''Pekka Puupää'' (, also ''Pete Blockhead'' in English translation)
[Pekka Puupää](_blank)
– Elonet
is a website run by the Finnish National Audiovisual Institute which provides a database of about 150,000 films created or screened in Finland. It was launched in 2006. In 2024, the National Audiovisual Institute launched the free streaming s ...
(in Finnish) is a 1953 Finnish
comedy film
The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...
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. ...
and starring
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 ...
,
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 ...
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 ...
. It is the first film of the ''
Pekka and Pätkä'' film series based on the
comics by the same name created by Ola Fogelberg.
The film was largely made on the same sets as ''
Esa "Flies" to Kuopio
''Esa "Flies" to Kuopio'' (Finnish: ''Lentävä kalakukko'', Swedish: ''Esa "flyger" till Kuopio'') is a 1953 Finnish comedy crime film directed by Ville Salminen and starring Esa Pakarinen, Mai-Brit Heljo and Siiri Angerkoski.Qvist & von Bagh p. ...
'', which came out in the same year and was also directed by Ville Salminen. Esa Pakarinen also wore exactly the same basic costume in every ''Pekka and Pätkä'' film.
The film was shot in the winter and spring of 1953 and its production costs were 6,7 million
Finnish mark
The markka (; ; currency symbol, sign: mk; ISO 4217, ISO code: FIM), also known as the Finnish mark, was the currency of Finland from 1860 until 28 February 2002, when it ceased to be legal tender. The markka was divided into 100 penny, pennies ...
s.
Although not much was expected from the movie based on the comic book, it was surprisingly successful, which led to twelve sequels. On television, the film was shown in 1965 on the
Yle TV1
Yle TV1 (, ) is a Finnish television channel owned and operated by Finnish public broadcaster Yle. It is the second-oldest television channel in Finland, after TES-TV, and is the oldest currently existing television channel in the country. More ...
channel and it was watched by 1,6 million viewers.
However, critics have never appreciated the loved film by the audience, let alone its sequels. Today critics consider that the "
slapstick
Slapstick is a style of humor involving exaggerated physical activity that exceeds the boundaries of normal physical comedy. Slapstick may involve both intentional violence and violence by mishap, often resulting from inept use of props such as ...
movie" has only nostalgic values, nothing more. Many critics turned their mocking into "art" and used the most imaginative puns and metaphors. Also, despite appearing in the film and its sequels as well, the actress Siiri Angerkoski never appreciated these films but considered them "idle-day nonsense".
Kansa nauroi, Siiri Angerkoski ei: Justiinaa näytellyt Angerkoski piti Puupää-elokuvia tyhjänpäiväisenä hölynpölynä – lue komediennen traaginen elämäntarina
– ''Kotiliesi
''Kotiliesi'' ( Finnish: ''Fireside'') is a bimonthly family and women's magazine published in Helsinki, Finland. Founded in 1922, it is one of the oldest magazines in the country and is the first Finnish magazine addressing housewives.
History ...
'' (in Finnish)
Plot
Mrs. Justiina Puupää (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 ...
) goes to visit her relatives and leaves her husband 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 ...
(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 ...
) to be a housekeeper 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 ...
. Pekka and his best friend 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 ...
) immediately start thinking about plans to earn money, because Justiina has not left Pekka any money but has done huge grocery shopping in advance. In the beginning, Pekka and Pätkä sell all the food door to door, and then with the money they earn, they place an advertisement in the newspaper about "Pekka Puupää's kindergarten
Kindergarten is a preschool educational approach based on playing, singing, practical activities such as drawing, and social interaction as part of the transition from home to school. Such institutions were originally made in the late 18th cen ...
". At the same time, a petty criminal named Petteri (Ã…ke Lindman
Åke Leonard Lindman (born Åke Leonard Järvinen; born 11 January 1928 – 3 March 2009) was a Finnish director and actor.
In his youth Lindman was a football player, playing as a defender for the Finland national team during the 1952 Summer ...
) steals a millionaire's (Arvo Lehesmaa
Arvo Aleksander Lehesmaa (till 1928 Nylund; 22 October 1901 – 18 May 1973) was a Finnish actor. He was seen on stage in such roles as Esko in an Aleksis Kivi play ''Nummisuutarit'' and Jago in William Shakespeare's ''Othello''. He also appeared ...
) baby. He flees the scene in a taxi, whose driver Erkki Saarikivi (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 ...
) is unaware of his client's criminal activities. Seeing the police, Petteri runs away to an apartment building and hides the baby in Puupää's apartment. Saarikivi follows because Petteri didn't pay for his trip, but Petteri knocks the taxi driver unconscious and hides him in the apartment next door. When Pekka and Pätkä come home and find the baby, they imagine their nursery getting its first customer with the newspaper advertisement. Their neighbor Miss Ritva Ranta (Tuija Halonen Tuija is a feminine Finnish given name. Notable people with the name include:
*Tuija Brax (born 1965), Finnish politician
* Tuija Hakkila (born 1959), Finnish classical pianist
*Tuija Helander (born 1961), Finnish hurdler
*Tuija Hyyrynen (born 1988 ...
), on the other hand, is horrified when she finds an unconscious Saarikivi in her apartment, but after clearing up misunderstandings, the two end up on a date.
Pekka and Pätkä's childcare methods turn out to be unnecessarily eccentric and inexperienced, as they feed the baby läskisoosi
Läskisoosi (officially sianlihakastike, English: Pork sauce) is traditional Finnish stew, made of pork belly fried in butter with onions and flour, stirred in water with salt and pepper. It is often served with mashed potato, pickled cucumber and ...
and rock the baby to sleep in the ceiling lamp. Miss Ranta is horrified when she sees this and briskly teaches the men proper childcare. However, "Pekka Puupää's Kindergarten" does not attract customers, so Pekka and Pätkä develop a new way of raising money, participating in a match against boxer Hermanni Ronski (Uljas Kandolin
Uljas Salomon Kandolin (originally Niskanen, 19 May 1915 − 27 December 1980) was a Finnish actor. During his career, he appeared in several films, usually playing a thug. He also had a long theatrical career.
Selected filmography
* ''"Minä el ...
). Due to a mistake, Pätkä gets into the match instead of Pekka. Pätkä is at the bottom until Ronski takes a sip from Pätkä's camphor
Camphor () is a waxy, colorless solid with a strong aroma. It is classified as a terpenoid and a cyclic ketone. It is found in the wood of the camphor laurel (''Cinnamomum camphora''), a large evergreen tree found in East Asia; and in the kapu ...
bottle – which, due to the messy state of Puupää's medicine cabinet, contains sleeping potion – and falls asleep in the middle of the match. In the meantime, the child has been left outside to sleep in the carriage by Pekka and Pätkä, and Petteri, who is passing by, steals it again, but is soon caught by mistake in the same taxi driven by Saarikivi, whereupon Saarikivi recognizes him and takes him to the police station. After this, Justiina Puupää has arrived back home and after seeing it in a messed up, she prepares to punish her husband, but Saarikivi clears up the situation after hearing at the police station that Pekka and Pätkä were in the care of the millionaire's kidnapped child. Finally, the grateful millionaire gives Pekka and Pätkä a handsome reward for taking care of his child.
Cast
* 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 ...
as 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 ...
* 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 ...
as Pätkä
* 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 ...
as Justiina Puupää
* Tuija Halonen Tuija is a feminine Finnish given name. Notable people with the name include:
*Tuija Brax (born 1965), Finnish politician
* Tuija Hakkila (born 1959), Finnish classical pianist
*Tuija Helander (born 1961), Finnish hurdler
*Tuija Hyyrynen (born 1988 ...
as Ritva Ranta
* 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 ...
as taxi driver Erkki Saarikivi
* Ã…ke Lindman
Åke Leonard Lindman (born Åke Leonard Järvinen; born 11 January 1928 – 3 March 2009) was a Finnish director and actor.
In his youth Lindman was a football player, playing as a defender for the Finland national team during the 1952 Summer ...
as Petteri
* Arvo Lehesmaa
Arvo Aleksander Lehesmaa (till 1928 Nylund; 22 October 1901 – 18 May 1973) was a Finnish actor. He was seen on stage in such roles as Esko in an Aleksis Kivi play ''Nummisuutarit'' and Jago in William Shakespeare's ''Othello''. He also appeared ...
as millionaire
* Uljas Kandolin
Uljas Salomon Kandolin (originally Niskanen, 19 May 1915 − 27 December 1980) was a Finnish actor. During his career, he appeared in several films, usually playing a thug. He also had a long theatrical career.
Selected filmography
* ''"Minä el ...
as Hermanni Ronski
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, 0046172
1953 films
1953 comedy films
Buddy comedy films
Films directed by Ville Salminen
1950s Finnish-language films
1950s Finnish films
Finnish black-and-white films
Finnish musical comedy films
Live-action films based on comics
Pekka and Pätkä films