
In just a short span of time, a small, secluded nation transformed into a significant center for the entertainment world and a sanctuary for aspiring actors and musicians seeking an audience, largely due to the “Big Five” and the popular western series, Gunsmoke. At that time in the late ’50s, Japanese entertainment was plagued by competing studios and unions engaged in constant conflict, resulting in very little content for new TV owners. This lack of programming was a self-inflicted problem caused by the five dominant film studios. If you find show business scandalous today, just imagine the chaos 70 years ago when Japanese film studios engaged in literal gang wars, using extortion to undermine the growth of television networks. In the end, TV triumphed.