BANDITS ON THE WIND! Attending a Special Screening with a Very Special Guest!

Nami Tamura. Photo by Brett Homenick. 

Today, I was able to take in a special screening of a 35mm print of Hiroshi Inagaki's Bandits on the Wind (1961), starring Yosuke Natsuki and Makoto Sato. The screening was in celebration of Natsuki-san's life, and the film itself is one of Natsuki-san's favorite movies of his career. The event's guest of honor, Nami Tamura, appears in the film alongside Izumi Yukimura and Akiko Wakabayashi.

Nami Tamura joined Toho in 1959 and began her acting career the same year. In her early days at Toho, she belonged to a trio with Yuriko Hoshi and Mie Hama called Toho's Three Pets, which emphasized the youth and cuteness of the three actresses. Her film acting credits include: Jun Fukuda's The Merciless Trap (1961), Frank Sinatra's None But the Brave (1965), Kihachi Okamoto's Samurai Assassin (1965) and Kill! (1968), and Michio Yamamoto's Terror in the Streets (1970). On television, Tamura-san can be seen in episode 5 of Ultra Q (1966), episode 35 of Ultraman (1966-67), episode 26 of Ultra Seven (1967-68), episode 17 of Space Giants (1966-67), and episode 8 of Operation: Mystery! (1968-69).

It was a great opportunity to see a film that's rarely seen these days. Additionally, Tamura-san shared many fun stories from her Toho days. All in all, it was an enjoyable evening, and a great way to celebrate the life and career of Yosuke Natsuki.