Thorley

Thorley is to don a rubber suit that will transform him into the merciless Gorgantis and star in a film that simulates the destruction of a miniature Japanif the demonstration succeeds, the Japanese will surrender, sparing thousands of lives; if it fails, the mutant lizards will be unleashed.

Shambling Towards Hiroshima by James Morrow: Book summary 2010

This circles back to the framing narrative: the story is supposedly being written by Syms Thorley in the early 1980s as he's just received a life-time achievement award (the "Raydo" to honor Ray Bradbury & Ray Harryhausen and their work on The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms) at a Comic-Con analog, and he's seriously considering jumping out the window of his high-rise hotel building.

REVIEW: Shambling Towards Hiroshima by James Morrow 2009

I'm not a big expert on either 1940s Hollywood (as recently demonstrated) or on later Godzilla, but I still very much enjoyed this whimsical story with a hard edge to it, about the role of B-movie star Syms Thorley in the secret US project to end the war by unleashing giant fire-breathing lizards on the Japanese mainland.

February Books 29) H.P. Lovecraft's The Haunter of the Dark, by John Coulthart nwhyte 2009

Soon they founded Thorley Industries, with Mr. Daley the CEO and Mr. Thorne the chief technology officer.

Gadget Gurus for Modern Moms and Dads James R. Hagerty 2011

Her daughter, Amanda Thorley, 29, said: She was the best mother anybody could ever wish for, very patient and caring.

Sixth Stepping Hill hospital patient dies after suspected saline contamination 2012

SFS: An impression that I got from Thorley (the actor in the monster suit) and the creative team working out at China Lake in the book is that they viewed the "monster-based" destruction as having a completely different aesthetic, perhaps even a more humanized aesthetic, than a "bomb-based" holocaust would.

Interview: James Morrow on 'Shambling Towards Hiroshima' 2009

JM: When Thorley first sees the China Lake behemoths, he is truly horrified by their apparent destructive power: There was nothing good about Dr. Groelish's monsters.

Interview: James Morrow on 'Shambling Towards Hiroshima' 2009

Most of the first two-thirds of this short work involve Thorley trying to manage his defense work around his shooting schedule, his rivalry with the guy who plays the villains in the same B-rate monster movies, the inherent comedy in any "Top Secret" - type project, Jimmy Whales (he of Frankenstein directorial fame) orchestrating the mock-rampage to suit his own aesthetics, and much else.

REVIEW: Shambling Towards Hiroshima by James Morrow 2009

There's also a significant contrast between the Frankenstein-style monster movies that Thorley was working in the 30s and 40, versus those kaiju movies in the 50s and 60s.

Interview: James Morrow on 'Shambling Towards Hiroshima' 2009

Thorley said her mother was tired and she'd had enough.

Sixth Stepping Hill hospital patient dies after suspected saline contamination 2012