| Synopsis | Chako-chan Hi!This is the third installment of the Chako-chan Series、 starring Harumi Yomo. It was a long-running program、 incorporating the lives、 play、 childhood worries、 and trends of children in salaried worker households during the mid-1960s (Showa 40s). A notable change from the previous two installments was the casting of the parents; the real-life parents、 Shoji Yasui and Miki Odagiri、 were replaced by Haruo Sato as the father and Toshie Takada as the mother. The series is a pioneering daily life drama for children. The protagonist、 Chako、 was portrayed as a somewhat tough girl with short hair. Her boyish charm made her greatly popular among children of that era. Co-produced by TBS and Kokusai Eigasha、 the show was broadcast during the time slot of 19:30 to 20:00 when children could watch TV. The program also aired in Okinawa、 which was still under U.S. rule at the time. This third series ran for a year、 from February 1965 to January 1966. Despite being a children's drama、 legendary stars of that time appeared as guests because of its high audience ratings、 such as Shizuko Kasagi and Mariko Miyagi. According to one account、 Masako Natsume、 who would later become a great actress、 was also a fan of the series、 which inspired her to become an actress.Harumi Yomo、 the protagonist of this series、 had made her debut at age five playing a young boy in the film Bokuchin Horoki (A Lost Boy) in 1962. Her acting talent was highly acclaimed、 and despite being an elementary school student、 she was recognized by many industry professionals、 which allowed her to continue the lead role throughout this long-running series. This drama was a pioneer of children’s dramas created during the transition from the cinema-centric culture to the mass production of television series. |
