Morita Kazuyoshi Hour: Waratte Iitomo! (森田一義アワー 笑っていいとも!, Morita Kazuyoshi Hour: It's Okay to Laugh!) was a Japanese variety show aired every weekday on Fuji TV. The show was hosted by Tamori (Kazuyoshi Morita) and ran from 1982 to 2014.[1] The show was produced in the Studio Alta building in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The show featured a series of regular members who only appeared on a particular day of the week. These regular members were changed periodically.[2]
| Waratte Iitomo! | |
|---|---|
 Studio Alta in Shinjuku, Tokyo, where the show was broadcast from | |
| Presented by | Tamori |
| Starring | Yuki Nozawa (Noon Boyz) Yuma Sanada (Noon Boyz) A Series of Regular Members (see below) |
| Theme music composer | Ginji Ito |
| Opening theme | Uki Uki Watching |
| Composers | Shiro Sagisu Ginji Ito |
| Country of origin | Japan |
| Production | |
| Producers | Takatoshi Hamano Go Haruna Shoichi Kuroki (chief) |
| Running time | 58 minutes |
| Production company | Fuji Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | FNS (Fuji TV) |
| Release | October 4, 1982 – March 31, 2014 |
In October 2011, Johnny's Jr. members Yuki Nozawa and Yuma Sanada, known together as the "Noon Boyz", joined as the show's 16th "Iitomo Seinentai" team of assistants and dancers.[3]
The final broadcast of the program took place on March 31, 2014 after over thirty-one years on the air.[1][4] Guests appearing on the program's daily "Telephone Shocking" interview segment during the final week included Tetsuko Kuroyanagi, Beat Takeshi, and Prime Minister Shinzō Abe.[citation needed]
The show had 8,054 episodes, making it the highest episode count in Japan.[citation needed]
Cast
editAs well as the long-running presenter (Tamori) and "Noon Boyz", the show featured certain regular members depending on the day of the week. As of August 13, 2013, these regulars were as shown below.[2]
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Holiday regular |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Guinness World Record
editThree people from this show have received a Guinness World Record. On April 5, 2002, Tamori attended Waratte Iitomo's 5000th show, giving him the record for the longest continued hosting of a live television program. His record was recorded in the 2003 Guinness Book of World Records. On December 26, 2007, it was revealed that SMAP members, Shingo Katori beat the previous record (9 s 50 ms) of consuming 500 ml of milkshake in 9 s 8 ms. However, on the show on that day, Toshi from the owarai duo Taka and Toshi beat his time by 0.02 ms. On March 31, 2014, Waratte Iitomo aired its final episode and Tamori renewed his world record for most live variety TV shows hosted by the same presenter at 8054 episodes.
References
edit- ^ a b 「笑っていいとも！」３月で終了 背景に視聴率の低落 [Waratte Iitomo to finish broadcasting in March 2014, with a backdrop of a fall in viewing figures] (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun. October 22, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
- ^ a b 森田一義アワー 笑っていいとも! (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 29, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
- ^ ""Waratte Iitomo" adds AKB48′s Sashihara Rino and Johnny's Jrs. Nozawa Yuki, Sanada Yumi". TokyoGraph. 1 October 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-10-05. Retrieved 15 October 2012.
- ^ "End of the Road for Waratte Iitomo". Japan Zone. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
- ^ 木下優樹菜:栗原類らと「笑っていいとも！」新レギュラーに 出産後初のテレビ出演 [Yukina Kinoshita to be a new regular guest on Waratte Iitomo together with Louis Kurihara]. Mainichi jp (in Japanese). Japan: The Mainichi Newspapers. 1 October 2012. Archived from the original on 2 October 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
External links
edit- Official website (in Japanese)