Not to be confused with "The Mystery Dubs and Edits." This is a list of dubbed versions that we know existed but which aren't presently available.
--The List--
Sword for Hire (1952)
Narrated version. Mentioned in Toho Films 1954 and distributed in the U.S. in the late 1950s by Joseph Brenner. According to Stuart Galbraith IV in The Toho Studios Story, narration was provided by gaijin actor Bob Booth.
The Man in the Storm (1957)
Toho's international dub, and apparently one of the very first. Offered in various volumes of Toho Films through the 1960s. A 35mm print was available to rent in the U.S. in 1972, per an advertisement in Black Belt (March 1972). IMDb: tt0050137.
Varan (1958)
Toho's international dub? Listed in the 1962, 1963, and 1967 Toho Films brochures. Rumored to be missing when the 2005 Media Blasters disc was being prepared. (14)
The Three Treasures (1959)
Toho’s international dub. Advertised in many early volumes of Toho Films. The film played on TV, mostly out of New York, in the early 1970s. Although it's possible that this was a subtitled print, I think it's far more likely that the film was shown dubbed. Censor records from India (March 19, 1964) indicate an English language version from Toho ran 122 minutes.
The Final War (1960)
American release by Sam Lake Associates (possibly "Sam Lake Enterprises") on December 3, 1962. The New York State Archive holds a dubbing script, suggesting this was dubbed in the U.S. (as opposed to being an overseas dub).
The Storm Over the Pacific (1960) Unverified
Toho's international dub? Dubbed version listed in various Toho Films brochures. Not much more proof than that at present except for partial English credits done in the "Toho style" found on a DVD release from Italy.
The Human Vapor (1960) Unverified
Toho's international dub? Listed in the 1962 Toho Films brochure, a year before Brenco released the film in the U.S.
The Last Gunfight (1960)
Toho's international dub (possibly from Tokyo's Eikosha group). Originally released in the United States by Commonwealth United Television in the early '60s (1) and still running on Tulsa, OK cable in the late '70s or early '80s. An export trailer is available in Something Weird Video's Dusk to Dawn Drive-In Trash-O-Rama Show (Vol. 5)" compilation.
The Last War (1961)
Toho’s international dub (Frontier Enterprises, Japan). Listed in the 1962 Toho Films brochure. Confirmed by actor Tom Korzeniowski. (2) An export trailer with minimal English dubbing is available on Toho’s DVD release.
The Sea Fighters (1961) aka Tiger of the Seas
American release by American International Television circa 1966. (3) This was one film Rob Craig was unable to view for his book, American International Pictures: A Comprehensive Filmography. He does, however, describe an "international" trailer under the title The Sea Fighters. That trailer or one like it used to be online but has since disappeared.
The Weed of Crime (1962)
Toho's international dub (Hong Kong). Originally released in the United States by Commonwealth United Television in the early '60s. An export trailer is available in Something Weird Video's Dusk to Dawn Drive-In Trash-O-Rama Show (Vol. 6)" compilation.
King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) Unverified
Toho's international dub (likely dubbed by Frontier Enterprises, Japan)? An English dubbed version is listed in several Toho Films brochures. That, coupled with the readily available English export trailer obviously dubbed by Frontier, makes its existence quite likely.
High and Low (1963)
Toho’s international dub (Frontier Enterprises, Japan). Confirmed by actor Burr Middleton. (4) Yutaka Sada dubbed by Middleton. This dubbed version may have played on U.S. TV in the '60s and '70s.
Interpol Code 8 (1963)
Toho’s international dub? Listed in a 1968 volume of Toho Films. Syndicated throughout the U.S. from approximately 1966 to 1973. IMDb credits Paramount Television as the distributor. It’s possible that a U.S. release may not have used an existing dub from Toho but since all we know is that the film was both offered from Toho and subsequently went straight to TV in the States it seems more likely to me that these dubbed versions are one and the same.
Samurai Pirate (1963) Rediscovered
A formerly lost Toho international dub by Bill Ross. At first this was an unverified alternate dub based on its presence in the "English Dubbed Version Available" list in Toho Films Vol. 9, 1964 (10). A few years later, the discovery of Singaporean newspaper ads for a Chinese-subtitled English version playing in June 1964 also raised suspicions of an alternate dub (11). Rare, Finnish and Swedish tapes from the '80s were thought - without evidence - to contain an international dub, since other Finnish tapes of Toho films from the same distributors likewise did (17). It was then confirmed outright via Indian censorship records (Oct. 31, 1964) (16). A line quoted therein, "He... fell from a cloud when he saw a naked woman," is notably different from the corresponding line in the U.S. version's Titra dub. It was then confirmed that the Nordic VHS releases do contain an English version with Swedish or Finnish subtitles, and that this English version was the lost international dub. In 2020, the group acquired the Finnish Espoon OVC Videovision tape and a DVD-R ripped from it.
A Keg of Powder (1964)
Toho’s international dub. In pre-release press for What’s Up, Tiger Lily?, the Los Angeles Times reports A Keg of Powder had been “dubbed into English by Toho” prior to the American International release of Woody Allen’s film. I’m not able to read the entire article at the moment; Powder is definitely mentioned by name, although it’s possible the LA Times is referring to Key of Keys, the other film that makes up Tiger Lily. Or maybe they're referring to both. (More research required.)
Kwaidan (1964) Unverified
American release by Continental in 1965. According to August Ragone, this was likely dubbed by Titra Sound Studios (New York), however, I can't presently find any reviews noting that the film was dubbed and it doesn't seem to have shown up on American TV at all.
The Band That Went to War (1965)
Toho international dub? I lucked into this one while searching digitized newspaper archives for Yuzo Kayama credits. This English title alone is obscure enough; aside from various Newspapers.com hits, I can find very little of any substance for this title. An IMDb entry for the 1965 Toho film "Senjo ni nagareru uta" seems to be the same movie, at least based on the minimal credits in the TV guides I've turned up (Akira Kubo also stars). The only modern "review" of the movie I've found will be linked below. (13)
This first turned up in Ottawa in December 1967 as "The Band Who Went to War," although I assume the different name is a typo as I can find only these theatrical dates under that title. It first played in the U.S. in the Tri-State area in January 1968 and was apparently last broadcast in Florida on June 14, 1976.
Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) Unverified?
This first came to the group's attention when an export trailer (since redubbed) was included as an extra feature on a European DVD release of the film. Although not listed with other English titles in any presently-digitized Toho Films catalogs, an English version running 96 minutes (?) was included alongside The War of the Gargantuas in Indian censor records in early 1967. (March 1 for WOTG, March 2 for IoAM.) This is after the completion of the Glen Glenn-recorded version for Henry G. Saperstein so it's still possible (if unlikely) that that version is the one mentioned in the Indian log. August Ragone once claimed that he'd seen a version of the film with an unfamiliar English soundtrack but hasn't said anything more about it in several years. IMO, more research is required.
Key of Keys (1965)
Toho international dub? An English version is listed in a 1968 volume of Toho Films and at least an English poster exists. See the entry for A Keg of Powder (1964).
Retreat from Kiska (1965)
American release by UPA Productions of America, probably first widely seen on Los Angeles's KNBC on August 24, 1973. Later broadcast approximately nationwide in syndication through the early 1980s.
My previous note said: "According to August Ragone, this dub featured the voices of George Takei and James Shigeta." I've found no other source listing Takei's contribution but it is known that Shigeta hosted the special presentation on KNBC (no idea if he also lent his voice to the movie itself). A review in the L.A. Times notes that actors of Japanese descent were used to dub the movie. Other dub credits include:
A KNBC presentation in cooperation with Henry G. Saperstein, UPA, and Toho Ltd.; English version direction: S. Richard Krown; Dialog: Riley Jackson
The Adventures of Takla Makan (1966)
Toho's international dub. Played on a triple bill with Black Belt Jones (1974) and T.N.T. Jackson (1975) at the Star Twin Cinemas in Miami, Florida. (5) It's thought that a Swedish video release by Walthers Video might offer this English version.
Grand Duel in Magic (1966) aka Magic Serpent
Toei’s international dub (Hong Kong). Fragments exist in an M&E-less French dub. Featuring the voice of Ted Thomas.
Secret Agent 101 (1966)
Shochiku's international dub (Hong Kong). An export trailer (12) turned up on a Something Weird Compilation; this is classic mid-60s HK dubbing. Starting in 1968, this also played surprisingly frequently as a supporting feature in Canada. One review I've turned up even refers to "atrociously bad English dubbing." IMDb gives Columbia Pictures of Canada as the distributor. It seems to have only appeared fleetingly in the States on TV in the '70s. Broadcasts north of the border stopped after 1977.
Agent X-2 Operation Underwater (1966)
Toei's international dub (?) of "Kaitei Daisenso"/Terror Beneath the Sea. Quote William Ross: "Terror Beneath the Sea (1966) was a co-production that I handled with Toei. It was filmed at Toei's TV division in standard 35mm format. It was filmed in English, using local people from various countries as actors, and we had to post-dub some of the voices because you could not understand their English." (15) The "Agent X-2..." poster declares "World Sales" were handled by Arthur Davis. At least the English visuals for the trailer still exist. According to SciFi Japan, the export title is "Water Cyborg," which appears in English on the Japanese theatrical poster.
The Killing Bottle (1967)
1. Toho's international dub, mentioned in UniJapan Film Quarterly #36 (April '67) and the 1968 volume of Toho Films. This would likely be the English version noted in Indian censorship records (on June 21, 1967). Dialogue, as quoted in those records: "No more dames." "She's imported." "I stick to domestic stuff." The Indian record, however, cites a film length that equals roughly 109 minutes. The Japanese version runs 93 minutes.
2. Unreleased U.S. version. As reported in Variety on May 8, 1968, The Killing Bottle was the first acquisition of Cineco Productions (New York), and that Peter Fernandez had been hired to write and direct the English version. Another Variety report (June 25, 1969) states that the film had been re-edited and that the original Sadao Bekku score had been replaced with a new soundtrack (composer not identified). When interviewed by Steve Ryfle years later, Fernandez recalled that it had been dubbed at "Titra" with Jack Curtis dubbing Nick Adams, although a July 9, 1969, Variety feature on Zivala-Riss Productions (notably responsible for Speed Racer, also with Fernandez and Curtis) ties Z-R to the dubbing and editing work. Titra/Titan is not mentioned in any contemporaneous report on The Killing Bottle. (Z-R, incidentally, was a 22% investor in Cineco.) It was reported in same that Cineco held "English-speaking rights until 1980 for theatres and tv... in the U.S., Canada, Australia and New Zealand." Cineco/International Co-Productions, Inc.'s version of The Killing Bottle was presumably never picked up for distribution in any of the aforementioned territories.
The Great Monster Yongary (1967)
Toei's international dub? Very little is known about this version. One line not from the AIP version's dub can be heard in the 2007 MGM restoration. Toei issued English language promotional materials for the film under the "Great Monster" title and an English language 35mm print of the movie was sold on eBay in the 2000s. Possibly actually titled "The Grea (sic) Monster Yongary" or "Yongary, the Great Monster" or even "Yongary" ("The Great Monster" may just be a subtitle).
Gamera vs. Viras (1968) Unverified
Daiei's international dub? There is anecdotal evidence that an English dubbed export version was screened in the Philippines, coupled with a scanned newspaper ad in English.
Admiral Yamamoto (1968)
Toho's international dub (Frontier Enterprises, Japan). Confirmed by actor Burr Middleton. (4)
Booted Babe, Busted Boss (1968) aka Ironfinger Strikes Back
Toho's international dub (Frontier Enterprises, Japan). An English version is listed as available in a 1968 Toho Films catalog. A dubbed export trailer is available online and perhaps in a commercially available trailer compilation. Note: Toho may have issued this movie under both titles listed here, as evidenced by posters for either "version." A Spanish subtitled version appears to have played a one-off engagement in Miami in November 1975 but it's not known whether the dialogue was the original Japanese or an English dub.
Sun Above, Death Below (1968)
Toho's international dub (Frontier Enterprises, Japan). A five minute snippet of the dub appears on the film's region 2 Japanese DVD from Toho.
Submersion of Japan (1973) Unverified
Toho's international dub. The online Swedish Film Database lists "Submersion of Japan" as the "English dubbed version" title in its entry. (8) An English poster from Toho -although not necessarily signaling an accompanying dubbed version- has also turned up.
Conflagration (1975) Unverified
Toho's international dub. The online Swedish Film Database lists "Conflagration" as the "English dubbed version" title in its entry. (9)
The Super Inframan (1975)
Shaw Bros.' international dub. Accompanying English credits appear in the German theatrical version. (6)
The Super Rider (1976)
Tong Hsing Film's international dub (Hong Kong). One line appears in the German version. Features the voice of Matthew Oram. (7)
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II (1993)
Toho’s original international dub (Hong Kong). Fragments exist in an M&E-less Hindi dub ("Jurasic City: Godzilla v/s Mechagodzilla.") Approx 12 minutes survive in “Jurasic City” and the current dub. Featuring the voices of Simon Broad, Jack Murphy and Rik Thomas.
Rex: A Dinosaur's Story (1993)
Kadokawa/Shochiku international dub (Hong Kong, Omni Productions). In a May 18, 1998 post on the alt.movies.monster board, Craig Allen ("Joe Tofu") said "Way back in 1996 I think it was, we did a Japanese kiddie sci-fi film about a little girl and her pet dinosaur (?)--- it had a weird, convoluted Christmas theme to it. I don't recall its title."
Godzilla 2000 Millennium (1999)
Toho’s international dub (Hong Kong). One line is used in the American theatrical release.
Sources:
1. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053603/companycredits?ref_=ttrel_sa_4
2. http://sidelongglancesofapigeonkicker.blogspot.com/2012/08/g-fest-xix.html
3. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0824394/
4. http://www.janalanhenderson.com/Articles/Burr_Middleton_Part_3.html
5. http://templeofschlock.blogspot.com/2011/02/movie-ad-of-week-adventures-of-takla.html
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpjJQFbn8dg
7. https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10201328341431209&permPage=1
9. http://www.svenskfilmdatabas.se/en/item/?type=film&itemid=8309#titles