De Stratemakeropzeeshow | |
---|---|
Genre | Comedy Children's television |
Directed by | Frans Boelen |
Starring | Aart Staartjes Wieteke van Dort Joost Prinsen |
Composer | Harry Bannink |
Country of origin | Netherlands |
Original language | Dutch |
Production | |
Production company | VARA |
Release | |
Original network | Nederland 1 |
Original release | 3 October 1972 – 26 December 1974 |
De Stratemakeropzeeshow (English: The road worker at sea show) was a Dutch children's television programme that ran from 1972 to 1974 and was aired by the VARA broadcasting organization.
De Stratemakeropzeeshow is regarded as one of the finest Dutch children's television shows for its absurdist and taboo-breaking sketches. [1] The show was regarded controversial because it tackled topics what were then considered not morally acceptable and for its song "Poop and Pee Minuet". [2] After the death of Aart Staartjes in early 2020, television critics argued that the programme had forever changed Dutch children's television, freeing the genre of adult morals. [3] [4]
The show aired at a time when Dutch children's television was changing. The previous generation watched Annie M. G. Schmidt's shows, but the writers of De Stratemakeropzeeshow dealt much more openly with children's problems, [5] in a way deemed more relevant to children than previous television shows. [6]
De Stratenmakeropzeeshow was first broadcast on 3 October 1972. After the first set of episodes, the show received backlash from critics and viewers for its non-traditionality. A critic from De tijd said that the show used too much adult humour to be considered a children's programme. [7] On 24 October 1972, De Telegraaf published two individual television viewers' letters that complained about the use of vulgar language in the broadcast of 17 October. [8] One month later, another viewer complained in Het Parool about the lack of morals in the show. [9]
Due to widespread critique and controversy, VARA considered cancelling the show after its first six trial episodes. The broadcaster reconsidered this after children wrote letters to VARA, begging for more episodes. [10] Its second series started on 8 May 1973 and consisted of eight episodes, and a third series started in September 1973, making the show the most broadcast children's programme at the time. [11] While the initial episodes received backlash from critics, the appreciation of the series increased alongside its popularity. [12]
In December 1974, the show's director Frans Boelen announced the show's cancellation as producing one show a week had become too physically draining for the creators and the cast. [13] However, some argue that the continuous complaints of viewers also played a role in the show's eventual cancellation. [6]
In 2009, the show was added to the Canon van zestig jaar kindertelevisie, a list of the most important Dutch children's programmes ever made. [14]
The main actors were Joost Prinsen, Aart Staartjes, and Wieteke van Dort. It was directed by Staartjes and Frans Boelen, [15] with music by Harry Bannink. Important lyrical contributions were by Willem Wilmink; [16] other lyricists were Karel Eykman (writing as Hendrik Blaak) and Hans Dorrestijn.
Joost Prinsen's main character was Erik Engerd (free translation Eerie Eric), an alter ego that still stuck to the actor for years after. [17] Eric always tried to scare others, but scared no one but himself. [6]
Wieteke van Dort's Deftige Dame (Posh Lady) farted continually; this show and others made van Dort the "uncrowned queen of Dutch children's television". [18] Her character "Tante Lien", which later got her own show, was introduced in De Stratemakeropzeeshow. [19]
Aart Staartjes played the title character Stratemaker op zee (Road worker at sea), abbreviated Straat. His character represented the naive and uninhibited child who commented on the way adults lived their lives. [6] Staartjes created the character after a conversation he once had with his uncle as a child. Staartjes asked his uncle what would become of him when he would be older, to which his uncle responded: "You will be nothing. You will become a road worker at sea.". [20]
Some of the songs from the show have become classics. A number of them were performed in 2006 [21] and 2007 by Michiel Flamman and others. [24]
Het Parool is an Amsterdam-based daily newspaper. It was first published on 10 February 1941 as a resistance paper during the German occupation of the Netherlands (1940–1945). In English, its name means The Password or The Motto.
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Willem Wilmink was a Dutch poet and writer. He was best known for the large number of songs he wrote for popular children programs and his accessible, straightforward poetry.
Aart Staartjes was a Dutch actor, director, television presenter and documentary maker from Amsterdam. He was well known for his role on Sesamstraat, the Dutch co-production of Sesame Street. On this show, his character's name was Meneer Aart and in this persona he authored a book called Meneer Aart: Leven en werken van de man die geen kindervriend wil heten.
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Wim van Norden was a Dutch journalist. He was one of the founders of the resistance paper Het Parool during World War II. He was jailed for six months by the Germans in 1942 but was later released due to lack of evidence for his involvement with Het Parool. Van Norden was active in the resistance for the remainder of the war. After the war he became director of the newspaper and although he originally planned to serve for only several months he kept his function until 1979. Van Norden was responsible for the founding of the publishing company Perscombinatie in which three newspapers worked together.
Events from the year 2020 in the Netherlands.
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