I can't stand the US version — never did — although it has grown on me in recent years. As for the Japanese version, the
real tragedy is that John Beck did not realize that the film was a send-up, and so he cut it to pieces. While not my favorite Showa-era Godzilla film, KING KONG VS. GODZILLA was a hit because it was the right film at the right time and struck a cord with the Japanese audience — it was made as
light entertainment for all ages! The best way for us to enjoy it now, is to lower the lights, put that bowl of popcorn in front of you and just enjoy the
escapism it was meant to be!
As for the rubber lizard; I think he eventually wound up in the prop box for the original Svengoolie in Chicago in the late 1960s. It was later seen at a garage sale in Berwyn.
Berwyn!?