My First Question!

[Ono Seiko and Aaron Gerow]

Stuart asked,

>*   Entatsu
Yokoyama Entatsu.  Real name: Ishida Masami.  b. 22 April 1896.  d. 21 
March 1971.  

>*   Achako
Hanabishi Achako.  Real name: Fujiki Tokuro.  b. 14 February 1897.  d. 25 
July 1974.

Entatsu and Achako were a manzai team and the stars of prewar Yoshimoto 
Kogyo.  After the war, the two worked apart more as Achako became the 
more famous (for his mix of comedy and pathos), while the more anarchic 
Entatsu was relegated to character roles.

>*   Kingoro Yanagiya
Real name: Yamashita Keitaro.  b. 28 February 1901.  d. 22 October 1972.

Rakugo artist (Sanyutei Kinba as master).  By the way, the Nihon Eiga 
Senmon channel on Sky Perfect is doing Kingoro films this month.  One of 
the leaders of prewar comedy (with Enoken, Entatsu and Achako, and 
Roppa), and a center of wartime Toho comedy.  Supported Shin Toho with 
his postwar comedies.

>*   Keaton Masuda
Masuda Kiiton.  Real name: Kimura Hajime.  b. 11 September 1909.  d. 1 
December 1993.
Stage name, of course, comes from Buster Keaton (he was a big Keaton 
fan).  One of the Akireta Boys (again Yoshimoto Kogyo).  Important 
musical comedy character actor in dozens of films.

All very important people whom we should all see more of.

Aaron Gerow
YNU