Ultraman - 1966

[EddMarkStarr]

Did I ever mention that the 1960's was a great time to be a kid?

As if Godzilla and Astro Boy weren't enough, one Saturday my TV exploded with the first showing of "Ultraman" in the United States.
You guys know about Ultraman . . . he's just like you, only better!

Episode 11 is my favorite. The title is, "The Rascal from Outer Space". But I call it, "The Wishing Stone", because it's about a meteorite that becomes whatever nearby people wish for. One poor guy wished for a giant monster, while standing in his living room!

Ultraman always appears in the last few minutes of each episode to battle with the Monster of the Week, and you've got to see the monster in Episode 11. I don't know what's crazier; a monster wearing baggies, or a monster wearing baggies . . . with slippers! And checkout the zipper in the back of the monster's suit - sign of a real quality production, lol.

 

[Stardreamer]

Loved this show as a kid. Not just for the monsters but the whole Science Patrol and their planes.

 

[EddMarkStarr]

Loved this show as a kid. Not just for the monsters but the whole Science Patrol and their planes.

I'm right with ya Stardreamer! I was 9 years old in 1966 and in my memory Ultraman cannot be separated from Star Trek, Time Tunnel, The Herculoids or Buzz Conroy & Frankenstein Jr.

One of the outstanding aspects of the 1960's was how quickly the kids around my age, at the time, fell in love with Japanese pop culture - Godzilla came along at the perfect moment. My generation was still scolded by the WWII generation that could not let go of their feelings.

Personally I found in Japanese TV and movies a kind of "fun-freedom" that I don't see in media anymore.

With respect to the "Power Rangers", Ultraman is not acted by teenagers - the series is performed by adults. I never realized as a kid how important it was to see adults perform for fun! And the secret to Ultraman's success was the Science Patrol. This group of handsome young men became the real draw for fans as they were the actual focus of many of the storylines of the series.

Never underestimate the draw of handsome men. The Science Patrol guys are gorgeous to look at and their skin-tight pants are always a crowd pleaser!
I remember one episode where the commander of the Science Patrol was puffing on a pipe. All I could think was, "yeah daddy - tell me what to do", lol.

 

[novo174]

I lived on an American Naval Base in Japan my first 7 years. I used to watch the Japanese channels with superheroes like Ultraman and Super Sentai (Power Rangers) every weekend. There were no subtitles so I had no idea what the plots were but loved the action. I don't think I was able to watch the 1966 Ultraman but I always watched the later installments. My mom threw away all my Ultraman toys when we moved to the States without telling me.

I moved back to Japan for a while years later and convinced/forced my friend to go with me to the Bandai Museum. I felt like a kid again seeing all the memorabilia and the toys my mom threw out.

 

[EddMarkStarr]

Growing up in the 60's was like swimming in a pop culture ocean.

I can't imagine being a kid today when all you have is a handheld device, with $300 a month subscriptions, as entertainment.
Growing up near the Norfolk Navy Base had the spillover effect of exposing me to TV shows from around the world as the local stations competed to batch the eyes of young Navy guys!