Saturday, December 31, 2005

Anyone for Dinner for One?

What do Germans do on New Year's Eve. They watch Dinner for One. Never heard of it? It was written by British author Lauri Wylie in the 1920s, seen in Blackpool in 1962 by German entertainer Peter Frankenfeld who invited actors Freddie Frinton and May Warden to perform the sketch on his live TV show Guten Abend, Peter Frankenfeld. The version now seen was a 1963 live performance in Hamburg's Theater am Besenbinderhof. Since 1972, it has been shown on German TV every New Year's Eve. It also has regular outings in Switzerland, Austria, South Africa, Australia, and Latvia. There is a Latin version and many parodies. It has never been shown in the UK or the US.
It's very predictable stuff, and thus highlights yet another Mystery of Them - how come they like it so much, and we don't?

Jude Stewart explains all here, where there are also links to the complete skit (just under 11 minutes long) and the script.

No comments: