Nu, pogodi!
Encyclopedia
Nu, pogodi! is a Soviet
/Russia
n animated
series produced by Soyuzmultfilm
. The series was created in 1969 and became a popular cartoon of the Soviet Union
. Additional episodes have been produced in Russia
since 2006. The original film language is Russian but very little speech is used (usually interjection
s or at most several sentences per episode).
The series follows the comical
adventures of a mischievous yet artistic wolf trying to catch (and presumably eat) a hare
. The series has additional characters that usually either help the hare or interfere with the wolf's plans.
The Wolf, commonly transliterated into English as Volk , is initially portrayed as a hooligan
who eagerly turns to vandalism
, abuse
s minors
, breaks laws, and is a smoker
.
On the other hand, many of the Wolf's attempts to catch the Hare are often characterized by uncanny abilities on his part (including figure skating
, ballet
and waltz
ing) for humorous contrast. The Wolf can also play the guitar
very well and ride the powerful rocker
motorbike.
In the first episode, while climbing a high building to catch the Hare, the Wolf whistles the popular mountaineer
song, "A Song About A Friend" (a signature song of Vladimir Vysotsky
). In spite of these talents, most of the Wolf's schemes eventually fail or turn against him. The character was originally voiced by Anatoli Papanov
.
During the late Soviet and post-Soviet era, however, the Wolf's image slowly denigrates into a more cartoonish and less criminal persona. In the latest episode (#20), for example, the Wolf is seen chewing a lollipop
instead of smoking and his drawing style is reminiscent of new Russian cartoons rather than the old Soviet slapstick
genre. The Wolf has also adopted a lot of cowardly attitudes in many situations since the first episodes, which more or less oppose his initial persona and actor's voice.
The Hare, commonly translated into English as Zayats , is portrayed as a supposedly positive hero. He gets much less screen time and is less developed than the Wolf, and most of his actions are simply reactions to the Wolf's schemes. Therefore, the sympathies of some viewers are more with the Wolf (similar to the premise of Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner where the sympathy of the viewers also lies with the "villain"). In later episodes, the role of the Hare becomes more active and developed, and he even manages to save the Wolf on several occasions. The Hare is portrayed as a percussionist in a number of episodes. The character was originally voiced by Klara Rumyanova
.
( Begemot, "Behemoth"), who participates in various roles (e.g., a museum caretaker, shop keeper, passer-by, etc.) and whom the Wolf usually annoys and has to run away from. In Episode #5 (1972), the Hare finds the Wolf hidden among water-melons (the Wolf's cap camouflage
s him in the scene). The Hare recommends to the passing Hippopotamus, who's also looking to buy melons, one which actually winds up being the Wolf's head. Hippopotamus squeezes Wolf's head to test the ripeness of the "watermelon", and inadvertently forces him out of hiding. The episode ends with Wolf (on a washbowl) sliding down into the Moscow Metro
and slamming head-on into, and ending up under the Hippopotamus.
Another repeating character is the Cat ( Kot), who is a specialist in magic
and appears in several stage performances throughout the series. The Cat is shown to be a good magician, but very self-absorbed and highly sensitive to applause. In Episode #9 (1976), the Cat traps the Wolf in his levitation act (which saves the Hare from being caught). He drops the Wolf twice in his act to acknowledge and accept the applause from the Hare.
Other animals are shown in the series, including bears, red foxes, elephants, beavers and pigs.
allowed better exchange of films, both Russian and Western audiences have noted similarities between Nu, pogodi! and American
cartoons, the most noticeable being Tom and Jerry
. The director has admitted that he was learning from Disney animated films which were brought into the USSR from Germany
immediately after World War II
, particularly Bambi
. However, he did not see any Tom and Jerry episodes until his son bought a VCR in 1987. Thematically, Nu, pogodi! places greater emphasis on various real-life situations and locations.
There are very few spoken lines in the series. The most common line is "Nu, pogodi!" (Well, just you wait!). This is recited by Wolf when his plans fail. The series' trademark is that at the end of each episode (and at the end of the pre-title introduction), Wolf recites "Nu, Zayats, pogodi!" (Well, Hare, you just wait!). The series also includes many grunts, laughs and songs.
The series was put on hold after the death of Anatoli Papanov
(voice of Wolf). The 17th and 18th episodes from 1993 (which were released in 1994 and 1995, respectively) used samples of his voice recorded earlier (the studio had archived all outtakes of his work for the series). It featured a lot of product placement
(the most noted being Nokia
) and was sponsored by AMT
.
The 2005 series were voiced by Igor Khristenko (Wolf) and Olga Zvereva (Hare) and were done by the Christmas Films studio. They were directed by Aleksey Kotyonochkin (son of deceased original director Vyacheslav Kotyonochkin). The script was written by Felix Kandel
and Aleksandr Kurlyandsky, two of the original writers. For two years, they were largely unavailable to the public and were only shown at certain film festivals. However, in late December 2007 a DVD was finally released in Russia which contained the two films, as well as a making-of film and comics drawn by Aleksey Kotyonochkin. As of now, it is available only in the supermarket chains Pyatyorochka and Perekryostok.
The series was, for many years, hugely popular among the Soviet public, and it is popular in Russia
to this day. The critical reaction of the director's colleagues was less favourable. The director's son Aleksey Kotyonochkin recalls how, although nobody said it to his father outright, the animators and directors of Soyuzmultfilm
generally considered Nu, pogodi! to be of low class. For his part, Vyacheslav Kotyonichkin was not a follower of auteur films (many of which were being made at the studio at the time), and considered them to be examples of someone needlessly showing off.
Kotyonochkin disliked subtext and tried to create very simple, straightforward scenarios. The main idea of the series was simple and "Western"; don't hurt the little guy or you will yourself get into a foolish situation. Because the series was so popular, however, it was often a subject for critical discussion. Soviet critics saw many different subtexts: for example that the films were supportive of the gay cause
(because Wolf occasionally gives Hare flowers as a sign of goodwill, which, at the time, was considered as an acceptable social act among men, as much as today's criticism of Batman
's relations with Robin
in the late 1960s in America), or that they represented the struggle between the intelligentsia
and the working class
(with the Wolf representing the working class and the Hare the intelligentsia). Aleksey Kotyonochkin dismisses these interpretations as groundless.
Some of the known performers whose music was featured in Nu Pogodi are Herb Alpert
, Digital Emotion
, Günter Gollasch, Bill Haley
, Ted Heath
, Leroy Holmes
, Halina Kunicka, James Last
, Muslim Magomayev, Paul Mauriat
,Hazy Osterwald, Pesnyary, Edita Piekha
, Franck Pourcel
, Perez Prado
, Alla Pugacheva
, Eric Rogers, Earl Scruggs
, Igor Sklar, Terry Snyder, Studio 11, Mel Taylor
, Klaus Wunderlich
, Billy Vaughn
, Helmut Zacharias
, and Zemlyane
.
The opening credits theme was edited from Vízisí (Water Ski), written by Hungarian composer Tamás Deák
and performed Magyar Rádió Tánczenekara & Harmónia Vokál.
Sometimes the words of the songs were modified or altogether substituted to correspond to the action, and a New Years holiday song (duet between Papanov and Rumyanova that later became a popular standard) was written especially for the series. Originally, the cult Russian singer/actor Vladimir Vysotsky
was cast for the voice of Wolf, but the studio did not get the approval they needed from a Soviet state organization to use him. However, some homage to Vysotsky remains, as in the opening episode, Wolf is whistling his "Song of a Friend".
The episodes of Nu, pogodi! were not named but rather numbered. Each episode has a different setting:
There was also a promotional 30 min. long episode show including various characters from Soviet cartoons (Cheburashka
, among others) released in 1981 called The Lost Episodes. The show featured three never before seen sequences of Nu, pogodi! of approximate 10 min. length and were not re-released for home entertainment in spite of various full episode collections. They can, however, be seen on television on some channels during children cartoons time and are viewable through web video recordings (such as YouTube
).
In 2001, the characters were redesigned (with Hare looking more like a chipmunk) for a series of next ID's for Teletoon
, produced by Chuck Gammage Animation .
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
/Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
series produced by Soyuzmultfilm
Soyuzmultfilm
Soyuzmultfilm is a Russian animation studio based in Moscow. Over the years it has gained international attention and respect, garnering numerous awards both at home and abroad. Noted for a great variety of style, it is regarded as the most influential animation studio of the former Soviet Union...
. The series was created in 1969 and became a popular cartoon of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Additional episodes have been produced in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
since 2006. The original film language is Russian but very little speech is used (usually interjection
Interjection
In grammar, an interjection or exclamation is a word used to express an emotion or sentiment on the part of the speaker . Filled pauses such as uh, er, um are also considered interjections...
s or at most several sentences per episode).
The series follows the comical
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
adventures of a mischievous yet artistic wolf trying to catch (and presumably eat) a hare
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
. The series has additional characters that usually either help the hare or interfere with the wolf's plans.
The Wolf
Hooliganism
Hooliganism refers to unruly, destructive, aggressive and bullying behaviour. Such behaviour is commonly associated with sports fans. The term can also apply to general rowdy behaviour and vandalism, often under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs....
who eagerly turns to vandalism
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
, abuse
Physical abuse
Physical abuse is abuse involving contact intended to cause feelings of intimidation, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm.-Forms of physical abuse:*Striking*Punching*Belting*Pushing, pulling*Slapping*Whipping*Striking with an object...
s minors
Minor (law)
In law, a minor is a person under a certain age — the age of majority — which legally demarcates childhood from adulthood; the age depends upon jurisdiction and application, but is typically 18...
, breaks laws, and is a smoker
Smoking
Smoking is a practice in which a substance, most commonly tobacco or cannabis, is burned and the smoke is tasted or inhaled. This is primarily practised as a route of administration for recreational drug use, as combustion releases the active substances in drugs such as nicotine and makes them...
.
On the other hand, many of the Wolf's attempts to catch the Hare are often characterized by uncanny abilities on his part (including figure skating
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
, ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
and waltz
Waltz
The waltz is a ballroom and folk dance in time, performed primarily in closed position.- History :There are several references to a sliding or gliding dance,- a waltz, from the 16th century including the representations of the printer H.S. Beheim...
ing) for humorous contrast. The Wolf can also play the guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
very well and ride the powerful rocker
Rocker (subculture)
Rockers, leather boys or ton-up boys are a biker subculture that originated in the United Kingdom during the 1950s. It was mainly centered around British cafe racer motorcycles and rock and roll music....
motorbike.
In the first episode, while climbing a high building to catch the Hare, the Wolf whistles the popular mountaineer
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
song, "A Song About A Friend" (a signature song of Vladimir Vysotsky
Vladimir Vysotsky
Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky was a Soviet singer, songwriter, poet, and actor whose career had an immense and enduring effect on Russian culture. He became widely known for his unique singing style and for his lyrics, which featured social and political commentary in often humorous street...
). In spite of these talents, most of the Wolf's schemes eventually fail or turn against him. The character was originally voiced by Anatoli Papanov
Anatoli Papanov
Anatoli Dmitrievich Papanov was a popular Soviet film and theatre actor.Papanov starred in some of the best and well-known Soviet films, often together with his friend, Andrei Mironov. Mostly known for his great performances in comedies, he also had serious and dramatic roles, such as that of the...
.
During the late Soviet and post-Soviet era, however, the Wolf's image slowly denigrates into a more cartoonish and less criminal persona. In the latest episode (#20), for example, the Wolf is seen chewing a lollipop
Lollipop
A lollipop, pop, lolly, sucker, or sticky-pop is a type of confectionery consisting mainly of hardened, flavored sucrose with corn syrup mounted on a stick and intended for sucking or licking. They are available in many flavors and shapes.- Types :Lollipops are available in a number of colors and...
instead of smoking and his drawing style is reminiscent of new Russian cartoons rather than the old Soviet slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
genre. The Wolf has also adopted a lot of cowardly attitudes in many situations since the first episodes, which more or less oppose his initial persona and actor's voice.
The Hare
Klara Rumyanova
Klara Mikhailovna Rumyanova was a Soviet and Russian actress and singer. She was active from 1951 to 1999.Her small, adorable voice is easily recognized by several generations of Soviet people from their early childhood, because she voiced numerous Russian animated films and sang countless...
.
Other characters
The story also features a supporting cast of animal characters, the most commonly appearing of which is the physically strong and heavy HippopotamusHippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
( Begemot, "Behemoth"), who participates in various roles (e.g., a museum caretaker, shop keeper, passer-by, etc.) and whom the Wolf usually annoys and has to run away from. In Episode #5 (1972), the Hare finds the Wolf hidden among water-melons (the Wolf's cap camouflage
Camouflage
Camouflage is a method of concealment that allows an otherwise visible animal, military vehicle, or other object to remain unnoticed, by blending with its environment. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly...
s him in the scene). The Hare recommends to the passing Hippopotamus, who's also looking to buy melons, one which actually winds up being the Wolf's head. Hippopotamus squeezes Wolf's head to test the ripeness of the "watermelon", and inadvertently forces him out of hiding. The episode ends with Wolf (on a washbowl) sliding down into the Moscow Metro
Moscow Metro
The Moscow Metro is a rapid transit system serving Moscow and the neighbouring town of Krasnogorsk. Opened in 1935 with one line and 13 stations, it was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union. As of 2011, the Moscow Metro has 182 stations and its route length is . The system is...
and slamming head-on into, and ending up under the Hippopotamus.
Another repeating character is the Cat ( Kot), who is a specialist in magic
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
and appears in several stage performances throughout the series. The Cat is shown to be a good magician, but very self-absorbed and highly sensitive to applause. In Episode #9 (1976), the Cat traps the Wolf in his levitation act (which saves the Hare from being caught). He drops the Wolf twice in his act to acknowledge and accept the applause from the Hare.
Other animals are shown in the series, including bears, red foxes, elephants, beavers and pigs.
Background
Since the 1990s, when the fall of the Iron CurtainIron Curtain
The concept of the Iron Curtain symbolized the ideological fighting and physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945 until the end of the Cold War in 1989...
allowed better exchange of films, both Russian and Western audiences have noted similarities between Nu, pogodi! and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cartoons, the most noticeable being Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry are the cat and mouse cartoon characters that were evolved starting in 1939.Tom and Jerry also may refer to:Cartoon works featuring the cat and mouse so named:* The Tom and Jerry Show...
. The director has admitted that he was learning from Disney animated films which were brought into the USSR from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
immediately after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, particularly Bambi
Bambi
Bambi is a 1942 American animated film directed by David Hand , produced by Walt Disney and based on the book Bambi, A Life in the Woods by Austrian author Felix Salten...
. However, he did not see any Tom and Jerry episodes until his son bought a VCR in 1987. Thematically, Nu, pogodi! places greater emphasis on various real-life situations and locations.
The series was put on hold after the death of Anatoli Papanov
Anatoli Papanov
Anatoli Dmitrievich Papanov was a popular Soviet film and theatre actor.Papanov starred in some of the best and well-known Soviet films, often together with his friend, Andrei Mironov. Mostly known for his great performances in comedies, he also had serious and dramatic roles, such as that of the...
(voice of Wolf). The 17th and 18th episodes from 1993 (which were released in 1994 and 1995, respectively) used samples of his voice recorded earlier (the studio had archived all outtakes of his work for the series). It featured a lot of product placement
Product placement
Product placement, or embedded marketing, is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, music videos, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the...
(the most noted being Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
) and was sponsored by AMT
AMT
-Aviation:*The ICAO code for ATA Airlines*Aircraft Maintenance Technician, a term used in the United States* Aviation Maintenance Technician, a United States Coast Guard rating-Businesses and business-related terms:...
.
The 2005 series were voiced by Igor Khristenko (Wolf) and Olga Zvereva (Hare) and were done by the Christmas Films studio. They were directed by Aleksey Kotyonochkin (son of deceased original director Vyacheslav Kotyonochkin). The script was written by Felix Kandel
Felix Kandel
Felix Kandel is a Russian-born writer, residing in Jerusalem, Israel.-Early life:He was born in 1932 in Moscow, Soviet Union. In 1950 he was admitted to the Moscow Aeronautic Institute, and graduated 5 years later. During his studies he and a classmate started writing sketches and directing...
and Aleksandr Kurlyandsky, two of the original writers. For two years, they were largely unavailable to the public and were only shown at certain film festivals. However, in late December 2007 a DVD was finally released in Russia which contained the two films, as well as a making-of film and comics drawn by Aleksey Kotyonochkin. As of now, it is available only in the supermarket chains Pyatyorochka and Perekryostok.
Critical and popular reception
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
to this day. The critical reaction of the director's colleagues was less favourable. The director's son Aleksey Kotyonochkin recalls how, although nobody said it to his father outright, the animators and directors of Soyuzmultfilm
Soyuzmultfilm
Soyuzmultfilm is a Russian animation studio based in Moscow. Over the years it has gained international attention and respect, garnering numerous awards both at home and abroad. Noted for a great variety of style, it is regarded as the most influential animation studio of the former Soviet Union...
generally considered Nu, pogodi! to be of low class. For his part, Vyacheslav Kotyonichkin was not a follower of auteur films (many of which were being made at the studio at the time), and considered them to be examples of someone needlessly showing off.
Kotyonochkin disliked subtext and tried to create very simple, straightforward scenarios. The main idea of the series was simple and "Western"; don't hurt the little guy or you will yourself get into a foolish situation. Because the series was so popular, however, it was often a subject for critical discussion. Soviet critics saw many different subtexts: for example that the films were supportive of the gay cause
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
(because Wolf occasionally gives Hare flowers as a sign of goodwill, which, at the time, was considered as an acceptable social act among men, as much as today's criticism of Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
's relations with Robin
Robin (comics)
Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
in the late 1960s in America), or that they represented the struggle between the intelligentsia
Intelligentsia
The intelligentsia is a social class of people engaged in complex, mental and creative labor directed to the development and dissemination of culture, encompassing intellectuals and social groups close to them...
and the working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
(with the Wolf representing the working class and the Hare the intelligentsia). Aleksey Kotyonochkin dismisses these interpretations as groundless.
Music
A number of memorable tunes were written or selected to match the action sequences of the cartoon. The majority of the soundtrack was edited directly from various international lounge and dance LP records from the 60's-80's, many of which were part of the music supervisors' personal collections. These recordings were not listed in the credits, so the origins of some remain obscure today. A Russian online collaborative project initiated in 2003 to document and assemble every musical selection in the series has positively identified about 60 % of the 150 tracks used in first 14 episodes as of early 2011.Some of the known performers whose music was featured in Nu Pogodi are Herb Alpert
Herb Alpert
Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an American musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass, or TJB. He is also a recording industry executive — he is the "A" of A&M Records...
, Digital Emotion
Digital Emotion
Digital Emotion is a Dutch euro disco group that originally consisted of Glenn Van Der Hoff and Steve De Goede. Their most popular songs were "Get Up, Action", "The Beauty and the Beast" and "Go Go Yellow Screen" , released in the middle of 1980s...
, Günter Gollasch, Bill Haley
Bill Haley
Bill Haley was one of the first American rock and roll musicians. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and their hit song "Rock Around the Clock".-Early life and career:...
, Ted Heath
Ted Heath (bandleader)
Ted Heath, musician and big band leader, led Britain's greatest post-war big band recording more than 100 albums and selling over 20 million records...
, Leroy Holmes
LeRoy Holmes
LeRoy Holmes was an American songwriter, composer, arranger and conductor....
, Halina Kunicka, James Last
James Last
James Last is a German composer and big band leader. His "happy music" made his numerous albums best-sellers in Germany and the United Kingdom. His composition, "Happy Heart", became an international success in interpretations by Andy Williams and Petula Clark...
, Muslim Magomayev, Paul Mauriat
Paul Mauriat
Paul Mauriat was a French orchestra leader, specializing in light music. He is best known in the United States for his million selling remake of André Popp's "Love is Blue", which was #1 for 5 weeks in 1968...
,Hazy Osterwald, Pesnyary, Edita Piekha
Edita Piekha
Edita Piekha is a French-born popular Soviet and Russian singer and actress of Polish descent. She was the third popular female singer, after Klavdiya Shulzhenko and Sofia Rotaru, to be named a People's Artist of the USSR ....
, Franck Pourcel
Franck Pourcel
Franck Pourcel was a French easy listening musician.-Biography:Born in Marseille, Pourcel's father started to teach him music at the age of six...
, Perez Prado
Perez Prado
Dámaso Pérez Prado was a Cuban bandleader, musician , and composer. He is often referred to as the 'King of the Mambo'.His orchestra was the most popular in mambo...
, Alla Pugacheva
Alla Pugacheva
Alla Borisovna Pugacheva or Pugachova , born 15 April 1949), is а Soviet and Russian musical performer. Her career started in 1965 and continues to this day...
, Eric Rogers, Earl Scruggs
Earl Scruggs
Earl Eugene Scruggs is an American musician noted for perfecting and popularizing a 3-finger banjo-picking style that is a defining characteristic of bluegrass music...
, Igor Sklar, Terry Snyder, Studio 11, Mel Taylor
Mel Taylor
Mel Taylor , was the longtime drummer for The Ventures from 1962-1996. He was the older brother of Canned Heat bassist Larry Taylor.-Tenure with The Ventures:...
, Klaus Wunderlich
Klaus Wunderlich
Klaus Wunderlich was a German musician.Wunderlich was born in Chemnitz and died in Engen from a heart attack....
, Billy Vaughn
Billy Vaughn
Richard "Billy" Vaughn was an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, orchestra leader, and A&R man for Dot Records....
, Helmut Zacharias
Helmut Zacharias
Helmut Zacharias was a German violinist and composer. At the time of his death, he had created over 400 works and sold 14 million records. He also appeared in number of films, usually playing musicians.-Early life:...
, and Zemlyane
Zemlyane
Zemlyane, is a Soviet, and later Russian rock band which enjoyed great popularity in the early 1980s. The band was formed in Leningrad, Soviet Union in 1979 and remains active to this day....
.
The opening credits theme was edited from Vízisí (Water Ski), written by Hungarian composer Tamás Deák
Tamás Deák (composer)
Tamás Deák was the composer and conductor for Cat City, and Vízisí , which was later used as the opening credits tune on the Russian animated series Nu Pogodi.-References:...
and performed Magyar Rádió Tánczenekara & Harmónia Vokál.
Sometimes the words of the songs were modified or altogether substituted to correspond to the action, and a New Years holiday song (duet between Papanov and Rumyanova that later became a popular standard) was written especially for the series. Originally, the cult Russian singer/actor Vladimir Vysotsky
Vladimir Vysotsky
Vladimir Semyonovich Vysotsky was a Soviet singer, songwriter, poet, and actor whose career had an immense and enduring effect on Russian culture. He became widely known for his unique singing style and for his lyrics, which featured social and political commentary in often humorous street...
was cast for the voice of Wolf, but the studio did not get the approval they needed from a Soviet state organization to use him. However, some homage to Vysotsky remains, as in the opening episode, Wolf is whistling his "Song of a Friend".
List of episodes
- "City and Beach"
- "Fairground at Night"
- "Road"
- "Stadium"
- "City"
- "Countryside"
- "Sea Voyage"
- "New Year Celebration"
- "Television Studio"
- "At a Construction Site"
- "Circus"
- "Museum"
- "Olympic Games"
- "Children's Extra-scholar Activities Centre"
- "The House of Culture"
- "In the World of Russian Folk Tales"
- "Exotic Land on Island"
- "Supermarket"
- "Beach"
- "DachaDachaDacha is a Russian word for seasonal or year-round second homes often located in the exurbs of Soviet and post-Soviet cities. Cottages or shacks serving as family's main or only home are not considered dachas, although many purpose-built dachas are recently being converted for year-round residence...
Community"
There was also a promotional 30 min. long episode show including various characters from Soviet cartoons (Cheburashka
Cheburashka
Cheburashka , also known as Topple in earlier English translations, is a character in children's literature, from a 1966 story by the Russian writer Eduard Uspensky. In Estonian the character is called Potsataja...
, among others) released in 1981 called The Lost Episodes. The show featured three never before seen sequences of Nu, pogodi! of approximate 10 min. length and were not re-released for home entertainment in spite of various full episode collections. They can, however, be seen on television on some channels during children cartoons time and are viewable through web video recordings (such as YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
).
In 2001, the characters were redesigned (with Hare looking more like a chipmunk) for a series of next ID's for Teletoon
Télétoon (Canadian TV channel)
Télétoon is a Canadian French language Category A specialty channel that specializes in animation programming. Télétoon is owned by Teletoon Canada Inc; a 50/50 partnership between Astral Media and Corus Entertainment...
, produced by Chuck Gammage Animation .
Directors
- Vyacheslav Kotyonochkin − 1-18
- Vladimir TarasovVladimir TarasovVladimir Tarasov is a Russian animator and animation director. He studied at the Moscow Polygraphic Institute from 1965 until 1970....
− 17-18 - Aleksey Kotyonochkin − 19-20
Screenplay
- Felix KandelFelix KandelFelix Kandel is a Russian-born writer, residing in Jerusalem, Israel.-Early life:He was born in 1932 in Moscow, Soviet Union. In 1950 he was admitted to the Moscow Aeronautic Institute, and graduated 5 years later. During his studies he and a classmate started writing sketches and directing...
(credited as Felix Kamov) − 1-7 and 19-20 - Arkady Khait − 1-17
- Aleksandr Kurlyandsky − all
Main animators - character development
- Svyatozar Rusakov − 1-16
- Aleksey Kotyonochkin − 17-18
- Svetlana Davidova − 19
Voices
- Anatoli PapanovAnatoli PapanovAnatoli Dmitrievich Papanov was a popular Soviet film and theatre actor.Papanov starred in some of the best and well-known Soviet films, often together with his friend, Andrei Mironov. Mostly known for his great performances in comedies, he also had serious and dramatic roles, such as that of the...
(Wolf) − 1-16 - Klara RumyanovaKlara RumyanovaKlara Mikhailovna Rumyanova was a Soviet and Russian actress and singer. She was active from 1951 to 1999.Her small, adorable voice is easily recognized by several generations of Soviet people from their early childhood, because she voiced numerous Russian animated films and sang countless...
(Hare) − 1-18 - Igor Khristenko (Wolf) − 19-20
- Olga Zvereva (Hare) − 19-20
- Gennady Khazanov (Announcer) − 9
- Vladimir Soshalski (Hippopotamus) − 15
Camera
- Yelena Pietrova − 1-6
- N. Klimova − 7
- Svetlana Koscieieva − 8-14
- Aleksandr Chekhovski − 15-16
- L. Krutovskaja − 17-18
Animators
- Viktor Arsentev − 1-15
- Oleg Komarov − 1-13
- Viktor Likchacev − 1, 3, 4, 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15
- Oleg Safronov − 1, 2, 9, 10, 14 and 15
- Vladimir Krumin − 1, 5, 10, 11, 13 and 14
- Fedor Eldinov − 1, 3, 6, 7, 12, 13, 15 and 16
- Vladimir Zarubin − 2, 4 and 9
- Leonid Kayukov − 2, 5 and 7
- Valery Ugarov − 3, 8 and 16
- Sergey Dezhkin − 3
- Yury Butyrin − 3, 4, 8 and 9
- Vladimir Arbekov − 8, 12 and 17
- Aleksandr Panov − 7
- Aleksey Bukin − 8
- Aleksandr Davydov − 10, 13 and 17
- Aleksandr Dorogov − 14-16
- Nikolai Fedorov − 12
- Aleksandr Mazaev − 15 and 16
- Sergey Avramov − 14
- Olga Orlova − 16