Super 8 MM Monsters!!!!!!!

[SparkieGojira]

I have a bit of a fascination and lots of questions about those one reel, 8mm "short" versions of everything from the Universal classics to VARAN THE UNBELIEVABLE that use to be sold mail order through things like Famous Monsters of Filmland.

I had the misfortune to discover Famous Monsters at about the same time my family got cable and a giant, early VHS machine, so I never managed to con my parents into "investing" in a few examples!

Anyway, if any of our older members care to indulge me in their own nostalgia, I would love to hear any recollections you may have! I am curious as to what scenes where included, how they were edited to make a semblance of a story in under 10 minutes, what 8 mm titles correspond to what film..heck even if they were in sound or not!

I have dim but fond memories of seeing Laurel and Hardys, the theatrical Mr McGoo shorts, and I swear even a reel of Star Trek on 8mm in the pre-VCR days, but even in the early 80's I was sorely tempted to buy "The Battles of Ghidrah" just so I could get a glimpse of what it must had been like to see classic 60's Toho on a proper movie screen!

Any info would be appreciated! Thanks.

[Gwangi]

There was nothing like the 8mm films!

Now I wouldn't say I conned my parents into buying these films, but with a little persuasion, I was successful in having them obtaining the movies for me. K-Mart was the place!

One was "Ghidrah, The Three-Headed Monster". Actually, this was the first time I was introduced to this movie! It featured the final battle between Rodan, Godzilla, Mothra and Ghidrah. I would not see the feature film until sometime later.

The second was something called "Battle of the Monsters". Though I didn't realize it at the time, this was also from "Ghidrah". This is where they showed Godzilla and Rodan tossing boulders at each other while Mothra watches, then later puts a stop to it.

"Mighty Joe Young" which included his destruction at the Golden Safari, never telling us why he was angry, so I'd assume he was just a bad ape! Only when I finally saw the whole movie on T.V. did I realize what caused his rampage.

Heck, “Ghidrahâ€

[Xenorama]

i had the Battle of the Monsters, Varan, Destroy All Monsters, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth and Godzilla vs the Thing. one of the reasons i like the US Varan is because i watched 10 minutes of it (along with a Little Rascals preview) SO much in the 70s the characters are like old friends. i have them all transferred to DVDr (these are the silents) and should be getting a couple sound versions sometime soon as well.
DAM was the opening monster rampage Rodan, Gorosaurus, Godzilla, the assault on the Kilaak Moon Base and the final battle. Godzilla vs the Thing was the first battle between Godzilla and Mothra, and it ends with Godzilla "winning". Varan was the first appearance and the attack on the city followed by the exposion to "kill" it.
these were really cool, and at the time, the only way of owning even PART of the movies we loved.

David

[SparkieGojira]

[Shonokin]

[SparkieGojira]

[Gwangi]

[Xenorama]

[SparkieGojira]

WoW! The latenight show at a Grand Illusion (a tiny art house theater Seattle's U District is playing something called Monster Mayhem...and the best I or the volunteer employee I spoke with it is a marathon of the old super 8 Universal digest as well as several other the old hilight reels featuring Godzilla and others!