Reino Vihtori "Repe" Helismaa (12 July 1913 – 21 January 1965) was a Finnish singer-songwriter, musician and scriptwriter. Born 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 ...

, he was mainly known for his humorous, yet homely songs. One of his best-known interpreters was Tapio Rautavaara. He also scripted the comic strip ''Maan mies Marsissa'', drawn by Ami Hauhio.

Works

Song lyrics: Helismaa wrote over five thousand song lyrics. Some of the most famous include: * ''Balladi Villistä Lännestä'' (A ballad of the Wild West) * ''Daiga-daiga-duu'' (Diga-diga-doo) * ''Hiljainen kylätie'' (A quiet village street) * ''Kaksi vanhaa tukkijätkää'' (Two old lumberjacks) * ''Kulkuri ja joutsen'' (The tramp and the swan; translation of originally Swedish song ''Vagabonden och svanen'' by

Lasse Dahlquist Lars Erik ("Lasse") Dahlquist (14 September 1910 – 14 October 1979) was a Swedish composer, singer and actor. Many of his songs are among the most popular sing-along songs in Sweden, such as '' Oh boy oh boy oh boy'' and '' Gå upp och pröva ...

) * ''Kulkurin iltatähti'' (The tramp's evening star) * ''Lentävä kalakukko'' (The flying

kalakukko () is a traditional Finland, Finnish dish from the region of Savonia (historical province), Savonia made from fish (e.g., perch, vendace, loach, smelt, or salmon) baked inside a loaf of bread. is especially popular in Kuopio, capital city o ...

) * ''Meksikon pikajuna'' (The Mexico Express, original: Orient Express) * ''Päivänsäde ja menninkäinen'' (The sunbeam and the goblin) * ''Rakovalkealla'' (At the campfire) * ''Reppu ja reissumies'' (The knapsack and the travelling man) * ''Rovaniemen markkinoilla'' (At the

Rovaniemi Rovaniemi ( , ; ; ; ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Lapland (Finland), Lapland. It is located near the Arctic Circle in the northern interior of the country. The population of Rovaniemi is approximately , while the Rovaniemi su ...

fair) * ''Suutarin tyttären pihalla'' (At the shoemaker's daughter's yard) Other works by Helismaa include 8 plays, 10 revues, 32 film manuscripts and 104 radio plays. * Screenplays for several Pekka ja Pätkä -comedy films made in the 1950s.

References

External links

Last.fm
1913 births 1965 deaths Singers from Helsinki Writers from Helsinki People from Uusimaa Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Finnish male singer-songwriters Finnish male screenwriters Finnish male poets Finnish comedy musicians Finnish lyricists Finnish comics writers 20th-century Finnish male singers 20th-century Finnish male writers 20th-century Finnish poets 20th-century Finnish screenwriters 20th-century Finnish singer-songwriters {{Finland-singer-stub