Rodan

this is one of the earliest monster movies I ever remember... NOT seeing.  it was aired on KWGN Channel 2 at 10 or 11 PM on a freaking Sunday night.

a SUNDAY night.  since it was in September of 1973, that constituted a "school night".  this is why I remember it so vividly, as I couldn't watch it.  it was called "Command Performance Theater" (the time slots always had names back then, it seems).  Sunday nights also used to show a serial back then, one episode per week.

I did ask my mother if I could stay up to watch it, but alas, the answer was no.  she told me the next morning she tried to wake me up so I could watch it.  I believe her, because I had- and still do have- some odd, disjointed memories of the movie.

I saw the movie later on, probably the next year, in the afternoon slot on Channel 2, and it was very enjoyable.  even then the end of the movie was very touching, and easily elevates the US version above the Japanese one. 

Rodan never looked better than in this movie.