A ‘Zilla By Any Other Name: “Godzilla Raids Again” Tonight!

Tonight on MeTV- sure, they may be calling him "Gigantis"- but  it's pretty clear that it's a familiar giant reptile who is again trashing Japanese real estate- as he battles another massive creature and threatens mankind for a second time in- "Godzilla Raids Again"!

We meet a couple pilots whose job it is to spot schools of fish for a local cannery. When one of them has engine trouble and lands on a distant island, his best friend comes looking for him- and the two of them find something they definitely weren't looking for- two giant behemoths slugging it out on the island! Fortunately for the  pilots, the two giant combatants topple into the sea.

Upon returning to Osaka, the two friends let authorities know what they have seen- and scientists help them determine that they are monsters known as Anguirus and (ahem) Godzilla , or Gigantis. Dr. Yemane, the eminent scholar from the original Godzilla film, brings them up to date on the history of Godzilla, and points out that this is another Godzilla- that term meaning a certain species of reptile (a way to explain why we have  Godzilla around when he was- spoiler alert- killed in the first film!) With the weapon used to kill the first one lost to the ages, it is suggested that  off-shore flares will distract Godzilla and keep him away from land.

As the monster approaches Osaka, there is a planned black-out of the city, and the flares seem to be doing their job- but- a freak accident causes  a huge fire on shore, attracting- guess who! As he comes ashore, his sparring partner Anguirus also appears- and their consequent fight causes great destruction.

Once again, it is a time of rebuilding in Japan- and our pilot friends  head to Hokkaido where the cannery is being re-situated- but Godzilla returns- and again, the valiant people of Japan must try to find a way to defeat this unstoppable monster!

This quickly-made 1955 sequel to the original Godzilla movie  was known for a long time as "Gigantis the Fire Monster" -until  the Toho Studios asked that it be re-titled with the Godzilla name for its video release in the '80s. We'll go over the movie history, the cast, and reveal some famous voices who helped do the English dubbing. Plus-  a new  product and a new song!

"Godzilla Raids Again" stomps onto your screen tonight on MeTV at 10 pm eastern/pacific, 9 central, and check local listings (or at www.metv.com) for time and channel where you live. Let us remind our  Chicago  area viewers again that all has been cleared- and the Godzilla films WILL be appearing on Saturday mornings at 11 am on our sister station WCIU, the U- beginning this weekend with the original "Godzilla-King of the Monsters". Many thanks to our management for making this happen!

Join us tonight when Godzilla Month continues on MeTV!