Steve Martin (Godzilla)

Steve Martin is a fictional American reporter played by actor Raymond Burr. The journalist first appears in the 1956 Godzilla movie Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, the American adaptation of the original Japanese Gojira.

Character Biography

Godzilla, King of the Monsters!

Steve Martin, a foreign correspondent for United World News, arrives in Tokyo as a stopover on a flight to Cairo. While there, he plans to see his old college friend, Dr. Daisuke Serizawa. He inevitably falls victim to Godzilla’s rampage. The movie begins with the wounded Martin narrating through flashback the events leading up to Godzilla’s major attack. The remainder of the story consists of him following the rest of the cast till the end with Godzilla’s defeat.

Godzilla 1985

Now older and distant from the events happening in Japan, Steve Martin returns as a consultant for the Pentagon’s military effort against Godzilla. Martin recounts his firsthand experience of the kaiju’s power and helps the American generals make tactical decisions about deploying military forces. By this time, he is a grandfather and semi-retired writer. The book Cairo via Tokyo, seen on his desk, is likely an account of his adventures in 1954. Martin has an ivory dragon which he carries with him.

Godzilla Returns

Though Marc Cerasini's Godzilla novel's take place in a separate continuity from Toho movies, it mentions Steven Martin. In the first novel, Godzilla Returns, television reporters Brian Shimura and Nick Gordon work for news company INN. In preparation for Godzilla, who has suddenly returned after many years, they read This is Tokyo, a book by Martin that documents his experience in 1954. Gordon initially pans Martin's grave style, reading Martin's opening words: "This is Tokyo, once a city of 6 million people. What has happened here was caused by a force which up until a few days ago was entirely beyond the scope of man's imagination. Tokyo--a smoldering memorial to the unknown, an unknown which at this very moment still prevails and could at any time lash out with its terrible destruction anywhere else in the world." ^[1] However, when Gordon sees for himself Godzilla destroy Tokyo, all he can weakly say when he reports on the destruction is "This is Tokyo..."

Character Background

To broaden Gojira’s international appeal, Burr’s character was inserted into the reedited version Godzilla, King of the Monsters! Thus it was through Steve Martin that American and international audiences outside of Japan were first introduced to Godzilla. Scenes requiring Burr interact with the original cast were achieved through intricate cutting and the use of doubles for Martin’s conversations. In 1984, the release of The Return of Godzilla brings the series out of temporary retirement. Renamed Godzilla 1985, this American version brings back Raymond Burr and the character of Steve Martin. The return of Martin is significant in the Godzilla franchise as it marks the first time a character reappears in more than one series (Showa and Heisei). The only other characters to do so are Emiko Yamane, played by Momoko Kouchi in Gojira and Godzilla vs. Destoroyah, and Professor Shin'ichi Chujo, played by Hiroshi Koizumi in Mothra and Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.

Notes and References

1. ^ Quote Steve Martin uses to open the film Godzilla, King of the Monsters