''Life on Seacrow Island'' ('' sv, Vi på Saltkråkan'') is a

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

TV series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...

, consisting of thirteen 25-minute episodes from 1964. The script for the series was written by

Astrid Lindgren Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren (; ; 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish writer of fiction and screenplays. She is best known for several children's book series, featuring Pippi Longstocking, Emil of Lönneberga, Karlsson-on- ...

, who later re-wrote it as a book, also titled ''Vi på Saltkråkan'' (published in English as ''

Seacrow Island ''Seacrow Island'' (original title: ''Vi på Saltkråkan'') is a children's book written by Astrid Lindgren. The story continues in the book ''Scrap and the Pirates''. Plot Family Melkersson from Stockholm goes to Seacrow Island to live at C ...

'' in 1964). Astrid Lindgren was closely involved in the filming and editing of the series, which took place on Norröra in the Stockholm archipelago. The series was produced and directed by Olle Hellbom.

Plot

The series tells the story of a family from

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, consisting of the widowed author Melker Melkersson (

Torsten Lilliecrona Torsten Lilliecrona (4 January 1921 – 15 October 1999) was a Swedish actor. He is mostly famous for his role as Melker Melkersson in the highly successful TV show '' Vi på Saltkråkan'' (Life on Seacrow Island) for which Astrid Lindgren w ...

) and his four children: 19-year-old Malin ( Louise Edlind) who assumes the role of mother in the family, the imaginative 13-year-old Johan, 12-year-old Niklas who is calm and down-to-earth, and 7-year-old Pelle, who loves animals of all kinds. The Melkersson family spend their summer holidays as well as some winters on Saltkråkan, an idyllic place symbolising the unspoilt archipelago. The year-round inhabitants of the island are sometimes amused by the ineptness of the city dwellers, but they become fast friends with the Melkersson family: when the idyll is threatened, such as when the house the Melkerssons rent is being sold, the islanders rise to help their friends keep their summer paradise. The Melkersson children become friends with the local kids:

Tjorven The name "Tjorven" is a fictional character created by Astrid Lindgren. It comes from a popular Swedish family show on television in the early 1960s. Based on a script by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren, the story is about a number of characte ...

(actually Maria) Grankvist who is the same age as Pelle and who owns a huge St. Bernard dog named Båtsman ( Boatswain), her older sisters Teddy and Freddy who teach Johan and Niklas to row and sail, and Stina, a gap-toothed Stockholm girl who spends her summer holidays with her grandfather, and who tells endless stories to the long-suffering adults around her. Astrid Lindgren added the character of Stina to the script when Olle Hellbom had met Kristina Jämtmark and thought that she would make a good addition to the group of children. The 13 episodes of the TV series were re-made into a film in 1968, but the original TV series is re-run almost yearly in Swedish television, and some of the actors have become very closely associated with their characters in the series. The series has been translated into German, and was popular enough to be broadcast more than 20 times.Ferien auf Saltkrokan
German TV Guide (German)

Film spin-offs

The popularity of the series led to the production of four full-length films: * ''Tjorven, Båtsman och Moses'' (1964) * ''Tjorven och Skrållan'' (1965) * ''Tjorven och Mysak'' (1966) * ''Skrållan, Ruskprick och Knorrhane'' (1967)

Cast

- Melker Melkersson * Louise Edlind - Malin Melkersson * Björn Söderbäck - Johan Melkersson * Urban Strand - Niklas Melkersson * Stephen Lindholm - Pelle Melkersson *

Bengt Eklund Bengt Gunnar Eklund (18 January 1925 – 19 January 1998) was a Swedish actor. He is well known as Nisse Granqvist in the 1964 TV series ''Vi på Saltkråkan''. Eklund worked for many years at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, but also ma ...

- Nisse Grankvist *

Eva Stiberg Eva Stiberg (26 December 1920 – 28 August 1990) was a Swedish stage and film actress. She is mostly famous for her role as Märta Grankvist in the Swedish TV show ''Vi på Saltkråkan'' (Life on Seacrow Island) and the films that followed ...

- Märta Grankvist *

Maria Johansson Maria Gunilla Johansson Tovle (born 7 April 1956 in Stockholm) is a Swedish actress, film director and professor at the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts. In 1963, at the age of 6, Johansson auditioned for the part of "Tjorven" in the TV seri ...

- Maria "Tjorven" Grankvist * Lillemor Österlund - Teddy Grankvist * Bitte Ulvskog - Freddy Grankvist * Sigge Fischer - Söderman * Kristina Jämtmark - Stina, Söderman's granddaughter * Tommy Johnson - Björn * Märta Arbin - Mrs. Sjöblom * Alf Östlund - Mr. Carlberg * Vivianne Westman - Lotta, Carlberg's daughter *

Birger Lensander Birger Lensander (21 October 1908 – 3 March 1971) was a Swedish actor. He appeared in more than 70 films and television shows between 1943 and 1969. Selected filmography * '' The Girls in Smaland'' (1945) * ''Neglected by His Wife'' (194 ...

- Mr. Mattson * Stig Hallgren - Farmer Jansson *

Eddie Axberg Jan Eddie Axberg (born 9 July 1947) is a Swedish actor and audio engineer. He has appeared in more than 50 films and television shows since 1959. At the 8th Guldbagge Awards he won the award for Best Actor for his roles in '' The Emigrants'' an ...

- Kalle *

Lars Göran Carlson Lar Göran Carlson (born 30 August 1936 in Gothenburg) is a Swedish actor and film director. Selected filmography *1962 - '' Raggargänget'' *1964 - '' Vi på Saltkråkan'' (TV) *1966 - '' Heja Roland!'' *1967 - ''Rooftree'' *1971 - ''Den by ...

- Krister * Sven Almgren - Berra

References

External links

''Life on Seacrow Island''

Saltkråkan symbol för sommar, sol och skärgård
"Seacrow Island is a symbol of the summer, sun and archipelago" * {{IMDb title, 0057796, Vi på Saltkråkan Astrid Lindgren Swedish children's television series 1964 books 1964 Swedish television series debuts 1964 Swedish television series endings Swedish television sitcoms 1960s Swedish television series Television series set on fictional islands Television series about vacationing Television shows set in Sweden Swedish-language television shows