While researching the almost completely lost classic "Kunt U Mij De Weg Naar Hamelen Vertellen, Meneer?" some time ago, I stumbled upon this TV title on the IMDb that was broadcast a mere 6 days before the first episode of Hamelen and shares no less than 5 performers with that very episode (and more actors who would guest star in later episodes). At the time I had very little hope of ever getting to see this Zomerzotheid, seeing as how little material from that era seems to have survived. Luckily you can always count on the digital channel formerly known as 'Hilversumbest' (now 'Best24') to find the unfindable in the archives of Beeld en Geluid (the TV and Radio preservation society in Hilversum). In this case it was broadcast as part of their month long celebration of Willem Nijholt's career.
In this 1972 made for television musical play based on Ciccy van Marxveldt' romance novel 'n Zomerzotheid 5 student girls from Leiden are on holiday together during the Roaring Twenties. They are: Erika 'Pit' Wendelaar (Ida Bons), her colored friend Dot Vermeer (Wieteke van Dort in darker make-up than usual), Lenie Marees (Jessica van Olden), Mia Lange (Maelys Morel) and stuck up Ella Heuveling (Ine Veen). All are staying with Lenie's parents in their summer home on the Veluwe. As luck would have it, four boys arrive at the wealthy Zonnevelde estate nearby and one of them has a title: Jonker Robbert Padt van Heyendaal (Willem Nijholt). When Robbert overhears the girls speculating about his lordship, he decides to pull a prank on them and introduces himself as the his own chauffeur. His three pals Gerrit-Jan (Hans Pauwels), Reep (Wiebe van der Velde) & Paul Vreere (Jacco van Renesse) draw straws to figure out which one of them will pose as the Jonker instead, and easily excited Gerrit-Jan takes the cake.
Ella, who claims to recognize a man of good breeding immediately, naturally falls for the fake Jonker while the more broad minded Pit takes a liking to the fake chauffeur (now christened Lucas Bols). She cunningly concocts a cavalcade of fibs and non-truths to be near the servant boy as much as possible. Tall, fair and handsome Reep is less successful at impressing the opinionated Dot and the romantic entanglements of the remaining characters are less well defined over the course of this TV movie. At one point two more boys arrive on the scene: Jeff van Doorn (Jaap Stobbe) & Charles LeBlanc (Martin Brozius), as well as Robbert's sister Hetty (Matielle Fiolet). One would think these late additions might ruin the real Robbert's charade immediately, but this comedy cliché is only slightly alluded to. Stobbe is his usual hilarious self throughout, while Brozius remains surprisingly restrained.
The musical numbers are fun, reminiscent of the period, but ultimately not very memorable. Man of a thousand voices Ger Smit appears as Janus the gardener, a rather unnecessary supporting part for which he was clearly much to young at the time. Then again, most of the 'students' (both male and female) were pushing thirty and playing teenagers. Of course this practice was not unusual in the Seventies (Grease, anyone?). The measuring of time during the play is a bit confusing: One moment the girls are sitting up late looking at the moon, the next instant they are knocking on the boy's front-door, having been caught in a rainstorm. Perhaps there is more footage missing here than Hilversumbest will let on. Eventually of course, the boy's deception is revealed, and insulted Ella storms off. Of course this was to be expected, as her character was obviously written to be the most annoying and small-minded. It's all quite harmless and slightly predictable, but then again it was written in 1927. Now the next step is to track down the 1936 version to see how much differs and/or remains the same.
8 out of 10
In this 1972 made for television musical play based on Ciccy van Marxveldt' romance novel 'n Zomerzotheid 5 student girls from Leiden are on holiday together during the Roaring Twenties. They are: Erika 'Pit' Wendelaar (Ida Bons), her colored friend Dot Vermeer (Wieteke van Dort in darker make-up than usual), Lenie Marees (Jessica van Olden), Mia Lange (Maelys Morel) and stuck up Ella Heuveling (Ine Veen). All are staying with Lenie's parents in their summer home on the Veluwe. As luck would have it, four boys arrive at the wealthy Zonnevelde estate nearby and one of them has a title: Jonker Robbert Padt van Heyendaal (Willem Nijholt). When Robbert overhears the girls speculating about his lordship, he decides to pull a prank on them and introduces himself as the his own chauffeur. His three pals Gerrit-Jan (Hans Pauwels), Reep (Wiebe van der Velde) & Paul Vreere (Jacco van Renesse) draw straws to figure out which one of them will pose as the Jonker instead, and easily excited Gerrit-Jan takes the cake.
Ella, who claims to recognize a man of good breeding immediately, naturally falls for the fake Jonker while the more broad minded Pit takes a liking to the fake chauffeur (now christened Lucas Bols). She cunningly concocts a cavalcade of fibs and non-truths to be near the servant boy as much as possible. Tall, fair and handsome Reep is less successful at impressing the opinionated Dot and the romantic entanglements of the remaining characters are less well defined over the course of this TV movie. At one point two more boys arrive on the scene: Jeff van Doorn (Jaap Stobbe) & Charles LeBlanc (Martin Brozius), as well as Robbert's sister Hetty (Matielle Fiolet). One would think these late additions might ruin the real Robbert's charade immediately, but this comedy cliché is only slightly alluded to. Stobbe is his usual hilarious self throughout, while Brozius remains surprisingly restrained.
The musical numbers are fun, reminiscent of the period, but ultimately not very memorable. Man of a thousand voices Ger Smit appears as Janus the gardener, a rather unnecessary supporting part for which he was clearly much to young at the time. Then again, most of the 'students' (both male and female) were pushing thirty and playing teenagers. Of course this practice was not unusual in the Seventies (Grease, anyone?). The measuring of time during the play is a bit confusing: One moment the girls are sitting up late looking at the moon, the next instant they are knocking on the boy's front-door, having been caught in a rainstorm. Perhaps there is more footage missing here than Hilversumbest will let on. Eventually of course, the boy's deception is revealed, and insulted Ella storms off. Of course this was to be expected, as her character was obviously written to be the most annoying and small-minded. It's all quite harmless and slightly predictable, but then again it was written in 1927. Now the next step is to track down the 1936 version to see how much differs and/or remains the same.
8 out of 10