Henry G. Saperstein
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Henry Gahagen "Hank" Saperstein was an American film producer and distributor. As a young man, Saperstein inherited his father's cinema chain in Chicago before moving on to television distribution. He moved to Hollywood in 1955, and purchased United Productions of America in 1960. At UPA, Saperstein produced the successful Mister Magoo television series and its spinoff television specials and series. Saperstein formed a relationship with Japanese studio Toho in the 1960s, co-producing three of its kaiju movies in 1965 and 1966 and arranging for American actors Nick Adams and Russ Tamblyn to appear in them. Saperstein would subsequently work with Toho in the 1970s and '80s to attempt putting together several Godzilla projects which never materialized. Saperstein was part of the negotiations with Hollywood studios in the early 1990s that attempted to get a Hollywood Godzilla film made. He passed away from cancer in Beverly Hills on June 24, 1998, at the age of 80. He is survived by his daughter, Pat.
Selected filmography
Executive producer
- Frankenstein vs. Baragon (1965) [with Tomoyuki Tanaka, Reuben Bercovitch; uncredited in Japanese version]
- Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) [with Tomoyuki Tanaka, Reuben Bercovitch; uncredited in Japanese version]
- The War of the Gargantuas (1966) [with Tomoyuki Tanaka, Kenichiro Tsunoda, Reuben Bercovitch; uncredited in Japanese version]
Unmade projects
- U.S.-Japan Collaboration: Godzilla (1978)
- Godzilla vs. the Devil (1978) [unconfirmed]
- Animated Godzilla film (1988)
Videos
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External links
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