Pekka And Pätkä
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''Pekka and Pätkä'' () is the name of several comedy films produced by
Suomen Filmiteollisuus Suomen Filmiteollisuus (SF), lit. ''Finland's Film Industry'', is a Finland, Finnish film production company founded by Erkki Karu in 1933 after financial problems with Suomi-Filmi. The CEO, director, producer and writer Toivo Särkkä, T.J. Sär ...
(SF) in the 1950s in
Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...
, based on the popular Finnish comic characters
Pekka Puupää Pekka Puupää is a Finnish text comic and film character, created by Ola "Fogeli" Fogelberg. The character appeared 1925–1975 in the popular comic ''Pekka Puupää'' and 1952–1960 in thirteen films ('' Pekka ja Pätkä'') produce ...
(played by
Esa Pakarinen Feeliks Esaias "Esa" Pakarinen (9 February 1911 – 28 April 1989) was a Finnish actor, singer, accordionist and comedian, best known for the role of Pekka Puupää in the '' Pekka and Pätkä'' films from 1953–1960. He was also a skilled, self ...
) and Pätkä (
Masa Niemi Martti "Masa" Elis Niemi (20 July 1914 – 3 May 1960) was a Finnish actor, comedian, musician and entertainer. He is best known from his role as Pätkä in the ''Pekka and Pätkä'' films. Early life Martti Elias Niemi was the youngest of the ...
), who can be said to be the Finnish version of
Stan and Ollie Laurel and Hardy were a British-American comedy duo during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo in th ...
.


Production history

Suomen Filmiteollisuus Suomen Filmiteollisuus (SF), lit. ''Finland's Film Industry'', is a Finland, Finnish film production company founded by Erkki Karu in 1933 after financial problems with Suomi-Filmi. The CEO, director, producer and writer Toivo Särkkä, T.J. Sär ...
(SF) began production of the movies a year after the original cartoonist Ola Fogelberg passed away. While the first movie was directed by
Ville Salminen Veikko Oskari Ville Salminen (2 October 1908, Mariehamn – 28 November 1992, Quarteira) was a Finland, Finnish film actor, director, writer and producer. He was the father of comedic actor Ville-Veikko Salminen and cinematographer Timo Salminen. ...
,
Armand Lohikoski Armand Uolevi Lohikoski (January 3, 1912 – March 20, 2005) was a Finnish movie director and writer. He is best known as a director of a number of '' Pekka ja Pätkä'' movies. Career Before his career as a film director Armand Lohikoski had a ...
would go on to direct 11 of the original films. Screenplays were written mostly by
Reino Helismaa Reino Vihtori "Repe" Helismaa (12 July 1913 – 21 January 1965) was a Finns, Finnish singer-songwriter, musician and scriptwriter. Born in Helsinki, he was mainly known for his humorous, yet homely songs. One of his best-known interpreters was ...
with Lohikoski also writing several. The final film of the series was directed by
Aarne Tarkas Aarne Tarkas (until 1947 Saastamoinen, 19 December 1923 – 7 October 1976) was a Finnish film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Tarkas started his career as a screenwriter for Matti Kassila film ''Radio tekee murron'' (1951) for which ...
, after Lohikoski was fired from SF. The first movie's success was immediately apparent which is why the first sequel, ''
Pekka Puupää kesälaitumilla Pekka Puupää on Summer Pastures () is the second film in the ''Pekka Puupää'' series. Directed by Armand Lohikoski and written by Reino Helismaa, it premiered in 1953. The film has also been adapted into several stage plays. Plot Justiina ...
'', was produced the very same year. Multiple ''Pekka and Pätkä'' films would be produced in the same year, including three in 1955 and 1957 as well as two in 1958.
Esa Pakarinen Feeliks Esaias "Esa" Pakarinen (9 February 1911 – 28 April 1989) was a Finnish actor, singer, accordionist and comedian, best known for the role of Pekka Puupää in the '' Pekka and Pätkä'' films from 1953–1960. He was also a skilled, self ...
and
Siiri Angerkoski Siiri Saimi Angerkoski (born Pelkonen, later Palmu; 21 August 1902 – 28 March 1971) was a Finnish actress who had a long career on stage, but is especially known for her film roles. With 98 credits, she has done more roles in Finnish films than ...
had appeared alongside each other in ', which led to their casting. Pakarinen was not a trained actor and primarily a musician but his on-screen chemistry with
Masa Niemi Martti "Masa" Elis Niemi (20 July 1914 – 3 May 1960) was a Finnish actor, comedian, musician and entertainer. He is best known from his role as Pätkä in the ''Pekka and Pätkä'' films. Early life Martti Elias Niemi was the youngest of the ...
was apparent. Niemi and Pakarinen appeared alongside several movies in 1953, solidifying their working relationship. Pakarinen's biggest contribution to the character was his Savonian dialect. The SF screenwriters could not copy the dialogue, so wrote his lines straight and had Pakarinen apply his natural dialect on set. Masa Niemi's alcoholism would cause occasional difficulties as he had a tendency to become emotional and unable to work. Angerkoski reportedly disliked Niemi for this reason. Pakarinen was charged with keeping Niemi in line while the two worked together. The location and appearance of the Puupää-couple's apartment building changed radically during the first seven films in the series, albeit their fictional address, ''Voikukkakatu 5'' (Dandelion Street), remained fairly consistent. A permanent set was built and used from the eighth film, ', onward. The movies followed a typical musical comedy structure, focusing on Pekka and Pätkä's quest for work and/or money, while featuring song numbers and often a secondary male and female protagonist in a romantic subplot. The major exception to this was ' which was an unrelated comedy script which was modified to feature Pekka and Pätkä as its protagonists, resulting in Justiina being absent from the plot. Several films in the series have the plot divided episodically, focusing on different stories for the first and second halves, such as in ', ', ''
Pekka ja Pätkä sammakkomiehinä Pekka and Pätkä as Frogmen () is a 1957 Finnish film directed and written by Armand Lohikoski. It is the ninth film in the 13-part ''Pekka Puupää'' series produced by Suomen Filmiteollisuus. The story continues in the following film ''Pekka j ...
'', '. The secondary male protagonists would frequently be famous Finnish singers, such as
Olavi Virta Olavi Virta (originally until 1926 Oskari Olavi Ilmén; 27 February 1915 – 14 July 1972) was a Finnish singer, acclaimed during his time as the "King" of Finnish tango. Between 1939 and 1966 he recorded almost 600 songs, many of which are ...
who appeared in three consecutive films in the series as different characters.
Tapio Rautavaara Kaj Tapio Rautavaara (8 March 1915 – 25 September 1979) was a Finnish singer (bass-baritone), athlete and film actor. Life Early years Tapio Rautavaara was born in the municipality of Pirkkala (now Nokia, Finland, Nokia), a suburb of the ...
starred in the first film. A then-unknown
Spede Pasanen Pertti Olavi "Spede" Pasanen (10 April 1930 – 7 September 2001) was a Finnish film director and producer, comedian, and inventor, who has been called an "all-around entertainer". During his career he directed, wrote, produced or acted in ...
also had supporting roles in ''Pekka ja Pätkä sammakkomiehinä'' and its direct sequel ''
Pekka ja Pätkä Suezilla Pekka is a Finnish male given name. It was most popular around the middle of the 20th century. As of 2013 there were more than 100,000 people registered with this name in Finland. The nameday is the 29th of June in the Finnish tradition and the 25t ...
''. The grumpy janitor, Pikkarainen, debuted in the fourth movie, played by . The character became so popular he would appear in all subsequent movies barring ''Kiinni on ja pysyy''. Lohikoski was fired from SF, when he presented his original script for the series' 13th and eventual final film. Lohikoski's original concept had Pekka and Pätkä become Members of the Finnish Parliament.
Toivo Särkkä Toivo Jalmari Särkkä (20 November 1890, in Mikkeli – 9 February 1975, in Helsinki), born Toivo Hjalmar Silén, was a Finnish film producer and director. He was CEO of the production company Suomen Filmiteollisuus. Before his career in film ...
, head of SF, was so offended that he fired Lohikoski on the spot. The financial disappointment of the eventual movie, ''Pekka ja Pätkä neekereinä'', caused Särkkä to cancel any future films. Devastated, Masa Niemi committed suicide the same year.


Characters

The characters are loosely based on the original comics. Pekka, Pätkä and Justiina were heavily modified by their actors. While Pätkä was only an incidental actor, he became Pekka's best friend for the films. Justiina's mean-spirited nature was added to by Siiri Angerkoski's talent for speaking incredibly fast. The character Pikkarainen, the janitor for the Puupää couple's building, was not from the comics but became a staple of the series following his debut in the fourth film. Pekka Puupää is a tall and lanky man who lives in
Helsinki Helsinki () is the Capital city, capital and most populous List of cities and towns in Finland, city in Finland. It is on the shore of the Gulf of Finland and is the seat of southern Finland's Uusimaa region. About people live in the municipali ...
with his strict and controlling wife Justiina (played by
Siiri Angerkoski Siiri Saimi Angerkoski (born Pelkonen, later Palmu; 21 August 1902 – 28 March 1971) was a Finnish actress who had a long career on stage, but is especially known for her film roles. With 98 credits, she has done more roles in Finnish films than ...
). He is a very kind man but probably not the sharpest knife in the drawer. In addition to his height, his most recognizable feature is the daisy attached to his hat. His last name translates to the Finnish equivalent of the expression "blockhead". In the films he speaks with a distinct Savonian dialect. Pekka's best friend Pätkä is a short and stocky man, whose past is not known. He knows many
saying A saying is any concise expression that is especially memorable because of its meaning or style. A saying often shows a wisdom or cultural standard, having different meanings than just the words themselves. Sayings are categorized as follows: * ...
s and usually utters them whenever he has the chance to do so. He is the more intelligent member of the pair.


Reception

Though the films are very much beloved by Finnish audiences (and receive regular airings on the
YLE Yleisradio Oy (; ), abbreviated as Yle () (formerly styled in all uppercase until 2012), translated into English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, founded in 1926. It is a joint-stock comp ...
) the overall quality of the series has often been put to question. In interviews, Armand Lohikoski also noted that filming the comedies was far from easy and he feels that the overall quality of the films did suffer because they were made with a low budget and often with volume only in mind. Understandably, the films have never been popular with critics. Several incidents, particularly the less-than-believable Yeti costume from the 1954 film were some of the things that Lohikoski was never proud of. Also, the alcoholic tendencies of Masa Niemi caused problems when he refused to come to shootings. The film series eventually ended after Niemi committed suicide.


Controversy

Also potentially stereotypical depictions of Blacks and Arabs have also caught the eyes of contemporary critics, though it could be argued that the Arabs from the 1958 film were depicted as required. However, the final 1960 film ''Pekka and Pätkä as Negroes'' has received much criticism due to its title. Many however feel that the criticism is harsh, due to the term being quite neutral in Finnish language at the time, and the theme of the main-characters posing as blacks only takes up a small portion of the actual film. It is perhaps notable that Pikkarainen calls the pair "cannibals", but again this is a very brief and unimportant part of the film which (as usual) turns against Pikkarainen at the end. Another more plainly offensive scene was from a dream-sequence in one of the films in which Pekka and Pätkä are bathing in a pot, surrounded by African natives, oblivious to the fact that they are being cooked alive.


Legacy

The films have subsequently been shown on TV many times and are part of
YLE Yleisradio Oy (; ), abbreviated as Yle () (formerly styled in all uppercase until 2012), translated into English as the Finnish Broadcasting Company, is Finland's national public broadcasting company, founded in 1926. It is a joint-stock comp ...
's regular broadcast cycle. The films would also be released in various collections on DVD. Esa Pakarinen would continue to play Pekka Puupää on stage after the end of the film series in 1960. He hired Pekka Lappalainen to play Pätkä with him during these performances. The series experienced a short-lived revival in the mid-1980s. Director
Visa Mäkinen Visa Mäkinen (born 28 March 1945 in Pori, Finland) is a Finland, Finnish film director, film producer, actor and screen writer. He has directed and produced films such as the 1983 James Bond parody, spoof ''Agentti 000 ja kuoleman kurvit, Agent ...
produced ' in 1985, starring as Pekka, as Pätkä,
Kristiina Elstelä Kristiina Elstelä (10 January 1943 – 26 June 2016) was a Finnish actress, who acted in many TV shows and movies. She also had a long career in theater and was a cabaret artist. In 2006 Elstelä was one of the competitors in ''Dancing with the ...
as Justiina and
Ilmari Saarelainen Ilmari Saarelainen (born 12 September 1944 in Uusikaupunki) is a Finnish actor. His career has been mainly based on television. Saarelainen began acting in 1970 appearing in a number of TV series. His career has mainly been based on Finnish tel ...
as Janitor Pikkarainen. The unexpected success of the film led to a short TV show in 1986. Only three episodes were produced, however, with the film also edited into a three-part storyline. Kuosmanen did not reprise his role after the first film and was instead replaced by . Mäkinen would direct a second movie, ', the following year to a much more muted reception.


List of movies

Original films: * ''
Pekka Puupää Pekka Puupää is a Finnish text comic and film character, created by Ola "Fogeli" Fogelberg. The character appeared 1925–1975 in the popular comic ''Pekka Puupää'' and 1952–1960 in thirteen films ('' Pekka ja Pätkä'') produce ...
'' (1953) * ''
Pekka Puupää kesälaitumilla Pekka Puupää on Summer Pastures () is the second film in the ''Pekka Puupää'' series. Directed by Armand Lohikoski and written by Reino Helismaa, it premiered in 1953. The film has also been adapted into several stage plays. Plot Justiina ...
'' (Pekka and Pätkä on a summer holiday) (1953) * ''
Pekka ja Pätkä lumimiehen jäljillä Pekka and Pätkä on the Trail of the Snowman () is a 1954 Finnish film directed by Armand Lohikoski. It is the third installment in the thirteen-film ''Pekka Puupää'' series. The film, co-written by Lohikoski and Reino Helismaa, marks the first ...
'' (Tracing the abominable snowman) (1954) * ''
Pekka ja Pätkä puistotäteinä Pekka and Pätkä as Park Nannies () is the fourth film in the Pekka Puupää series, directed by Armand Lohikoski and released in 1955. Plot Pekka and Pätkä find themselves in one mishap after another. They try several jobs including car r ...
'' (As playground supervisors) (1955) * ' (Fixed good and firm) (1955) * ' (In big trouble) (1955) * ' (In a pile-up) (1957) * ' (As private eyes) (1957) * ''
Pekka ja Pätkä sammakkomiehinä Pekka and Pätkä as Frogmen () is a 1957 Finnish film directed and written by Armand Lohikoski. It is the ninth film in the 13-part ''Pekka Puupää'' series produced by Suomen Filmiteollisuus. The story continues in the following film ''Pekka j ...
'' (As frogmen) (1957) * ''
Pekka ja Pätkä Suezilla Pekka is a Finnish male given name. It was most popular around the middle of the 20th century. As of 2013 there were more than 100,000 people registered with this name in Finland. The nameday is the 29th of June in the Finnish tradition and the 25t ...
'' (On Suez) (1958) * ' (As millionaires) (1958) * ' (As master painters) (1959) * ' (As negroes) (1960) Tributes: * ''Pekka & Pätkä ja tuplajättipotti'' (Double jackpot) (1985) * ''Pekka Puupää poliisina'' (As policemen) (1986) * ''Pekka ja Pätkä levottomina'' (Being restless) (planned in 2005, not made to date) The 1958 film ''On Suez'' is a strict sequel to ''As Frogmen'', continuing where the last movie left off. This is the only sign of consistent continuity in the series, apart from random mentions of events in previous films.


References


External links


The ''Pekka and Pätkä'' film series
at IMDb {{Portal bar, Finland, Comedy, Film Comedy duos Comedy film series Film duos Film series introduced in 1953 Films based on comic strips Finnish comedy films Finnish film series Slapstick comedians