Always at the Center of the Home…… “Honjamaka” Hidehiko Ishizuka talks about “The ‘Showa-era TV’ I Loved

I hope TV will still do its best!

Hello, everyone. This is Hidehiko Ishizuka, who says “Yoikoi Shoichi” when he sits down and “Yes, 100,000 yen” when he hands over 10 yen in change.

This time, I would like to write about “Showa-era TV programs” that I loved. As a premise, please understand that I am not denying modern TV.

First of all, there is a difference in the existence of TV sets. In the modern era, each person has a choice of channels, with a TV in every room and people watching TV programs on their smartphones. However, in the Showa period, the TV was at the center of the family.

When I attended preschool, there were still few families with TVs. I remember the day that a color TV was coming to the preschool director’s office, all the children were so excited that they were allowed to watch the TV for 3 minutes each, 10 of them at a time.

Eventually, a black-and-white TV came to our house, and my brother and I were overjoyed, but my father had the channel rights. My brother and I had to concentrate on our meals with complicated faces because my father would watch the baseball game on the back of the TV while our favorite cartoon was on.

In the midst of all this, on weekday mornings and weekends, there was a TV program that the whole family could enjoy together. In addition to the still very popular “Laughing Point” (Nippon Television Network Corporation), there were also “Gachitsu Buyama Show” (TBS), “Meppo de Dawn! (NTV), “Taisho TV Yose” (TV Asahi), “One Million Yen Quiz Hunter” (TV Asahi), “Comedy Head Exercise” (TBS), “Up Down Quiz” (produced by Mainichi Broadcasting), and many more.

Don’t forget to say “thank you” to the people of the town.

In the past, there were many programs in which the general public could participate, and those who watched could also rejoice with others in their happiness.

The “Mekata de Dawn! was fun not only because it was hosted by Master “Let’s Go Three Animals”, but also because of the rules. It is a dreamlike program in which participants select a number of items on display, and if the total “weight” of the items is equal to or within a few grams of the participant’s weight, they get them all. When a chubby woman was a participant, everyone smiled and wondered how much product she would take.

In modern television, they would probably say “non-compliance” or something like that. Even since I started appearing on TV, things have changed a lot.

In the case of city location shooting, I enjoyed meeting the people of the city, but now all those who did not have permission are mosaic. I enjoy watching the talent negotiate to get permission to film.

In my opinion, it is rude to go to a restaurant out of the blue. I am also concerned that many viewers may perceive the restaurant as being cold if NG is denied due to the restaurant’s circumstances. In the programs I am involved in, I try to obtain permission in advance and try to keep the filming as short as possible.

While television certainly has “power,” it is not “great” in any way. Rather, the towns and restaurants that cooperate with the program are more important.

I hope that everyone involved in making TV programs will continue to keep in mind the “gratitude” to the people of the town. My purpose in life is to have the people I have interacted with through my programs say, “I am glad I was on TV.

Right now, the power of television is slightly diminishing. Keep up the good work, TV!　Bring life to the city! Power to the people!

From the March 27/April 3, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY