Kokadorus

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Kokadorus strikes the gong (1910)

Kokadorus , also Cocadorus , (born March 22, 1867 in Leeuwarden ; died May 27, 1934 in Amsterdam ) was a Dutch barkeeper . His real name was Meyer (also Meier or Meijer ) Linnewiel. A memorial on Amstelveld Square in Amsterdam commemorates him . In 2014 Kokadorus was characterized as the “first stand-up comedian ”.

biography

Monument of Kokadorus on the Amsteveld in Amsterdam

Meyer Linnewiel was born in Leeuwarden, the son of the businessman Jacob Linnewiel and his wife Hester Spier. He was the third of five children. In 1879 the poor family moved to Amsterdam in the hope of a better livelihood. Twelve-year-old Meyer started selling matches with another boy on Amsterdam's main shopping street, the Kalverstraat. Street sales were considered begging and prohibited, and the police repeatedly whipped the two children away , 25 times in one day.

At the age of 14, the eloquent Linnewiel, who now spoke with a “juicy Amsterdam- Yiddish accent”, began selling goods on the Amstelveld , a square in the center of Amsterdam. There he set up his stand on Mondays under a linden tree on the Reguliersgracht , opposite the De Duif church . He gave himself the name Kokadorus and claimed that this imaginative name was based on the first names of his father and grandparents, who were, however, Jacob, Mietje, Salomon and Eva. According to another theory, the name is derived from that of the Antwerp quack Kackadoris, the main character in a play from the 16th century. In 1895 he acted as an “extra” of a miniature city from the 17th century at an exhibition of the hotel and travel industry on today's Museumplein , which made him famous throughout the country.

Kokadorus began his sale with a chime on the gong , an introductory imaginative story ("I was hired by the director of the North Pole Warming Society") and jokes and political comments. Sometimes he wore a costume from the 17th century, often he had a cigar in the corner of his mouth. Among other things, he sold toiletries, knives, leather goods and suspenders , which he advertised with the words: “So good! To hang up your mother-in-law! "

His assistant was an "old wizened man" named Nathan van den Berg, whom Kokadorus called Cheffie and who wore a red fez on his white hair. When someone bought something, Kokadorus threw the goods to the customer, Cheffie then collected the money: “Boss, get the cents and don't steal from me. In addition, should he ever have to go before a judge, he would get at least ten years for his face alone. ”Or he advised customers not to buy his goods:“ You surely know that I am going to cheat you? ” which did not prevent them from buying anyway.

Kokadorus told his audience of (fictional) conversations with Queen Wilhelmina , with whom he allegedly had tea, in which she called him Kokkie and praised the good quality of his goods. He is said to have been invited by the Queen to Het Loo , but was so overwhelmed by the splendor there that he was speechless. From then on, he called himself a “purveyor to the court” and wore medals on his chest.

In 1906 Linnewiel celebrated its 25th anniversary as a barkeeper with an all-day festival. He reported that he had received congratulatory telegrams from the German Emperor , the English King and the "Sar van Rupsland". In the evening he appeared in a revue with songs by the famous Dutch cabaret artist Louis Davids . From then on he called himself Professor Kokadorus: The academic title was awarded to him by the university on an honorary basis. Other nicknames were Kaiser der Marktschreier or masseur of the laughing muscles . He also called himself a merchant from Northern Venice .

Image and sound recording of
the "professor"

De Kunst magazine wrote about Kokadorus in 1910:

“Op den hoek van Prinsen- en Reguliersgracht troont hij op zijn kar, as ware hij de koning van 't geheele Amstelveld! Ziet hem daar staan ​​met zijn guitig gezicht, zijn gullen lach, zijn frissche bolle cheeks, het roode mutsje op zijn zwart-kroezig hair! Hoort hem spreken, hoort hem pluck! With zijn oolijke stem, zijn vloed van woorden, zijn leuke moppen, penetrates here every dead luisteren. Zoo één, dan bezit Kokadorus het talent koopman te zijn. In zijn soort, hij een genie. "

“On the corner of Prinsengracht and Reguliersgracht, he sits enthroned on his car as if he were the king of the whole Amstelveld! See him standing there, with his kind face, his open smile, his fresh round cheeks, the red cap on his black, frizzy hair! Hear him speak, hear him sing! With his incomparable voice, his flood of words and his jokes, he forces everyone to listen to him. If anyone, then Kokadorus has the talent as a merchant. In his own way he's a genius! "

In 1915 a book with the "Memoirs" by Professor Kokadorus (the real ones!) Was published, noted by the author Jan Feith . From the end of the 1920s he had a stand on the Waterlooplein , but was less and less active as a barker, but rather as a speaker at celebrations and events, including for charitable purposes. In 1924 he is said to have embezzled more than 1000 guilders at a charity event in Zaandam in favor of the Vereniging Kindervoeding , but this was probably not pursued.

Meyer Linnewiel was a practicing Jew, he never worked on Friday evenings or Saturdays. He was a good friend of the Jewish theologian and so-called “people's rabbi” Meijer de Hond and a member of the Touroh Our Jewish association , which worked among other things for disabled Jewish people . In private, he was considered a quiet man who looked after his family life. He died in 1934, his wife Hendrika in 1939, “so that they were spared the horrors of World War II ”. Both are buried in the Muiderberg Jewish cemetery . His daughter Sara and his son Barend as well as their in-laws and grandchildren were murdered in the Holocaust , as was his friend de Hond.

Honors

In 1977 a monument by Kokadorus to the law student and sculptor Erica van Eeghen was unveiled on the Amstelveld. It was donated by a student association on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. It shows Kokadorus promoting a tie, which broke off the day after it was unveiled. The café in the Joods Historisch Museum bears his name. In 2004 Meyer Linnewiel alias Kokadorus was chosen in the list of the 100 most famous Leeuwarden . Efforts are being made to erect a memorial for him in his place of birth. In 2014 the CD Marktkoopman op het Amstelveld with original recordings by Professor Kokadorus was released.

literature

  • Jan Feith / Kris Kras (drawings): Op het Amstelveld. Mémoires van professor Kokadorus (the real one!) . Minerva, Amsterdam 1915.
  • Kokadorus op het oorlogspad: zijn herinneringen van een jaar oorlog . Van Holkema & Warendorf, Amsterdam 1915.

Web links

Commons : Kokadorus  - collection of images, videos and audio files

References and comments

  1. a b c d e f g h i j k l m Peter-Paul de Baar: Keizer van het Amstelveld. In: Ons Amsterdam. March 2014, accessed May 12, 2018 (Dutch).
  2. a b c 't Kleinste Krantje , May 1, 1994 , p. 6.
  3. Kokadorus door E. van Amerongen. In: joodsamsterdam.nl. Retrieved May 10, 2018 (Dutch).
  4. a b c Theo Bakker: Straattypen en standwerkers. Retrieved May 11, 2018 . (pdf)
  5. Since 2003, the Meester Kackadorisprijs has been awarded in the Netherlands to people or institutions that advertise or promote dubious medical practices.
  6. a b c d Kokadorus. In: amsterdamoudestad.nl. Retrieved May 10, 2018 (Dutch).
  7. a b c d e f Professor Kokadorus earned a beeld in Leeuwarden. In: lc.nl. March 22, 2017, accessed May 10, 2018 (Dutch).
  8. a b c Kokadorus. In: buitenbeeldinbeeld.nl. Retrieved May 11, 2018 .
  9. Professor Kokadorus, Professor Emeritus Champion of the Amstel to Amsterdam sells flowers tbv on YouTube , from February 2, 2018
  10. Meijer Linnewiel. In: joodsmonument.nl. Retrieved May 10, 2018 (Dutch).
  11. Sara Linnewiel-de Wit. In: joodsmonument.nl. Retrieved May 10, 2018 (Dutch).
  12. Top 100 confessed Leeuwarders. In: Historisch Centrum Leeuwarden. Retrieved May 10, 2018 (Dutch).