In 1964, a sensation swept through Australian lounge rooms leaving an indelible impression on the children of that generation. The Sensation was “The Samurai” the first foreign cult television series to be broadcast from Japan. ScreenWorld (formerly Becker Entertainment Television Production) one of Australia’s oldest independent television production companies is producing a 1-hour documentary about the 1960’s cult Japanese television series “The Samurai” which will screen on SBS later this year. The Samurai was an important series in the landscape of Australian TV at its time of screening and was so popular that when the series star Koichi Ose arrived at Melbourne, crowds rivaling those that turned out for the Beatles where there to welcome him.

We are looking for: News footage, Interview Footage, Private footage, Television promos (TV show&live show), Publicity&Private photos, newspaper and magazine articles, memorabilia - or anything else about THE SAMURAI - THE TV SHOW, THE LIVE SAMURAI SHOW&SHINTARO (Koichi ose) in Australia. Below are the events, dates and places that footage may have been filmed or pictures taken.

25th December (Christmas Day) 1965 - Koichi Ose (Shintaro) arrived in Sydney at Mascot airport to perform in the Samurai Stage Show. 600 fans, many of them in ninja suits, who had waited outside the Customs Hall of Mascot airport for more than an hour, greeted him with cheers. Another 200 waited for him on the roof of the overseas terminal.

25th December (Christmas Day) 1965 - Koichi Ose (Shintaro) made another public appearance later, at the Scanlen's gum factory in Sydney where he presented prizes to 10 winners of a Samurai colouring competition, shaking the hand of each and saying, "Sayonara".

27th December 1965 - The Samurai Stage Show opened at 2.15pm, at Sydney's Stadium at Rushcutter's Bay. The stage show ran for 6 days, matinees only, in Sydney and played to capacity houses (the Stadium seated 3,750, they averaged 6000 a show).

5th January 1966 - On the night of 5th Jan, Ose flew to Melbourne to a deafening welcome from over 7000 fans. This represented the biggest crowd at Essendon Airport since the arrival of the Beatles, a fact which was even reported in the Japanese press.

6th January - 8th January 1966 - Ose was in the Melbourne for three stage shows, 2.15 PM daily, at Melbourne's Festival Hall.

If you have any photo’s, film footage, memorabilia particularly of the above dates and/or of “The Samurai” in general please email or call the following contacts at ScreenWorld.

Melissa Hines Phone: 02 8425 1133 Email: melissa.hines@screenworld.com.au

or

James Findlay Phone: 02 8425 1174 Email: james.findlay@screenworld.com.au