[no subject]

[wlittm@epfl1.epflbalto.org (William Littman 396-5440)]

Subject: Movie Dinos
Status: ON 32768
Mailed To: dinosaur@lepomis.psych.upenn.edu 


         It's always fun to try and relate film-design extinct
         reptile forms with the actual fossil forms.  Godzilla
         was "inspired", more or less, by the Ray Harryhausen-
         designed "rhedosaurus" of THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS.
         "Rhedosaurus" (Ray Harryhausen-edosaurus?) always reminds
         me of the archosaur Ornithosuchus, albeit 10 times larger.
         Godzilla takes typical theropod stance combined with rad-
         iation-infused stegosaur dorsal plates, fire-breath and
         a body size that would have miniaturized a Seismosaurus.
         The "Angurus" of GIGANTIS THE FIRE MONSTER is actually an
         oversized (again) Ankylosaurus.  The name is just a corrup-
         tion of the Japanese name "Angilas" corrupted from Ankylosaurus.
         Gwangi (from Harryhausen's VALLEY OF GWANGI) is a well-
         formed allosaur that, surprisingly, thanks to Ray H's deft
         animation, manages to avoid the then-typical tail-dragging
         stance of movie therapods at least 60% of the time.

         Any other favorite movie dinos?

                     --Bill Littman--