Happy Days (film series)

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Television series
German title Happy Days
Country of production Germany
Year (s) 1994-2005
Production
company
GT film team
length 62 to 150 minutes
genre parody
idea Jørn Precht
First broadcast December 8, 2003 on BTV4U
occupation

Main actor:

Episode (1–7)

Supporting cast:

Happy Days was an amateur trash soap film series from Stuttgart invented by Jørn Precht in 1994 . It was also called " Stuttgart cult soap " or " Ultimate trash pearl of the Stuttgart film scene " by fans and the press and had meanwhile made it to a well-known figure in the Stuttgart film scene, despite its amateur character. The series was discontinued in December 2005.

History of origin

In August 1994 Jørn Precht accidentally got hold of the video camera of the former " Forum 3 " civil servant Kai-Hendrik Pörksen and spontaneously shot the first scene. It was the sequence in which "Patrick" (Alexander Goldschmid) brings his "Sophia" (Franziska Schalla) the newspaper in which he believes he has discovered his missing ex-girlfriend Wendy. Precht spontaneously came up with the scene and the names of the characters. At that point in time, no one could have guessed the extent of the project over the years.

What was actually planned as a one-off amateur film parody of American 1980s soap operas ala Dallas or Denver Clan , soon developed into a veritable insider cult in the Stuttgart scene. Around the happy-days-inventor Jørn Precht, who had meanwhile decided to become a scriptwriter , a happy-days-friends and fans developed.

The first films were technically still extremely inadequate and you could clearly see the typical beginners' mistakes that everyone involved came to filming “like a virgin to a child”. Even then, it was astonishing to see the commitment and creativity of some of the amateur actors who brought the characters to life. In contrast to the conventional soap operas, “Happy Days” has a lot more ironic features, grotesque breaks with reality and elements of trash. The fact that the obligatory character of the serial mother is played by a man of all places accounts for a large part of the ironic charm that distinguishes these amateur films from their role models.

While in the initial phase the participants were mainly recruited from Jørn Precht's circle of friends and colleagues, GT later achieved such cult status that more and more professional actors and celebrities were committed to roles and guest appearances during the Happy Days. The shooting, special effects and post-production were then increasingly supported by well-known companies and institutions. All contributors waived their fees, fees and rental locations.

From December 2003 to August 2004, the Happy Days series was also a 5 minute Daily Soap- Einspieler on the pan-European air TV channels BTV4U broadcast. For this purpose, all films (except for Part VII, which was only released in 2005) were completely revised by Thomas Numberger , poor image quality replaced by re-importing the raw material or re-shooting, editing errors corrected, foreign material removed, GEMA lists created and unnecessary or excessively long scenes shortened or removed. Films 1 and 2 and the fairy tale film were completely re-cut with freshly digitized original raw material (if still available). As a result, the first 7 GT films are finally available on Betacam SP with a GEMA list.

In December 2005, the last happy days film was completed (a double episode with a big happy ending). Jørn Precht officially announced the end of "Happy Days" (GT) in December 2005, but on the occasion of GT's 15th birthday, a Best Of was released in December 2009, which also contained some newly shot game scenes. With the two fictional films “Abgedmerung in Stuttgart” and “Wachgeküsst in Stuttgart”, teaching projects of the Stuttgart Academy of media, the storyline was set in 2007 and 2008 with the GT characters Lasse Reinmann and Wommy Wonder as well as the location Villa Bertani (in reality the Stuttgart workshop East) spun one last time.

Framework story

The focus of the film series is the fictional and widely ramified Bertani family and the Coucher family, who are related to them. They live in a feudal villa on Uhlandshöhe, one of the most expensive residential areas in Stuttgart. The family also runs the fictional corporate empire "Südfort-Brathähnchen", a global fried chicken fast-food restaurant chain. The basic construction is very much based on the American family dynasty series Dallas and Denver Clan , but parodistically and satirically adapted to Swabian philistine bourgeoisie. The series is practically a soap parody with the motto: "All soaps are bad - at least we are right!" The most important character, the series mother Carlotta Bertani, is demonstratively played by a man. Stuttgart is populated by foreigners, trannies and weird characters of all kinds. Exaggerated make-up, artificial wigs, brightly colored clothes, dance interludes with disco music and singing interludes to hit hits are an integral part of all films. Ultimately, the films are about the same thing as all the soaps: love (each time with each other), intrigue, money and power - just everything is mercilessly overdrawn, brightly colored, shrill, weird and really abysmal!

Happy days - on the edge of the abyss

Spring 1995: The owners of the "Südforst" roast chicken chain are up and down. Company boss Lorenzo Bertani dies of a heart attack and his widow Carlotta is the sole head of the group, which is deep in the red. Her work-shy son Patrick and her unworldly stepdaughter Sophia make their situation even more difficult. To make matters worse, a young photographer appears who claims to be Carlotta's first son, who was kidnapped 25 years ago and is being followed by his insane kidnapper. In addition, son Patrick is still looking for his great love, Wendy, who is wandering around Sylt with amnesia. The fact that love breaks out between step-siblings Sophia and Patrick and between stable boy Dick and photographer wife Selma doesn't make the chaos any easier. The fact that Südforst employee Emmanuelle Coucher works as a part-time job as a Nana Mouskouri double and regularly steals money from the company's coffers to spare her drug addicted brother Philippe from “going on the line” is almost a minor matter. - But not for gangsters Mario and Valerio. And not for the mentally ill Agnetha Nordenstamm, who does not shy away from arson attacks or murder.

The robber and the Prince

Note: This film was made by the same film team, with the same actors, similar role names, and numerous ironic references to GT. But it is actually an independent fairy tale film. Above all, the film shines with its perfect equipment, costumes and locations that are otherwise only known from professional films.

The shy and kind Prince Fabian should finally be married according to the will of his father, Prince Georg I, in order to become a worthy heir to the throne. At a specially arranged ball, he actually becomes friends with the lovable Princess Isabella. But Fabian's brother Prince Alexander, his wife Sophia and the malicious cousin Albert, who had been cast out by the prince, want to prevent this in order to be able to take the throne themselves. They poison Prince Fabian's dog and thereby ensure that he gets lost in the forest and is ultimately captured by robbers. Among the nasty robbers, however, there is also the kind-hearted robber Philipp, who helps Prince Fabian to escape and becomes friends with him. After the robber Philipp and Prince Fabian escaped through the fairy tale forest (and an encounter with the not so bad witch Sibyll), Princess Isabella reunited with Prince Fabian. Yet another assassination attempt by Prince Alexander and cousin Albert leads to a spectacular bridge collapse in which Isabella, Fabian and Philipp fall into a torrent and are swept away by the floods. Fortunately, thanks to the help of Faun Gloradin, Queen Elf Victoria, Water Fairy Marina, Elf Melonella and other fairy tale characters, everyone involved succeeds in surviving and reuniting. But the next challenge is already ahead: The evil robbers attack the castle of Prince George I, a successful defense is only possible if everyone (the good and the bad prince, including his followers) get together and defend the castle together. And indeed it comes to a happy ending, and even the succession to the throne can be satisfactorily clarified after Prince Fabian has discovered his "other side" and confesses to his love for robber Philip.

Happy Days II - Shadows of the Past

December 1996: Nils Nordenstam, the son of the Stuttgart roast chicken empress Carlotta Bertani, wants to marry his secretary Emmanuelle Coucher. But the planned dream wedding quickly turns into a nightmare when Carlotta's daughter-in-law Wendy is found murdered in the basement of the villa on a cold, dark December night. Since Commissioner Derreck seems overwhelmed with solving the case, Carlotta's resolute mother Johanna Berger sets out to solve the murder in "Miss Marple manner". Meanwhile, Emmanuelle Coucher's brother Philippe falls in love with the prostitute Barbie Matell at the wedding party, but she is being held by her violent nightclub operator. Philippe's old friend Fabian Zirzow is meanwhile worried about his girlfriend and “Südforst” corporate lawyer Ersilia Demeter. She seems to be suffering from a strange illness and to lead a double life as a prostitute. The confusion of love between housekeeper Teresa and con man Pete Hammond doesn't make things any easier either. Can Sophia's conversations with the dead, the Telfonsex roommate Felice and a suddenly appearing suitcase full of coke ensure a merry white Christmas in time?

Happy Days III - Under the spell of the poisonous rooster

August 1997: The Bertani family is the victim of product extortion. Strangers poisoned fried chicken in two branches. They threaten to ruin the reputation of the company "Südforst" with further poisoning if company boss Carlotta Bertani does not pay 500,000 marks. To make matters worse, Carlotta's granddaughter and branch manager Barbie Coucher are kidnapped. In addition, Herzegovina, the Bertanis' Croatian cook, is said to be deported to her homeland after the end of the war in Yugoslavia. But her best friend, the Portuguese housekeeper Teresa, tries to prevent the deportation through a mock wedding with a student looking for a place to live.

Happy Days IV - Sleepless Nights

Working title: The descent

December 1999: Carlotta Bertani falls victim to an unprecedented smear campaign in the press. This and the bad investments of her former company lawyer Franz Grün ultimately lead to the fact that the entrepreneur not only loses her fried chicken empire "Südforst", but also the family villa on Uhlandshöhe. But the other family members are also not likely to have happy days: Carlotta's mother Johanna, just recently in love, disappears into the moor without a trace. And Philippe and Barbie Coucher have problems making their dream come true: the opening of a house disco is sabotaged by gang boss Eloy van Noeken. In addition, after several near-affairs with Felice and Ed, Philippe and Barbie are in serious trouble. And there is almost a break between Fabian and Ersilia, as Fabian no longer feels like having sex with Ersilia and instead finds it difficult to admit his homosexual side. Despite the arson attack, can pop star Madonna ensure that the happy ending comes in time for the millennium?

Happy Days V - The Struggle for Power

Working title: Thy will be done

March 2001: The state elections in Baden-Württemberg are just around the corner. “Roast Chicken Empress” Carlotta Bertani, still in deep mourning for her son Patrick, receives the offer to run for the office of Prime Minister. And while her son's inheritance is being distributed among the unequal family members, Carlotta learns that politics can quickly degenerate into a Swabian western.

Happy Days VI - To the Bone

September 2003: Carlotta Bertani, the “Roast Chicken Empress” from Stuttgart, thought: “What Dieter Bohlen can do, I can too”, and wrote her autobiography. Unfortunately, the work lies like lead on the shelves. Her numerous author readings in bookstores are of little help. But then something happens that increases their publicity enormously: Carlotta's grandchildren find a skeletonized corpse on their property. It turns out that the dead person is the former Bertanis sales manager. He was shot in 1993 and buried on the family property. Carlotta is suspected of murder, but is able to flee with her best friend to their holiday home in Switzerland. Meanwhile, her family is desperate to prove the head of the family's innocence. She comes across a secret that could forever destroy the family's reputation.

Happy Days VII - The Role of Your Life

August 2004: The Stuttgart “Roast Chicken Empress” Carlotta Bertani is about to marry her fiancé, the Minister of Economics, Fernando Böringer. But deep down she doesn't really know anymore whether she really wants to marry him. Everyday life has long since spread, and work stress separates the couple more and more often. At 52 years of age and after three marriages, Carlotta gets "cold feet". So it suits her that her Croatian cook Herzegovina wants to get married too. Carlotta is enthusiastic about her own idea of ​​a double wedding - then she is not alone with the preparations. The only problem is that Herzegovina is not really convinced of her own wedding plans with the celebrated soap star Lasse Reinmann. In addition to the chaos of emotions, there is also the chaos of a film team when Carlotta's autobiography is to be filmed in the family villa. And the production manager of the film team is, of all people, Carlotta's childhood sweetheart Dolph Settergren. A heartbreaker that everyone - no matter if male or female - falls in love. A trash soap about the life of the Bertanis, that can't be anything ...

Return to Villa Bertani - 15 years of happy days

Note: Not a real feature film, more of a fictional documentary, with some interviews and best of scenes from earlier films.

TV broadcast

Happy Days was published in a completely revised version and in 169 small, approx. 5-minute short episodes (each with a cliffhanger ), as a "daily soap" within the breakfast television "BTV4U Morgenmuffel" from December 8, 2003 to August 11, 2004 on the Baden-Württemberg private broadcaster BTV4U broadcast. Monday-Friday 6:45 am and 8:15 am.

Problems, versions, cliffhangers

Happy Days was a parody of TV soaps, movies and hit music from the start. Therefore, numerous excerpts from films, TV soaps and pieces of music were always incorporated into the films. Happy Days was originally just an amateur film series and was only shown in the closest circle of friends of the makers. So you never had to worry about copyrights. - That such a hype suddenly developed around an, actually purely private, amateur soap was not planned by the creators. Happy Days therefore has a big problem today: It is cult, has many fans and is very popular, but it contains a lot of copyrighted things from partly unexplained sources and may therefore not be published on DVD or on the Internet. And other types of marketing and publication (even of a non-commercial nature) are not possible due to German copyright law.

For the TV broadcast on BTV4U it was therefore not possible to show the happy days films in the original version. Thomas Numberger had therefore completely digitally reworked all Happy Days films and partly completely re-edited. (Provided that the original raw material was still available.) Numerous scenes and pictures had to be completely removed or replaced with newly filmed own material. The current GT films in the 2004 version no longer contain any third-party footage, but are therefore sometimes significantly shorter than the original films. In return, the new versions often have significantly better picture and sound quality.

Some of the music was removed as part of the 2004 revision. But not everything: For many dialogue scenes there was no longer the original sound, so the background music could no longer be removed in many places. In addition, many of the vocal parts could not be removed or added royalty-free music. (Either because the vocal parts were very important for the plot, the characters or the cult character, or because it was simply not possible to lip- synch other vocals .) When it was broadcast on TV on BTV4U, the music wasn't a problem, because Happy Days was a parody there -Single-player commissioned production was shown as part of the program Morgenmuffel and the music contributions could therefore be billed via the GEMA lists of the BTV4U Morgenmuffel.

Incidentally, the assertion, sometimes made in the press, “Jørn Precht is the master of the cliffhanger” is wrong. In fact, only film VI has a cliffhanger , all other films end with a happy ending . - Only the five-minute soap clips for BTV4U usually ended with a cliffhanger every day.

Movie dates

occupation

Only amateur actors from the director's circle of friends were involved in films 1, 2 and “Robbers and the Prince”. From film 3 onwards, more and more professional actors were added from film to film. From film 6 the majority of all roles were taken on by trained professional actors. Only some of the absolute cult figures (Herzegovina, Teresa, Philippe, Sophia, Nils, Lutz) continued to be played by the amateur actors from the very beginning.

There was no script for films I to III.

Footage
VHS-C, Video8, DV, Mini-DV, S-VHS and VHS-C or DVC-Pro. Digitally cut up to Film III on S-VHS from IV on AVID digitally cut on Digi-Beta.
2004 digitally mastered and re-cut on D-9, screening copy on BetaSP.
Shooting times, locations, premieres and film length
Film I: In August 1994 in Stuttgart and from January to June 1995 in Stuttgart and on Langeoog. June 21, 1995 in AREAL Leinfelden. (116 minutes version 2004)
The robber and the prince: From January to July 1996 in the Bebenhausen monastery, in the laundry castle Wäschenbeuren, in Schönbuch, in Hohenrechberg Castle and in the Sibyllenhöhle at the foot of Teck Castle. July 21, 1996 in the old fire station in Stuttgart-Süd. (62 minutes version 2004)
Film II: From September to December 1996 in Stuttgart. December 9th, 1996 in AREAL Leinfelden. (146 minutes version 2004)
Film III: From June to December 1997 in Stuttgart. December 20, 1997 in AREAL Leinfelden. (103 minutes version 2004)
Film IV: In February 1998 in Davos (ski stunts), in winter 1998/99 in Lisbon (opening scene Marie and Teresa) and from March 1999 to November 2000 in Stuttgart, Florence, Siena, Riparbella and Munich. November 11, 2000 in the municipal cinema in Stuttgart. (151 minutes version 2004)
Film V: From April to November 2001 in Stuttgart, Tamm, Blaubeuren and Glücksburg / Schleswig Holstein. December 7, 2001 in the municipal cinema in Stuttgart. (143 minutes version 2004)
Film VI: From March to November 2003 in Stuttgart, Vaihingen-Enz, Schützingen, Karlsruhe, Sinsheim, Schopfloch, Gündelbach, Glücksburg / Schleswig Holstein, Flensburg, Holnis / Schleswig Holstein and on the Swabian Alb. December 5, 2003 in the Metropol Kino Stuttgart. (100 minutes version 2004)
Film VII: From March 2003 to November 2005 in Stuttgart, Vaihingen-Enz, Glücksburg / Schleswig Holstein, Flensburg, Holnis / Schleswig Holstein and in Bavaria. December 1st, 2005 in the Metropol Kino Stuttgart. (134 minutes)
Short film return to Villa Bertani: Summer 2009 in Stuttgart. December 11, 2009 in the Filmhaus Stuttgart. (45 minutes)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Pforzheimer Zeitung , November 17, 2001: Spaetzle Soap achieves cult status ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at gluecklichetage.de, accessed on May 25, 2013. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.gluecklichetage.de
  2. Stuttgarter Zeitung , November 16, 2000: Ultimate Trashperle ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at gluecklichetage.de, accessed on May 25, 2013. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.gluecklichetage.de
  3. Collection of press articles about the Happy Days Soap ( Memento of the original from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at gluecklichetage.de, accessed on May 25, 2013. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.gluecklichetage.de
  4. NEWS ( Memento of the original from September 26, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at gluecklichetage.de, accessed on May 25, 2013. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.gluecklichetage.de
  5. Thomas Numberger - My tasks at BTV4U on thomas-numberger.de, accessed on May 25, 2013.