fuchimu Shimakura began working at Toho in the late 1950s, creating or assisting in the creation of tokusatsu backdrops for the Showa era's most notable special effects movies, including Battle in Outer Space (1959), Mothra (1961), King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), … Continue reading RECOLLECTIONS OF TOHO’S GOD OF CLOUDS! Fuchimu Shimakura on Painting the Studio’s Tokusatsu Backdrops!
Ultra Seven
THROUGH THE LENS OF TOKUSATSU! Cinematographer Masao Nakabori Goes Behind the Scenes of the Ultra-Series!
Masao Nakabori in September 2019. Photo © Brett Homenick. Born on February 12, 1943, in Nippori, Arakawa City, Tokyo, Masao Nakabori joined Tsuburaya Productions in the mid-1960s and became a cinematographer on some of Japanese television's best special effects series. Among his tokusatsu credits are Ultraman (1966-67), Ultra Seven (1967-68), Operation: Mystery! (1968-69), Silver Kamen … Continue reading THROUGH THE LENS OF TOKUSATSU! Cinematographer Masao Nakabori Goes Behind the Scenes of the Ultra-Series!
KEEPING TABS ON ULTRAMAN! Tsuburaya Pro Script Supervisor Atsuko Tanaka Looks Back on Her Tokusatsu Career!
Atsuko Tanaka (born on April 19, 1942) is a script supervisor (a.k.a. scripter) who worked on several of the most successful tokusatsu TV programs of the 1960s. Beginning with Ultra Q (1966) at Tsuburaya Productions, Ms. Tanaka would go on to work in the same capacity on Ultraman (1966-67), Ultra Seven (1967-68), Kaiju Booska (1966-67), and The Space Giants … Continue reading KEEPING TABS ON ULTRAMAN! Tsuburaya Pro Script Supervisor Atsuko Tanaka Looks Back on Her Tokusatsu Career!
TOKUSATSU’S MAN OF LETTERS! Hiroyasu Yamaura on Scripting Godzilla and the Ultra-Series!
Hiroyasu Yamaura is a prolific scriptwriter for both film and television, whose work has crossed many genres. His writing credits include such popular anime titles as Mazinger Z (1972-74), Lupin the Third: Part II (1977-80), and Galaxy Express 999 (1978-81). In the world of tokusatsu, Mr. Yamaura co-wrote the screenplays for Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974) and Tokyo Blackout (1987), as … Continue reading TOKUSATSU’S MAN OF LETTERS! Hiroyasu Yamaura on Scripting Godzilla and the Ultra-Series!
INSIDE THE ULTRA-SERIES! Scriptwriter Shigemitsu Taguchi on Writing for Tsuburaya Productions!
Shigemitsu Taguchi is a television scriptwriter who shaped much of Tsuburaya Productions’ output during the 1970s. Born on February 4, 1944, Mr. Taguchi joined Tsuburaya Productions in the late 1960s, but officially began his career as a scriptwriter with the series Return of Ultraman (1971-72), which led to a successful career in tokusatsu. Mr. Taguchi wrote … Continue reading INSIDE THE ULTRA-SERIES! Scriptwriter Shigemitsu Taguchi on Writing for Tsuburaya Productions!
GAPPA ANGRY! Actor Masanori Machida Remembers Playing Saki in Nikkatsu’s Kaiju Classic!
Born on January 7, 1955, in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Masanori Machida was a child actor who began his career in the early 1960s. During his career as a child actor, Mr. Machida appeared in numerous movies during the 1960s, including (in order of production): Toho’s Aogeba Totoshi (1966), Daiei’s Zatoichi’s Vengeance (1966), Toei’s Abashiri Prison: Duel … Continue reading GAPPA ANGRY! Actor Masanori Machida Remembers Playing Saki in Nikkatsu’s Kaiju Classic!
THE WOMAN BEHIND GRACE MIYABE! Actress Linda Mabrey Recalls ‘Ultra Seven’ and Her Singing Career in Japan!
Linda Mabrey (a.k.a. Linda Malsom) became an actress and model in Japan by pure happenstance. After arriving in Japan in the late 1960s, Linda found herself appearing in the cult classic The Green Slime (1968), as well as episode 19 of Tsuburaya Productions’ Ultra Seven (1967-68) as Grace Miyabe. Born on May 16, 1947, in … Continue reading THE WOMAN BEHIND GRACE MIYABE! Actress Linda Mabrey Recalls ‘Ultra Seven’ and Her Singing Career in Japan!
THE YOUNG GAL! Actress Machiko Naka Answers Questions About Her Toho Days!
Machiko Naka, born on October 12, 1936, is an accomplished actress who has appeared in many Toho films throughout the years. She was a regular actress in the popular Young Guy series and appeared in such movies as the Crazy Cats film Las Vegas Free-for-All and Battle of Okinawa (directed by Kihachi Okamoto). Godzilla fans know … Continue reading THE YOUNG GAL! Actress Machiko Naka Answers Questions About Her Toho Days!
YURIKO HISHIMI REFLECTS ON ‘ULTRA SEVEN’ AND GODZILLA! The Actress Who Played Anne Yuri Celebrates 50 Years of ‘Ultra Seven’!
Yuriko Hishimi would be best known to Japanese monster movie fans as Tomoko Tomoe (the martial arts expert) in Godzilla vs. Gigan (1972) and as Anne Yuri in the original Ultra Seven (1967-68) series. In 2008, Ms. Hishimi, in an interview translated by totorom, answered Brett Homenick's questions. Vantage Point Interviews proudly presents this interview in celebration of … Continue reading YURIKO HISHIMI REFLECTS ON ‘ULTRA SEVEN’ AND GODZILLA! The Actress Who Played Anne Yuri Celebrates 50 Years of ‘Ultra Seven’!
LINDA HARDISTY CELEBRATED: Author Mike Worley Remembers the Beloved ‘Ultra Seven’ Actress
Mystery writer Mike Worley has enjoyed a multifaceted career that has run the gamut from serving as the chief of police in Meridian, Idaho, to teaching students as a university instructor. Mr. Worley was very close with Linda Hardisty, the late actress best remembered as Dorothy Anderson from episodes 14 and 15 of Tsuburaya Productions' … Continue reading LINDA HARDISTY CELEBRATED: Author Mike Worley Remembers the Beloved ‘Ultra Seven’ Actress
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