over and had to resort to "blowing up" the film to widescreen format. A method that was used for the Japanese release of Godzilla, King of the Monsters!. Toho proceeded to market the film as a 2.35:1 Toho Pan Scope release. Varan suit actor Haruo Nakajima suffered burns while filming the climax scene. The crew rented a cheap soundstage and open set when certain scenes could not be filmed at Toho. Evacuation scenes were filmed on the Toho lot, with some offices and sound-stages visible onscreen. Filming lasted 28 days and wrapped in mid-August. Due to the film intended for television, Tsuburaya cut corners on the effects and recycled footage from Godzilla and Godzilla Raids Again. American version The film was heavily localized for its America release. Produced by Jerry A. Baerwitz, Baerwitz also directed new footage with Myron Healey interacting with Japanese-American actors. A new story was written by Sid Harris which featured an American military scientist stationed in Japan conducting a de-salinization experiment on the lake where Varan dwells. The American version only features 15 minutes of the original Japanese footage and does not credit any of the Toho crew. Ifukube's music was replaced with cues from The Amazing Colossal Man. The American version runs at 70 minutes and was theatrically released on December 12, 1962 by Crown International, under the title Varan the Unbelievable. It was released on a double-bill with First Spaceship on Venus. Toho featured the American version in their 1962 and 1963 English sales catalogues. Honda was unaware until the 1980s of the American version's existence. Film historian Stuart Galbraith IV claimed that an English dubbed version was produced by Toho; however, evidence of such version has never surfaced. Release Varan the Unbelievable was distributed theatrically in Japan by Toho on October 14, 1958 Conflicting sources report that Toho completed a theatrical version and an export television version. These reports claim that Ifukube recorded a separate score between August 27 and 29 for the television version and a test print with three reels was shipped to Toho International in Los Angeles. Reception In a contemporary review, Variety referred to the film as an "uninspired monster meller for saturation supporting niches" after Godzilla, Gorgo, and Dinosaurus! The review was of the American version of the film, where they stated that "Neither Harris' scenario nor Baewritz's direction of it can sustain interest". A reviewer for Tokyo