GORGO: A Pictorial Tribute
by Alan Burkhart

Home | Contact

Gorgo
King Brothers 1961

Forget Godzilla, King Kong, Gamera, Rodan, and all of the rest of those badly dubbed Japanese films. Gorgo was the best. My only regret is that there was only one movie. But boy oh boy, was it a good one!

In a nutshell, two dudes who run a marine salvage operation (Joe and Sam) have their ship damaged when an undersea volcano erupts nearby. They put in at a small island for repairs. But the volcano has also released a gigantic reptile from somewhere below the depths of the ocean. Soon, the creature, 75 feet tall, is ravaging the island. Joe and Sam hustle out to sea and use a diving bell to lure the creature close to the ship, then trap it with a steel shark net.

They see dollar signs (or since their British, pound signs) and end up cutting a deal to show the beast at a circus in London. Imagine everyone's surprise when it's discovered that the creature is in EARLY INFANCY. Momma comes a-calling, looking for her baby, and she's not kind to London in the process. Eventually she makes her way to the circus, rescues her child, and the two of them return to the sea.

The effects are very good for the time period, and the three stars, Bill Travers, William Sylvester, and Vincent Winter perform quite well. Although not regarded as highly as the Godzilla movies (why? it's a BETTER movie!), Gorgo is nevertheless a cult classic with fans all over the world. If you haven't seen it, I strongly recommend it.
Alan

Prior to his capture, Baby Gorgo was a little hard on the local fishermen.
Once captured, Baby Gorgo is transported via Joe and Sam to London to be sold to Dorkins Circus. In this image, little Sean just misses the chance to set Baby Gorgo free.
Upon arriving in London, Baby is transported through town with much fanfare.
The entrance to the ill-fated Gorgo Exhibit at Dorkins Circus
Baby had been sedated for the journey to London, but unfortunately it wore off a bit too soon. One man died as baby was herded into the enclosure.
Baby on display in a huge sunken tank, probably formerly used for killer whales.
Momma Gorgo, over 200 feet tall, makes her way up the Thames River to get her baby.
London Bridge is falling down, falling down...
Approaching one of London's better-known landmarks
Big Ben never did keep good time after Momma's visit
As if the rollercoaster wasn't scary enough already
Momma reaches her Baby in the tank
Some of artist Tony Trammell's work. Shown here with permission
Here's what Gorgo might look like had the movie been filmed in modern times, with man's increased knowledge of what dinosaurs actually looked like. This was done by dino artist Tony Trammell. He's working on an image that is true to the original, and it'll be posted here when it's done. You can see more of Tony's work by clicking here.
One more by Tony Trammell. Gorgo versus Godzilla? Time to leave town!
Here are some "lobby cards" from Gorgo. The 3rd one is from the Mexican release of the movie. Note that in the Mexican card, Gorgo is depicted breathing fire. Odd... given that Gorgo was not a "firebreather."
And here is a cover from Famous Monsters Magazine depicting Gorgo...
Photo Credits: