The Forgotten Era of Japan’s Musical Comedy Films

Musical comedies dominated the screen in Japan’s pre-war and post-war eras. Here are some classics for your viewing pleasure.

By Alyssa Pearl Fusek

Unlike a lot of American 90s kids I know, I didn’t grow up watching cable television. What I had instead I was my parents’ eclectic VHS collection. It included many classic musical comedies that I religiously watched on repeat. Something about the grandiose art deco sets, oddball humor, nonsensical plots, catchy song and dance numbers of movies like Singin’ in the Rain fascinated me like nothing else.

I think it’s only natural as a creative person to find ways your different passions intersect. So when I came across a clip of a song-and-dance number from the 1964 Japanese movie You Can Succeed, Too (君も出世ができる; Kimi mo shusse ga dekiru) on Twitter, the MGM musical fangirl in me reawakened.

Thus began my foray into an era of Japanese cinema, when entertainers and studios sought to capitalize off trendy jazz music and American musical comedies.

From the Stage to the Screen

During the Showa era, silent cinema stars and the benshi who provided live narration saw their reign challenged by the…