Egon Olsen | |
---|---|
First appearance | Olsenbanden (1968, dk) Olsenbanden Operasjon Egon (1969, no) |
Last appearance | Olsen-bandens sidste stik (1998, dk) Olsenbandens siste stikk (1999, no) |
Created by | Erik Balling |
Portrayed by | Ove Sprogøe (dk) Arve Opsahl (no) |
In-universe information | |
Gender | Male |
Occupation | Criminal mastermind |
Egon Olsen (born 12 March 1925 (DK), 13 March 1923 (NO)) [1] is a fictional character in the Danish Olsenbanden film series as well as in the Norwegian remake. He is portrayed by Ove Sprogøe in the Danish version and by Arve Opsahl in the Norwegian. In the Swedish version of the series, Jönssonligan , his part was taken by the character Charles Ingvar "Sickan" Jönsson, played by Gösta Ekman (and in the later films by other characters, played by different actors).
In the Danish original, Egon Olsen is the small and wiry boss of the Olsen Gang. His two sidekicks are the merry Benny and the timid, pudgy Kjeld. Kjeld's wife, Yvonne, is the only one who Egon has to fight, as she tends to interfere with his plans. [2] Egon Olsen's hallmark is his bowler hat, pinstripe suit, and an extinguished cigar end in his mouth, even when he is gagged. [3] Egon Olsen is one of the typical antiheroes of film history, an eternal loser who wobbles but does not fall over. [4] Some observers have pointed out that "Egon Olsen projects the image of an anarchist, an outcast from the world of established capitalism as well as from the secure world of the middle and upper classes". [5]
Egon's involvement in each film follows a similar pattern. Egon constantly develops new and "genius" plans during his stays in prison. [3] His catchphrase is "I have a plan", [6] which he says to his accomplices in all fourteen films after being released from prison. [4] The plan succeeds through the most intricate machinations [2] (Egon's specialty is the cracking of safes with merely a stethoscope and fine feeling) [4] but Egon always loses his object of desire due to some freak accident at the end of the movie, usually caused by the incompetence of his accomplices. [2] Almost every film, except the fifth, the sixth and the fourteenth, ends with Egon's arrest. [3]
The role of Egon Olsen was Ove Sprogøe's most successful and also last film role. [6] Sprogøe was honoured with a Bodil in 1975 for Olsen-Bandens sidste bedrifter. [7] The role had a legendary renown in former East Germany, [8] and while many West Germans are unable to associate the name of the franchise with the Danish films, nearly all Eastern Germans can at least cite Benny's catchphrase "mächtig gewaltig, Egon" (Danish "skidegodt, Egon!" - in English literally "shit-good, Egon", or "bloody good, Egon!"). Critics hypothesise that Egon's talent for improvisation impressed East Germans living under a socialist economy of scarcity, more than James Bond did, fighting his enemies with the newest technological gimmicks. [9]
The gaolers of the Vridsløselille prison in Copenhagen, where Egon Olsen went at the end of each film, initiated a renaming of the street right in front of the prison into "Egon Olsens Vej" ( 55°39′40″N12°20′53″E / 55.66111°N 12.34806°E ) in 2004. According to gaolers and the prison warden, "Egon Olsen has always been a very nice criminal who deserves to be honoured", and "Egon has done much for the facility. Up until today, many tourists from Eastern Germany go on a pilgrimage to the prison gate to take pictures". [8]
In the Norwegian series, Egon is quite similar to his Danish counterpart, with the same costumes and mannerisms. He is shown to be quite smart, laying ingenious plans to achieve fortune, and have them ruined by either his companions, poor timing or bad luck, very much like the Danish version where Yvonne is often the cause of his downfall.
In the Norwegian series, Egon was originally set to be portrayed by Carsten Byhring, with Arve Opsahl in the role as Kjell Jensen, his companion. During rehearsal, however, Opsahl disagreed with the casting, and suggested that he and Byhring switch roles, to which Byhring and the directors fully agreed. Opsahl brought a lot of his comic talents to the role, in particular his doubletakes and long (and at the time profane) rants and outbursts, which Opsahl was known for on stage. He played the role in all fourteen films, including the final film in which he did half his scenes with a prosthetic foot, after having it amputated due to diabetes half-way through production.
The Olsen Gang is a Danish comedy film series created by Danish director Erik Balling and special effects expert Henning Bahs about the eponymous fictional criminal gang. The gang's leader is the criminal genius and habitual offender Egon Olsen and his accomplices are Benny and Kjeld. The gang members are harmless, extremely rarely target ordinary citizens, and never deliberately use violence. The first film came in 1968; during the next thirty years a total of fourteen films were made.
Ove Wendelboe Sprogøe Petersen was a Danish actor.
Arve Opsahl was a Norwegian movie and stage actor, singer and stand-up comedian.
...men Olsenbanden var ikke død is a 1984 Norwegian comedy-crime film, directed by Knut Bohwim. It is the last installment of the original Olsenbanden-films starring Opsahl, Holm, and Byhring. It was released on September 6, 1984.
Pål Johannessen is a Norwegian former child actor.
Olsenbanden Jr. is a Norwegian comedy franchise based around a series of films and TV series of under-age criminals, based on the Olsenbanden films. Despite the original Olsen Gang being a Danish invention, the child version was originally a Swedish idea, Lilla Jönssonligan, with Denmark and Norway later following suit.
Bussen is a 1961 Norwegian comedy film, directed by Arne Skouen and starring Leif Juster, and a strikingly similar 1963 Danish comedy film directed by Finn Henriksen and starring Dirch Passer. The plot and script are essentially the same in both films. The Danish version is made suitable for a Danish audience. The music to the Norwegian version was written by Maj Sønstevold and Gunnar Sønstevold, with additional songs written by Alf Prøysen. The original main character was written for Leif Juster. At this point in his career, Juster was a popular movie actor. It is possible that Arne Skouen was inspired by a narrative poem written by the poet Ingeborg Refling Hagen, about a milkman who is constantly running errands because of his good heart.
The Olsen Gang is a 1968 Danish comedy film directed by Erik Balling and starring Ove Sprogøe, Morten Grunwald, and Poul Bundgaard. This was the first film in the Olsen-banden-series.
The Olsen Gang in a Fix is a 1969 Danish comedy film directed by Erik Balling and starring Ove Sprogøe. The film was the second in the Olsen-banden-series.
The Olsen Gang on the Track is a 1975 Danish comedy film directed by Erik Balling and starring Ove Sprogøe. The film was the seventh in the Olsen-banden-series.
The Olsen Gang Goes Crazy is a 1973 Danish comedy film directed by Erik Balling and starring Ove Sprogøe. This was the fifth film in the Olsen Gang-series.
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Nødebo is a village located on the southwestern shores of Lake Esrum in Hillerød Municipality, North Zealand, some 40 km north of Copenhagen, Denmark. Nødebo Church, the oldest in the area, is notable for its church frescos and its early 16th century altarpiece. Nødebo Kro a historic inn, now serves as a community centre and local cultural venue. Nødebo is surrounded by Forest of Grib on three sides. Its par force hunting road well-preserved network was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. The Forest and Landscape College, now part of University of Copenhagen's Department of Geosciences and Natural Resources Management, is located in the northern part of Nødebo.
Havnegade is a waterfront promenade in central Copenhagen, Denmark, which runs along the Inner Harbour between Knippelsbro and the mouth of the Nyhavn canal. Most of the street is lined with buildings from the 1860s and 1870s that were constructed as part of the redevelopment of the Gammelholm naval dockyards. It is the only place along Copenhagen's main harbourfront where residential buildings of that age face the water, although older warehouses and other industrial buildings elsewhere have been converted into residential use. The Modernist Bank of Denmark building is located at the western end of the street.
The Olsen Gang Sees Red is a 1976 Danish comedy film directed by Erik Balling and starring Ove Sprogøe, Morten Grunwald and Poul Bundgaard. The film was the eighth in the Olsen Gang-series, and was selected as the Danish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 49th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Enghave Brygge is a waterfront area in the Southern Docklands of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is located between Vesterbro to the north and Teglholmen to the south, and opposite Islands Brygge across the water. The area is undergoing significant development, with the northern half now housing around 2.000 inhabitants, and construction of apartment blocks in the southern half is underway. Enghave Brygge is characterized by canals, giving the area the impression of a maritime city like Venice or Amsterdam, as well as the nearby Christianshavn neighbourhood. The Enghave Canal which runs from north to south across Enghave Brygge is a major defining landmark.
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Egon restaurant is a Norwegian restaurant concept that opened its first restaurant on Nordstrand in Oslo in 1984. Egon is a registered trademark and owned by Norrein AS in Trondheim. The headquarters are located in Trondheim.
Olsen-banden Junior is a 2001 Danish family-comedy heist film. It is a prequel to the long running Danish film series Olsen-banden, and an implementation of the concept used by the Swedish Olsen-banden remakes prequels Lilla Jönssonligan. The film is also a sequel to the Christmas calendar Olsen-bandens første kup from 1999. The film premiered on December 14, 2001. The film was a moderate success compared to the original series and the Swedish and Norwegian equivalents. The film later received a novelization of the same name.
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