We lost a good one this week. The great Ray Bradbury has a link, you may not know, in the creation of Godzilla.
How, you ask? Well, it goes like this. He wrote a short story (entitled "The Foghorn" I believe) about a beast coming out of the sea, attracted by the titular object. This story was published in a magazine, which in turn inspired/was stolen/absorbed into a movie called THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS. (He and the equally great Ray Harryhausen remained close friends.) Well, it just so happens that two equally great men from Toho were in the United States, and saw the film (which I would say is also great, but I've used up my allotted quota of "greats" by now). Flying home to Japan, and looking out into the ocean, the idea for Godzilla descended like a beam of inspiration straight from heaven.
If you ever saw the great (oops) series THE RAY BRADBURY THEATER, which dramatized various stories of his, it began with beautiful shots of his office, crammed full of books, papers, and artifacts. If you looked with a keen eye, you would see, in one corner, a Shogun Warriors Godzilla, apparently painted white or at least light gray. I always thought this had to do with him being not the father, but at least the grandfather, in Godzilla's lineage!
Rest in peace, and thanks for all your work; the team of living luminaries is now even smaller.