representative visit

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Sales Visit is a skit by the German humorist Loriot . In it, a housewife is visited by three sales representatives who want to sell her wine, a vacuum cleaner and insurance. With copious wine consumption, the sales talk develops into a boozy celebration. In the foreground of the sketch is the parody of typical behavior and sales strategies of sales representatives. The skit is also riddled with sexual innuendo.

The sketch was first broadcast in December 1978 in the sixth and final episode of the Loriot series . Since 1997 it has been part of the 14th episode of the new cut version of the series entitled Weihnachts bei Hoppenstedts , which is part of the ARD 's standard Christmas program . A printed text version of the sketch first appeared in 1981.

plot

Mrs. Hoppenstedt meets the representative Blühmel in the stairwell, who has "a big surprise for the holidays " for her. While the two enter the apartment, Blühmel explains to her that the surprise is six bottles of wine that the company Pahlgruber & Sons wants to give her. There is a wine tasting in the Hoppenstedts' living room . Only at the end does Blühmel reveal that Ms. Hoppenstedt only gets bottles for free if she also buys a carton of wine in return. As she is about to sign the purchase contract, the doorbell rings.

Another representative named Jürgens is at the door. He also enters the Hoppenstedts' apartment. He has the Heinzelmann suction blower , a combination of vacuum cleaner and hair dryer , which, according to Jürgen's advertising slogan, "sucks and blows where mommy can otherwise only suck." To show that the device can be operated with just one hand, Jürgens wears it an arm in a cast in a bandage. When Ms. Hoppenstedt tries out the device, the drying hood gets caught on her hair and wreaks havoc on her hairstyle when she removes it. Jürgens tries to find the error and disassembles the suction blower. He is disturbed by Dicki, the child of the Hoppenstedt family. Blühmel also offers Jürgens a glass of wine, which he accepts. Frau Hoppenstedt, like Blühmel already drunk, disappears into the kitchen to make a sandwich . When she comes back with a big record, the doorbell rings again.

A third agent appears, named Schober, who works for Allgemeine Hannoversche Lebens- und Krankenversicherungs-GmbH . He joins the other representatives and Blühmel immediately offers him a glass of wine. At his mother's request, Dicki watches television. Meanwhile, the four adults continue to get drunk. In a merry mood they are surprised by Mrs. Hoppenstedt's husband. His wife introduces the three gentlemen to him. Jürgens certifies that the balding man Hoppenstedt has "wonderful hair" and puts the drying hood of the suction blower on him. Jürgen's advertising slogan "Heinzelmann sucks and blows..." ends Ms. Hoppenstedt incorrectly with "... where mommy can otherwise only blow."

production and publication

The sketch was created in 1978 for the sixth and final episode of the Loriot series produced by Radio Bremen . The Hoppenstedt couple was portrayed by Evelyn Hamann and Heinz Meier . Loriot played the wine salesman Blühmel, Rudolf Kowalski the vacuum cleaner salesman Jürgens and Kurt Ackermann the insurance salesman Schober. The then seven-year-old Katja Bogdanski played the child Dicki Hoppenstedt. She got the role on the recommendation of the caretaker at her elementary school after the casting, for which Hape Kerkeling had applied, failed to find a suitable child.

Unlike many of Loriot's other sketches, Sales Visit was not shot in the studio but in a private apartment. That's why they shot on 16 mm film , which was otherwise mainly used for current affairs reporting and made it possible to take pictures of a lower quality than studio cameras. Due to a technical defect, the shot in which Rudolf Kowalski as Mr. Jürgen explains the vacuum pump to Ms. Hoppenstedt did not run in sync with the image. The post-processing, in which the audio was sped up, resulted in a slightly squeaky voice from Kowalski.

The sixth episode of Loriot was broadcast on December 7, 1978 on German television . Unlike the previous episodes, most of the sketches in the episode are more closely related. Apart from the opening sketch of the Salamo concert , they can be assigned to two story lines that are combined in the sales representative 's visit. The thread about the Hoppenstedt family, which began with the sketch Die Jodelschule , will be continued after the representative 's visit with the sketches Spielzeug , Kosakenzipfel and Christmas . The other thread concerns the vacuum cleaner salesman Jürgens. He has already appeared as a senior executive in the salesman conference sketch , which is shown immediately before the salesman 's visit. In it, an embarrassing situation arises in which his wife uses the hands-free system of a telephone during a meeting to reveal private information to his colleagues. The content of the representative 's visit suggests that Jürgens was demoted and transferred to the field service for this reason.

In the original version of the sketch, it was not foreseen that Jürgens would appear in plaster during the sales visit. Actor Rudolf Kowalski broke his arm shortly before shooting began. Since Loriot didn't want to do without it, he and his assistant Stefan Lukschy developed the idea of ​​advertising the Heinzelmann suction blower as a "one-handed device" and thus reinterpreting the cast as a sales trick. The sketch for the representatives ' conference was not filmed until two weeks after the representatives ' visit. That's why Kowalski was able to appear in it without a cast.

The moment Dicki Hoppenstedt turns on the television, the sales representative 's visit to Loriot VI is interrupted and the cartoon Advent is shown, in which a narrator recites the poem of the same name. This cartoon was already shown in 1969 in Loriot's first series of cartoons . In the VHS collection Loriots Vibliothek , published in 1983, the cartoon The Family User is shown instead, which could still be seen in Loriot VI in the Christmas sketch . There he is replaced in the VHS collection by the animated film The Vampyr , which also comes from the Cartoon series . The sales representative 's visit was also shown in the program Loriots 65. Birthday from November 1988 , with Dicki watching the cartoon sketch Men in the Bathroom on TV this time.

In 1997, Loriot made fourteen 25-minute episodes out of the original six 45-minute episodes of Loriot . The representative 's visit is part of the final episode Christmas at Hoppenstedts , which aired on July 22, 1997 on the first . While other of these new episodes were compiled from material from different episodes, this episode is essentially an abridged variant of the original episode Loriot VI . The sketches Salamo-Konzert , Die Jodelschule and Kosakenzipfel were removed . Dicki again sees the Advent reading on television when the sales representative visits. The last sentence in the original sketch "Don't be a frog..." by the wine salesman Blühmel was removed in this version. Now Ms. Hoppenstedt's "...where mommy can otherwise only blow..." ends the sketch. The episode has meanwhile become a classic of German television programs at Christmas and is shown annually on various ARD channels. It has thus achieved a status similar to that of Dinner for One on New Year's Eve .

A printed text version of the salesman 's visit first appeared in the 1981 anthology Loriots Dramatische Werke , where the skit is assigned to the Home and Family chapter . Unlike the TV version, Grandpa Hoppenstedt, who was only seen on TV in the sketches Toys and Christmas , also makes a brief appearance here . After Frau Hoppenstedt introduced him to Blühmel and Jürgens as her father-in-law, according to the stage directions he disappears without a word and blowing a march in the background. The text version has since been published in other anthologies by Loriot.

analysis and classification

The skit is primarily a parody of the agency system. As the Germanist Felix Christian Reuter, who did his doctorate on Loriot's television skits, notes, Loriot shows that he is familiar with typical advertising media. Especially at the beginning of his career, Loriot had also worked in advertising himself. According to Reuter, the behavior of the representatives Blühmel and Jürgens in particular shows typical advertising and sales strategies. Both try to present themselves as experts. Blühmel uses oenological terms such as “ flower ” and “fruity freshness”. Jürgens explains the mechanism of the suction blower using many technical terms such as "suction nozzle" and "hose connector". Both representatives present their products as it is done in classic demonstration commercials. The performance of the product should be presented and any objections or concerns should be dispelled. This behavior becomes grotesque when Frau Hoppenstedt asks Blühmel whether the wine tastes of cork . This so-called cork tone is a typical wine defect . However, Blühmel interprets the question as a wish and confirms that the wine tastes like a cork, as he himself has just checked.

Another classic advertising strategy that can be observed at Blühmel and Jürgens is advertising slogans . In addition to the "tap and originally corked by Pahlgruber & Söhne", Blühmel also uses "fresh from German sunny hills on the table". Jürgen's saying is "Heinzelmann sucks and blows where mommy can otherwise only suck." The slogans are designed with their rhythm and rhymes in such a way that they are easy to remember. Blühmel's hand movement has a similar function, with which he hits the neck of the bottle every time the Pahlgruber slogan is mentioned, thus indicating that the bottle has been corked. Jürgen's sales presentation also shows that the advertising is based on common clichés . Thus, agreeing to take care of one's own home and hair is presented as a common problem faced by housewives, and the suction blower is presented as the solution to this constructed problem. The fact that the suction blower does not work correctly and instead ruins the customer's hairstyle reveals that the product cannot live up to the promises of the advertising.

A cover-up tactic can also be observed in Blühmel's sales strategy. Right from the start, he gives the impression that his company would like to give Frau Hoppenstedt wine as a gift. At first he doesn't mention that she has to buy several wine boxes. Later, he also speaks only generally of the "acceptance of one box each", the resulting costs are not related to Mrs. Hoppenstedt. When drunk, Blühmel and Jürgens are no longer able to recite their lyrics correctly. Some slips of the tongue are interpreted by Reuter as a disclosure of things that the two actually wanted to cover up. Jürgens turns "Russian" into the word "Ruschiss", a hint that the non-functioning sucker is just "Schiss". Blühmel turns “corked” into “corked” and thus indicates that he has spoiled them by tipping different wines together. For Reuter, this is one of many examples of the complexity of Loriot's comedy.

The name of the wine salesman Blühmel together with his behavior is an example of numerous cross-references in Loriot's work for the Germanist Stefan Neumann, who did his doctorate on Loriot's life and work. As early as 1963, a character with this name appeared in an episode of Loriot 's Quick series Poppe & Co. , who was fond of sweet wine . In Loriot's Telecabinet from 1974, a Mr. Blühmel gets drunk in the sketch of etiquette. In 1983, Loriot presented this same Blühmel as his true self in the program Loriots 60. Birthday . Again, he gets excessively drunk and then loses control of himself.

With the suction blower Heinzelmann , Loriot oriented himself to a real model, the vacuum cleaner Kobold from Vorwerk . This device was also sold through direct sales and could be converted into a hair dryer with the help of accessories. When it came to the name, Loriot replaced the natural and domestic spirit Kobold with other dwarfish fairy tale characters, the brownies . The suction gun's colors "silver gray" and "Russian green" mentioned in the sketch also refer to the Kobold , which was available in silver gray and Nato green, among other colors. So while Loriot kept the one color, he replaced the western military alliance NATO with its antagonist Russia in green , for Felix Christian Reuter a subtle reference to the Cold War . According to Reuter, Loriot was also inspired by real models when it came to the products from Pahlgruber & Söhne . Thus, a winemaking company called Pallhuber exists . The Oberföhringer Vogelspinne could refer to the Gimmeldinger Meerspinne vineyard , the Klöbener Krötenpfuhl to the Oppenheimer Krötenbrunnen , the Hupfheimer Jungferngärtchen to the Hallgartener Jungfer or the Deidesheimer Paradiesgarten and the Bacharacher dry Domtal to the Niersteiner Gute Domtal .

The skit is riddled with numerous sexual innuendos and ambiguities typical of Loriot's work. The words "suck" and "blow", which are often used in connection with the Heinzelmann suction blower , also stand for oral sex . The mentioned components blowing nozzle , hose connector and hose groove can also be understood as human genitals. When Jürgens' representative then "only has to push the hose connector into the hose groove", it sounds like a description of sexual intercourse. According to Reuter, Ms. Hoppenstedt's question as to whether she always has to do this when she is sucking or urinating and Jürgen's answer "as you wish, madam" can be interpreted as a question of sexual freedom.

aftermath

The suction blower Heinzelmann and his advertising slogan developed into dictums .

On the occasion of Loriot's 90th birthday in 2013, wines were presented that commemorate the Sketch sales visit. The idea for this came up shortly before Loriot's death in 2011, and Loriot's daughters later agreed to the project. In addition to the Oberföhringer Vogelspinne , the Hupfheimer Jungferngärtchen and the Klöbener Krötenpfuhl , which are mentioned in the sales representative 's visit, a late harvest from Pahlgruber & Söhne was also marketed. The Moselle wines came from the Cusanus-Hofgut, which is operated by the DRK -Socialwerk Bernkastel-Wittlich and is the only Red Cross winery in the world . In addition to the winery, the DRK Bremen also received part of the proceeds. By 2016 over 120,000 bottles had been sold. In 2017, the offer was discontinued after the license was not renewed.

audiovisual media

  • Loriot's library. Volume 3: The Hoppenstedt family or an idyll. Warner Home Video, Hamburg 1984, VHS No. 3.
  • Loriot – His big sketch archive. Warner Home Video, Hamburg 2001, DVD #4 (as part of Loriot 14 ).
  • Loriot - The Complete TV Edition. Warner Home Video, Hamburg 2007, DVD #4 (as part of Loriot VI ).

Text publications (selection)

literature

  • Stefan Neumann: Loriot and the high comedy. Life, work and influence of Vicco von Bülow . Scientific publishing house Trier, Trier 2011, ISBN 978-3-86821-298-3 .
  • Felix Christian Reuter: Chaos, Comedy, Cooperation. Loriot's television skit (=  Oliver Jahraus , Stefan Neuhaus [ed.]: FILM - MEDIUM - DISKURS . Volume 70 ). Königshausen & Neumann, Würzburg 2016, ISBN 978-3-8260-5898-1 (also dissertation at the University of Trier 2015).

itemizations

  1. Christoph Gunkel: Kultsketch "Christmas at Hoppenstedts": "Dicki, now look annoyed!" In: Mirror Online . 20 December 2018, retrieved 22 November 2020 .
  2. Stefan Lukschy : Happy people don't beat dogs. A Loriot portrait . 2nd Edition. Structure, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-351-03540-2 , p. 151-152 .
  3. Stefan Lukschy: Happy people don't beat dogs. A Loriot portrait . 2nd Edition. Structure, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-351-03540-2 , p. 154-155 .
  4. Stefan Neumann: Loriot and the high comedy. 2011, p. 290.
  5. Stefan Neumann: Loriot and the high comedy. 2011, p. 293.
  6. Stefan Lukschy: Happy people don't beat dogs. A Loriot portrait . 2nd Edition. Structure, Berlin 2013, ISBN 978-3-351-03540-2 , p. 153-154 .
  7. Uwe Ehlert: "That's probably more of a communication disorder". The portrayal of misunderstandings in Loriot's work . ALDA! The publishing house, Nottuln 2004, ISBN 3-937979-00-X , p. 457-458 (also dissertation at the University of Münster 2003).
  8. Uwe Ehlert: "That's probably more of a communication disorder". The portrayal of misunderstandings in Loriot's work . ALDA! The publishing house, Nottuln 2004, ISBN 3-937979-00-X , p. 445 (also dissertation at the University of Münster 2003).
  9. Stefan Neumann: Loriot and the high comedy. 2011, p. 418.
  10. Wolfgang Kaes : Memories of Loriot: There used to be more tinsel. In: General Gazette . December 24, 2015, retrieved November 28, 2020 .
  11. Felix Christian Reuter: Chaos, comedy, cooperation. 2016, pp. 58, 65.
  12. a b Felix Christian Reuter: Chaos, Comedy, Cooperation. 2016, pp. 60–66.
  13. Felix Christian Reuter: Chaos, comedy, cooperation. 2016, pp. 60–61.
  14. Felix Christian Reuter: Chaos, comedy, cooperation. 2016, p. 145.
  15. Stefan Neumann: Loriot and the high comedy. 2011, p. 195 (footnote 774), 251 (footnote 995), 301 (footnote 1161).
  16. Felix Christian Reuter: Chaos, comedy, cooperation. 2016, pp. 55–56. Stefan Neumann: Loriot and the high comedy. 2011, p. 293.
  17. Felix Christian Reuter: Chaos, comedy, cooperation. 2016, pp. 309–312.
  18. Felix Christian Reuter: Chaos, comedy, cooperation. 2016, pp. 291–294.
  19. Felix Christian Reuter: Chaos, comedy, cooperation. 2016, p. 313.
  20. Elisabeth Binder: Wine tasting in Berlin: Would you like a glass of Loriot? In: The daily mirror . 5 November 2013, retrieved 11 December 2021 .
  21. Pahlgruber and Sons deliver again. In: volksfreund.de . September 27, 2016, retrieved December 11, 2021 .
  22. Pahlgruberundsoehne.de ( Memento from January 6, 2017 in the Internet Archive )