is a 1939 Japanese film directed by

Masahiro Makino was a Japanese film director. He directed more than 260 films, primarily in the chanbara and yakuza genres. His real name was , but he took the stage name Masahiro, the kanji for which he changed multiple times (including , , and ). Career Masa ...

. It is a musical comedy. Fulfilling his reputation as a fast worker, Makino made the film in only two weeks when an opening was created in the production schedule of another film, ''Yaji Kita Dōchūki'', after its star,

Chiezō Kataoka (March 30, 1903 – March 31, 1983) was a Japanese film and television actor most famous for his starring roles in jidaigeki. Career Born in 1903 in Gunma Prefecture (his real name was Masayoshi Ueki), he was raised in Tokyo. As a child he began ...

, came down with appendicitis (Kataoka's scenes in ''Singing Lovebirds'' were filmed in only a few hours). The film, however, has become "the most frequently revived Japanese prewar musical film," featuring music ranging from jazz to jōruri, and music stars like

Dick Mine was a Japanese singer. His recording career spanned nearly the entire Shōwa era. Life and career Dick Mine was born on October 8, 1908, in the city of Tokushima. Mine's father, Enjurō Mine, had taught at Tokyo Imperial University and was th ...

. Makino made other musicals like ''Hanako-san'' (1943) and was known for his rhythmic style. ''Singing Lovebirds'' also features

Takashi Shimura was a Japanese actor who appeared in over 200 films between 1934 and 1981. He appeared in 21 of Akira Kurosawa's 30 films (more than any other actor), including as a lead actor in ''Drunken Angel'' (1948), ''Rashomon'' (1950), ''Ikiru'' (1952) an ...

, most famous as the lead samurai in

Akira Kurosawa was a Japanese filmmaker and painter who directed thirty films in a career spanning over five decades. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers in the history of cinema. Kurosawa displayed a bold, dyna ...

's ''

Seven Samurai is a 1954 Japanese epic samurai drama film co-written, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The story takes place in 1586 during the Sengoku period of Japanese history. It follows the story of a village of desperate farmers who hire seven ...

'', in a singing role.

Plot

Oharu is the daughter of Kyōsai Shimura, a

rōnin A ''rōnin'' ( ; ja, 浪人, , meaning 'drifter' or 'wanderer') was a samurai without a lord or master during the feudal period of Japan (1185–1868). A samurai became masterless upon the death of his master or after the loss of his master's ...

who now makes his living making umbrellas. She is in love with another rōnin, Reisaburō Asai, who lives next door, but he is being pursued by two of the town beauties, Otomi and Fujio. To make things even more difficult for Oharu, her father is obsessed with antiques, buying them even though he has little money and even when most of them eventually turn out to be fakes. A mistake, however, puts him deeply in debt to the local lord, Tanbanokami Minezawa, and he is confronted with having to sell Oharu in order to pay it off.

Cast

as Reisaburō Asai, a

as Kyōsai Shimura * Haruyo Ichikawa as Oharu, Kyōsai's daughter *

as Tanbanokami Minezawa *

Tomiko Hattori Tomiko (written: 富子, 都美子トミ子 or トミコ in katakana) is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: *, wife of Ashikaga Yoshimasa and mother of Ashikaga Yoshihisa *, Japanese actress * Tomiko Lee, South ...

as Otomi * Fujiko Fukamizu as Fujio

References

External links

* Japanese black-and-white films 1939 films Films directed by Masahiro Makino Japanese musical comedy films Nikkatsu films 1939 musical comedy films {{musical-comedy-film-stub