>>"Kato"=Japanese?
>Oriental sidekick of The Green Hornet. Presumably Japanese.
I have an "inside story" on this one. My mentor up in Michigan was
actually part of the production crew of the Green Hornet, Sgt Preston, and
the Lone Ranger broadcasts. The character was assumed to be Japanese until
Pearl Harbor. The very next week they changed his character to Phillipino.
Actual lines: "You crazy Jap." Response: "Not Japanese, Filipino!"
>From that point forward, the character assumed different nationalities, not
through the show, but through promotional methods.
This post is not meant to be offensive to anyone. These shows, and the
language in them, represent the attitudes of this nation specifically, and
the world, generally, in that era. As this nation was drawn into WWII the
radio programs of the day also reflected a nationalism that is only natural
at times of extreme conflict. Many of these programs have never been
replayed or released as they were "time-sensitive" and showed just when
they were produced.
One poster mentioned that this character change is urban myth. Partially
true. With the above exception, there are few, if any, nationalities
mentioned as part of the actually broadcasted show. The above story is
true, though. I don't believe this broadcast was ever replayed as-is. The
above incident occured right at the very beginning of the episode and may
have been "overdubbed" on the rebroadcast several years later.
Ken Norton
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|