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At Miss Sophie's 90th birthday dinner, her butler James must fill in for her four departed friends - and that includes lots of drinks before every course.At Miss Sophie's 90th birthday dinner, her butler James must fill in for her four departed friends - and that includes lots of drinks before every course.At Miss Sophie's 90th birthday dinner, her butler James must fill in for her four departed friends - and that includes lots of drinks before every course.
- Directors
- Writers
- Peter Frankenfeld(uncredited)
- Freddie Frinton(uncredited)
- Lauri Wylie(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAt first, the program was only used as a filler on German TV. It was shown four times between 1963 and 1972 before it finally got its now famous regular airing on New Years Eve in 1972. It is so popular in Germany that it is shown multiple times on New Years Eve so that everybody can watch it, when it best fits their schedule. In 2003 it aired a total of 19 times on different stations in Germany.
- GoofsAfter James burps, Miss Sophie takes hold of her chair's armrests probably in anticipation of James almost tipping her chair backwards.
- Quotes
[last lines]
James: By the way... Same procedure as last year, Miss Sophie?
Miss Sophie: Same procedure as every year, James.
James: [hesitates] Well, I'll do my very best!
[They rush up the stairs to the bedroom]
- Alternate versionsSeveral versions of this sketch were recorded/broadcast or released on DVD/video:
- the original B&W version with an audience as produced by Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) in 1963. 18 minutes
- a changed B&W version where an english spelling error in the intro narration was digitally removed. Shown on German TV since the end of the 90s.
- a changed B&W version without the audience sound. Shown by Danish TV who also omit the introductory narration, bringing the sketch to a 14 minutes runtime
- a computer colorized version produced by the NDR in 1999. Due to massive protest from fans this version is almost never shown
- an alternative B&W version as produced by Swiss TV. This version has no intro narration and misses some gags. This version can be recognized by the much simpler set decoration (no table cloth, smaller/simpler pictures on the walls, much smaller stairs). Released on DVD in Germany. Runtime 11 minutes. Has been shown on Swiss television since 1989 on New Years Eve.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Das Superweib (1996)
Featured review
Dinner for One Live
I have been trying to see this for some years as I saw Freddie Frinton perform it on stage c 1955 where it was a standard routine of his stage act. As a television program it probably seems very stagy and dated for UK tastes but it is great that a classic piece of comedy has been preserved. I still remembered the names of the guests - Admiral Von Schneider etc from when I was 9. Good to see it again. Frinton's drunk was always a classic and I think he appeared in a number of films in the background doing just that. I do not know if May Warden appeared with him on stage but she was a regular character actress in the 60's. It would be interesting to know how many TV airings it has had in Germany. I do not think it has ever been shown in the UK.
helpful•100
- binderb
- Apr 6, 2006
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- The 90th Birthday, or Dinner for One
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime18 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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