Most of us who know Gamera, remember the "Mystery Science Theater 3000" episode where they make fun of the badly dubbed film about a flying turtle-monster who breathes fire and protects children from danger. 

If you're a film fanatic like myself, you 've re-discovered the Gamera films and watch them in their original Japanese versions! Admitted, the special effects (especially the films from the 70's) are cheesy and dated, but they're so much fun to watch! 

In Daiei Film was looking to rival Toho's gigantic "Godzilla" franchise and after bouncing around a few ideas, came up with Gamera! The first film premiered on November 27th, 1965 in Japan and 12 films later PLUS anime, TV shows, comics, magazines, etc. the franchise remains popular and has a decent size cult following. If you want more in depth info regarding how the character was created, how the first film was made, etc. Listen to our discussion below.