As part of the anniversary program of Second German Television – ZDF went on the air on April 1, 1963 – viewers can expect a documentary about humor in Germany, among other things. Who and what we found funny over time shows “Loriot, Otto
The film offers highlights from six decades of German TV comedy. It becomes clear “how humor has changed, how women conquered comedy, when you can joke about migrants, who we laugh at the most – and what that reveals about us,” reveals the broadcaster in advance.
The journey through time begins with legends like Heinz Erhardt (1909-1979) and Loriot (Vicco von Bülow, 1923-2011), leads to cult stars like Otto Waalkes (74) and Dieter “Didi” Hallervorden (87) to today’s humor greats like the Swiss-German stand-up comedian Hazel Brugger (29) or Ilka Bessin (51).
The latter became known as the chubby-honest Cindy from Marzahn. “I just looked bad,” says the artist from the East in the documentary. “I came out and people were shocked at first.” Above all, private television, which was gaining strength in the 1990s, provided a large platform for stars like her. During this time, funny women like Maren Kroymann (73) and Anke Engelke (57) also began their satirical and parodic triumph.
From the 2000s onwards, the topic of migration came up again and again. Artists like Kaya Yanar (49), Bülent Ceylan (47) and Abdelkarim (41) took on cultural prejudices. Humor researcher Eva Ullmann comments in the documentary that they even laughed when they made jokes about terrorism: “Looking at the crises we have from a funny perspective always gives us breathing space.” This also applies when high politics are targeted in satirical programs such as the “heute-show” or “Die Anstalt”, the broadcaster adds.
In addition to scientific insights into the laughing story, the comedians, cabaret artists and moderators Oliver Welke (56), Hugo Egon Balder (73), Wolfgang Lippert (71) and Simone Solga (59) also have their say in the documentary.
But it is also about legendary sketches such as “The Noodle” by and with Loriot and Evelyn Hamann (1942-2007): A man (Loriot) and a woman named Hildegard (Hamann) meet for a romantic meal in an Italian restaurant. Both eat a pasta dish. When the man wipes his mouth with the napkin, a long noodle sticks to his lower lip. When he now wants to confess his love to her, Hildegard is distracted by the pasta. During his confession of love, he keeps touching his face in such a way that the noodle sticks to a different part of his face. At the beginning Hildegard tries to interrupt his torrent of words, after that she just looks on speechless…
The former popular stars of GDR television can be found in “Loriot, Otto
