On April 27, 1956 “Godzilla, King of the Monsters!” was released in the United States! Directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda, with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya. Produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd. and released in Japan in 1964 as simply “Godzilla”, it is the first film in the Godzilla franchise. The film stars Akira Takarada, Momoko Kōchi, Akihiko Hirata, and Takashi Shimura, with Haruo Nakajima and Katsumi Tezuka as Godzilla. The 1956 American version featured new footage with act