Ochoyan

Synopsis

Takei Chiyo was born to a poor family in Osaka Prefecture’s Minami Kawachi district after the end of the Meiji era. Her mother passed away when she was still a child, and she lives with her father Teruo who is a drunkard, and younger brother Yoshio. Although Chiyo could not go to elementary school because she has been busy taking care of Yoshio and the chickens, she is a lively girl with the gift of the gab and quick wit. One day, Teruo brings home a new mother for his children. Chiyo is delighted that she will be able to attend school. But Kuriko does not do any housework. At the age of 9, Chiyo is apprenticed to the theatre teahouse Okayasu in Dotombori where she sees the spectacular world of theatre which immediately captivates her. Aspiring to become an actress, she eventually runs away and heads to Kyoto where she throws herself into acting. After a stint at a film production studio in Kyoto, Chiyo joins the newly formed Tsurukame theatre company in Osaka. That is where she meets the prince of comedy, Amami Ippei, and they eventually get married. She grows as a comedy actress little by little. Together with Ippei, she strives for the ideal comedy but World War II begins and Dotombori is hit in an air raid. After the war, the Tsurukame theatre company makes a comeback. However, her marriage breaks down and she ends up leaving the world of acting. Chiyo later makes a return as an actress in a radio drama where she plays the role of a mother of 12 children. It gets a tremendous response and becomes a popular decade-long program. She gains great popularity as “Osaka’s mother” and becomes an actress representative of the Kansai region.

(Source)