The Benshi Were Japan’s Silent Movie Whisperers

from Cool Weird Awesome with Brady Carlson · host Brady Carlson

Today in 1927, the release of The Jazz Singer, the first "talkie," though in Japan even silent films had voices thanks to live performers known as benshi. Plus: this month at Peddlers Village in Pennsylvania, it’s Scarecrows in the Village. Think Again, Al Jolson: Japan’s Silent Movie Culture Is Still Going Strong (Peter Tasker)Scarecrows in the Village (Peddlers Village)Speak up for our podcast as a backer on Patreon

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Oct 6, 2025

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The Benshi Were Japan’s Silent Movie Whisperers

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