Scheibenwischer
Encyclopedia
Scheibenwischer was the name of a long-running German
Kabarett
show. It was founded in 1980 by Dieter Hildebrandt
and produced by BR
/ RBB
to be broadcast on Das Erste
. The show ended in 2008 after 28 years on the air.
and used a more solemn way of humor, as opposed to lighthearted stand-up comedy
. As such, the topics discussed by the artists on the show have sometimes had a potential to cause uproar and scandals with contemporary politicians, especially conservative ones like Franz Josef Strauß
.
Alongside Hildebrandt, who hosted the show until 2003, a number of prominent artists were guests on the show, such as Gerhard Polt
, Wolfgang Stumph
, Andreas Rebers
, Hagen Rether
, Philipp Weber, the musical group Biermösl Blosn
or singer Konstantin Wecker
. The guest artist was an essential part of the show, which served as a framework for different artists to be featured.
Hildebrandt pitched the idea of the show to Sender Freies Berlin
(SFB) in 1980 after his previous program, Notizen aus der Provinz on ZDF
, had been canceled. It was taken up and produced by SFB to be broadcast on the ARD
channel. After creating the show, Hildebrandt was famously attacked by the Bavaria
n chief of state and candidate for German chancellor, Franz Josef Strauß
, as a "political poisoner," which served to strengthen Hildebrandt's image as a mordant but incorruptible critic of politicians.
federal government; however, some state
governments as well as (though less frequently) Eurocrat
s became the object of its satirical acts. During that time, several sketches were broadcast that made the show famous, such as Kriegerdenkmal (war memorial), Rhein-Main-Donau-Kanal (Rhine–Main–Danube Canal) or Der Verstrahlte Großvater (the radioactive grandfather). It was also the time of the most controversies (see below).
, who had been co-host since 2000, Mathias Richling
, and Georg Schramm
. It was now produced by Bayerischer Rundfunk
in collaboration with RBB, and filmed alternately in Berlin
and Munich
.
In 2006, Georg Schramm
left the show due to differences in opinion with respect to the format of the show. He was replaced by Richard Rogler
who himself left the show again in 2008. By the end of 2008, Bruno Jonas, who had been a regular on the show since 1985, left the show, with Richling remaining as the sole host.
guests. The show was terminated in February 2008 and was replaced by Satire Gipfel (satire summit) with Richling again as host.
who were involved with companies building the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal (the canal was a favorite project of the Bavarian government). The broadcast led to several complaints by the involved members with SFB, but ultimately only served to make the show more popular.
On 22 May 1986, Bayerischer Rundfunk
(BR), being the relaying network for the ARD
in Bavaria and at that time still closely linked to the Christian Social Union of Bavaria
, decided against broadcasting the show. The reason was that Helmut Oeller, the program director for BR, deemed the sketch Der Verstrahlte Großvater (The Radioactive Grandfather), performed in response to the Chernobyl disaster
, too controversial; his request to have it removed from the show was unsuccessful. The failure to broadcast the program in Bavaria led to harsh criticism and claims of censorship
against BR. The controversy triggered people to bring copies of the sketch into Bavaria for private screenings as well as artists refusing to work with BR again, and caused the Munich Abendzeitung to publish excerpts of the script.
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...
Kabarett
Kabarett
Kabarett is a form of cabaret which developed in Germany from 1901, with the creation of the Überbrettl venue, and that by the Weimar era in the mid 1920s was characterized by political satire and gallows humor...
show. It was founded in 1980 by Dieter Hildebrandt
Dieter Hildebrandt
Dieter Hildebrandt is a German Kabarett artist.Born in Bunzlau, Lower Silesia, Hildebrandt attended school until he became an assistant for the German Air Force in World War II...
and produced by BR
Bayerischer Rundfunk
Bayerischer Rundfunk [Bavarian Broadcasting] is the public broadcasting authority for the German Freistaat of Bavaria, with its main offices located in Munich. BR is a member of ARD.- Legal foundation :...
/ RBB
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg
Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg is an institution under public law for the states of Berlin and Brandenburg, situated in Berlin and Potsdam...
to be broadcast on Das Erste
Das Erste
Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen , marketed as Das Erste , is the principal publicly owned television channel in Germany...
. The show ended in 2008 after 28 years on the air.
Conception
Scheibenwischer had its focus on solely KabarettKabarett
Kabarett is a form of cabaret which developed in Germany from 1901, with the creation of the Überbrettl venue, and that by the Weimar era in the mid 1920s was characterized by political satire and gallows humor...
and used a more solemn way of humor, as opposed to lighthearted stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
. As such, the topics discussed by the artists on the show have sometimes had a potential to cause uproar and scandals with contemporary politicians, especially conservative ones like Franz Josef Strauß
Franz Josef Strauß
Franz Josef Strauss was a German politician. He was the leader of the Christian Social Union, member of the federal cabinet in different positions and long-time minister-president of the state of Bavaria....
.
Alongside Hildebrandt, who hosted the show until 2003, a number of prominent artists were guests on the show, such as Gerhard Polt
Gerhard Polt
Gerhard Polt is a Bavarian writer, filmmaker, actor and satirical cabaret artist.Gerhard Polt often performs using Bavarian dialect. His main topics are Bavarian people, culture and politics. His performances in Munich theaters, which he started in 1976, are very popular...
, Wolfgang Stumph
Wolfgang Stumph
Wolfgang Stumph is an award-winning German actor and cabaret artist.-Early life:Stumph was born in Silesia in 1946 and grew up without a father in Dresden in the German Democratic Republic...
, Andreas Rebers
Andreas Rebers
Andreas Rebers is an award-winning Kabarett artist, author and musician from Munich. His shows often incorporate performances on the accordion or the piano.-Early life:Rebers was born in Westerbrak in Lower Saxony...
, Hagen Rether
Hagen Rether
Hagen Rether is a German political cabaret artist. The most remarkable features in his performance are usually the presence and use of a grand piano and his carrying a baseball club while entering stage, then puts it on the piano before taking off his dinner jacket...
, Philipp Weber, the musical group Biermösl Blosn
Biermösl Blosn
Biermösl Blosn is a Bavarian musical and cabaret band known for combining satirical texts with traditional folk music. It was founded in 1976 by three brothers - Hans , Christoph and Michael Well - and often works with political cabaret artist Gerhard Polt...
or singer Konstantin Wecker
Konstantin Wecker
Konstantin Alexander Wecker is one of the best-known German singer-songwriters ; he also works as a composer, author, and actor.- Life and work :...
. The guest artist was an essential part of the show, which served as a framework for different artists to be featured.
Founding
Sender Freies Berlin
Sender Freies Berlin was the ARD public radio and television service for West Berlin from 1 June 1954 until 1990 and for Berlin as a whole from German reunification until 30 April 2003...
(SFB) in 1980 after his previous program, Notizen aus der Provinz on ZDF
ZDF
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen , ZDF, is a public-service German television broadcaster based in Mainz . It is run as an independent non-profit institution, which was founded by the German federal states . The ZDF is financed by television licence fees called GEZ and advertising revenues...
, had been canceled. It was taken up and produced by SFB to be broadcast on the ARD
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
channel. After creating the show, Hildebrandt was famously attacked by the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n chief of state and candidate for German chancellor, Franz Josef Strauß
Franz Josef Strauß
Franz Josef Strauss was a German politician. He was the leader of the Christian Social Union, member of the federal cabinet in different positions and long-time minister-president of the state of Bavaria....
, as a "political poisoner," which served to strengthen Hildebrandt's image as a mordant but incorruptible critic of politicians.
Glory years
The show was at its height during the 1980s and 1990s with a very conservative KohlHelmut Kohl
Helmut Josef Michael Kohl is a German conservative politician and statesman. He was Chancellor of Germany from 1982 to 1998 and the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union from 1973 to 1998...
federal government; however, some state
States of Germany
Germany is made up of sixteen which are partly sovereign constituent states of the Federal Republic of Germany. Land literally translates as "country", and constitutionally speaking, they are constituent countries...
governments as well as (though less frequently) Eurocrat
Eurocrat
Eurocrat is a neologism used by press with rather vague meaning used by mainly eurosceptic press to refer either to the Civil Servants of the European Union or its political representation as a Member of the European Commission or European Parliament....
s became the object of its satirical acts. During that time, several sketches were broadcast that made the show famous, such as Kriegerdenkmal (war memorial), Rhein-Main-Donau-Kanal (Rhine–Main–Danube Canal) or Der Verstrahlte Großvater (the radioactive grandfather). It was also the time of the most controversies (see below).
Change of personnel
In 2003 Hildebrandt decided to leave the show due to his advanced age. The show was taken over by Bruno JonasBruno Jonas
Bruno Jonas is a German Kabarett artist and actor.-Education:Many people predicted he would become a priest, but he prefers to pray from the Kabarett stage. Between 1975 and 1982, he studied German, political science, and philosophy at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich...
, who had been co-host since 2000, Mathias Richling
Mathias Richling
Mathias Richling is a German actor, author, comedian and cabaret artist.Richling studied literature, music and theatre. From 1989 to 1996 he had a program called Jetzt schlägt's Richling' on the German TV channel ARD'. Since 1999 he produced the program Zwerch trifft Fell on the German TV channel...
, and Georg Schramm
Georg Schramm
Georg Schramm is a German psychologist and Kabarett artist. He was a host of the Kabarett shows Scheibenwischer and Neues aus der Anstalt.-Biography:...
. It was now produced by Bayerischer Rundfunk
Bayerischer Rundfunk
Bayerischer Rundfunk [Bavarian Broadcasting] is the public broadcasting authority for the German Freistaat of Bavaria, with its main offices located in Munich. BR is a member of ARD.- Legal foundation :...
in collaboration with RBB, and filmed alternately in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
and Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
In 2006, Georg Schramm
Georg Schramm
Georg Schramm is a German psychologist and Kabarett artist. He was a host of the Kabarett shows Scheibenwischer and Neues aus der Anstalt.-Biography:...
left the show due to differences in opinion with respect to the format of the show. He was replaced by Richard Rogler
Richard Rogler
Richard Rogler is an award-winning German Kabarett artist and professor of Kabarett at the University of the Arts in Berlin.-Early life:...
who himself left the show again in 2008. By the end of 2008, Bruno Jonas, who had been a regular on the show since 1985, left the show, with Richling remaining as the sole host.
End of the show
In 2008, Hildebrandt, who had been holding the rights to the name Scheibenwischer since 1980, forbade the further use of the name for the show because Richling wanted to change the nature of the program to feature more stand-up comedyStand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
guests. The show was terminated in February 2008 and was replaced by Satire Gipfel (satire summit) with Richling again as host.
Controversies
In 1982, the sketch Rhein-Main-Donau-Kanal was broadcast, addressing the corruption charges against members of the governing Christian Social Union of BavariaChristian Social Union of Bavaria
The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
who were involved with companies building the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal (the canal was a favorite project of the Bavarian government). The broadcast led to several complaints by the involved members with SFB, but ultimately only served to make the show more popular.
On 22 May 1986, Bayerischer Rundfunk
Bayerischer Rundfunk
Bayerischer Rundfunk [Bavarian Broadcasting] is the public broadcasting authority for the German Freistaat of Bavaria, with its main offices located in Munich. BR is a member of ARD.- Legal foundation :...
(BR), being the relaying network for the ARD
Das Erste
Erstes Deutsches Fernsehen , marketed as Das Erste , is the principal publicly owned television channel in Germany...
in Bavaria and at that time still closely linked to the Christian Social Union of Bavaria
Christian Social Union of Bavaria
The Christian Social Union in Bavaria is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It operates only in the state of Bavaria, while its sister party, the Christian Democratic Union , operates in the other 15 states of Germany...
, decided against broadcasting the show. The reason was that Helmut Oeller, the program director for BR, deemed the sketch Der Verstrahlte Großvater (The Radioactive Grandfather), performed in response to the Chernobyl disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
, too controversial; his request to have it removed from the show was unsuccessful. The failure to broadcast the program in Bavaria led to harsh criticism and claims of censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
against BR. The controversy triggered people to bring copies of the sketch into Bavaria for private screenings as well as artists refusing to work with BR again, and caused the Munich Abendzeitung to publish excerpts of the script.