Vicco von Bülow
Encyclopedia
Bernhard Victor Christoph Carl von Bülow (short: Vicco von Bülow, 12 November 1923, Brandenburg an der Havel – 22 August 2011, Ammerland
at Lake Starnberg
), more commonly known under the pseudonym Loriot, was a German comedian, humorist, cartoonist
, film director
, actor
and writer
.
He is most well known for his cartoon
s, the sketches from his 1976 television series Loriot, alongside Evelyn Hamann
, and his two movies, Ödipussi
(1988) and Pappa Ante Portas
(1991).
On the television series Unsere Besten
(Our Best), Loriot was ranked the 54th best German ever. In a special comedy episode of Unsere Besten, he was ranked as the most famous German comedian ever.
, today Brandenburg
, in modern North-Eastern Germany. His family von Bülow
belonged to German aristocracy. His parents separated soon after he was born, his mother died when he was six. Von Bülow and his brother grew up in Berlin
with their grandmother.
Von Bülow was still in school when World War II
started. He completed the Notabitur, a shortened A-level, in 1941. In his family's tradition he became a military officer and was deployed to the Eastern Front
for three years, serving as First Lieutenant
of Panzergrenadier
regiment 3 in the 3rd Panzer Division.
. From 1950 onwards he published cartoons under the pseudonym
"Loriot", derived from the French word for Oriole
, his family's heraldic animal.
In 1971 von Bülow created a cartoon dog named Wum, which he voice acted
himself. Wum became the mascot of "Aktion Sorgenkind", a German humanitarian organization. During the Christmas season of 1972 Wum's song "Ich wünsch' mir 'ne kleine Miezekatze" ("I wish I had a little kittycat"), sung in sprechgesang
style, became popular enough to remain in the top position of the German pop charts for nine weeks. Wum also appeared in the German show "Der große Preis" ("The big prize"), where he appeared during breaks until the 1990s. Before long Wum was accompanied by the elephant Wendelin, and later by Blauer Klaus ("Blue Klaus"), an alien hovering in with his flying saucer. Loriot wrote, drew and dubbed all of these skits by himself. Each cartoon ended with Loriot asking the viewers to take part in the TV-lottery, which supported the "Aktion Sorgenkind". When the show was dropped, the adventures of Wum and Wendelin ended as well. Today, Wum and Wendelin appear on the final page of the TV magazine "Gong".
The first episode of the TV series Loriot was produced in 1976. In six episodes, Loriot presented sketches, usually being the protagonist himself, and short cartoons, drawn by himself.
Loriot had a love of classical music and opera. In 1982 he conducted the humorous gala concert for the 100th anniversary of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also related to the orchestra's history by kinship (Hans von Bülow
, the first chief conductor of the orchestra, was distantly related to Loriot). His narrative version of Camille Saint-Saëns
' The Carnival of the Animals
was repeatedly performed by Loriot with the Scharoun Ensemble, a chamber music
ensemble consisting of musicians of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. As a director, Loriot staged the operas Martha
(Staatsoper Stuttgart
, 1986) and Der Freischütz
(Ludwigsburg
, 1988). In 1983 Radio Bremen
produced the broadcast "Loriot`s 60th birthday" for the broadcast station ARD
on the occasion of Loriot's 60th birthday. In 1988 he received the Bavarian Film Award, Special Prize, and in 1993 the Bavarian Film Award, Honorary Award.
Loriot was awarded an honorary
doctorate
by the University of Wuppertal
in 2001. He is honorary citizen of his hometown Brandenburg an der Havel and his chosen home Münsing
since 1993. Furthermore, Loriot was a member of the Bavarian Academy of the Fine Arts (Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste) since that same year and of the Berlin Academy of the Arts
(Berliner Akademie der Künste) since 1997. He became honorary professor of theatrical arts at the Berlin University of the Arts
in June 2003. He received numerous awards for his performance in TV, movies and other disciplines. He died in Ammerland
of old age.
For the most part, his work dealt with problems of communication between individuals. (Loriot: “What I am interested in most of all are people whose communication fails. All that I consider comical results from crumbled communication, from talk at cross purposes.”) His cartoons hinged on the contrast between the presented situation, the dignity displayed by his typically big nosed characters and the picture’s caption. Inevitably one of these elements gets out of line, for example, when he combines the caption “We demand equal treatment of men and women, even if the suckling baby might temporarily lose weight.” with the picture of a bulbous-nosed man breast-feeding a baby in a distinguished manner. The topics of his cartoons were mainly drawn from everyday life, scenes of the family and middle-class society.
The same contrast between absurd situation and dignified behaviour of his characters could be seen in his various sketches and movies.
Loriot’s enormous popularity, his accurate language, and high-brow sense of comedy led to the adoption of a large number of phrases and inventions from the series’s sketches into German common knowledge and everyday speech. Among these are certainly the ‘yodel diploma’, the ‘stone louse
’, but also sentences like “With that, you have something of your own!”, “Please, don’t talk right now…”, "There used to be more tinsel (früher war mehr Lametta)", “Look, a piano! A piano, a piano!” or the laconic, hardly translatable “Ach!?” (basically meaning “Oh, is it?” in English).
on 8 November 2011. This action was prompted by an interim order
forbidding Wikipedia to use these images that had been initiated by an heiress at the Landgericht Berlin
on 6 October 2011 after an email of the heiress requesting their removal had not been answered. Wikipedia had to pay the cost of the legal proceedings.
Münsing
Münsing is a municipality in the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen in Bavaria in Germany....
at Lake Starnberg
Lake Starnberg
Lake Starnberg , 25 kilometers southwest of Munich in southern Bavaria, is Germany's fifth largest freshwater lake and, due to its large average depth, the second richest in water...
), more commonly known under the pseudonym Loriot, was a German comedian, humorist, cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
, film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
.
He is most well known for his cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
s, the sketches from his 1976 television series Loriot, alongside Evelyn Hamann
Evelyn Hamann
Evelyn Hamann was a German actress.- Life :Evelyn Hamann was born into a family of musicians in Hamburg, Germany: her father Bernhard Hamann was a violinist, the concertmaster of the NDR television company's symphony orchestra and founded the Hamann Quartet; her mother was a singer and music...
, and his two movies, Ödipussi
Ödipussi
Ödipussi is a 1988 German film, starring by Loriot and the first of two films that he directed. The title alludes to Ödipussi as a pun on the Oedipus complex described by Sigmund Freud and the James Bond film Octopussy.-Synopsis:...
(1988) and Pappa Ante Portas
Pappa ante Portas
Pappa Ante Portas is a 1991 German comedy film directed by Loriot and Renate Westphal-Lorenz.-Cast:* Evelyn Hamann as Renate Lohse* Loriot as Heinrich Lohse, Grandpa Hoppenstedt, Lothar Frohwein, violinist* Irm Hermann as Hedwig...
(1991).
On the television series Unsere Besten
Unsere Besten
Unsere Besten was a television series shown in German public television in November 2003, similar to the BBC series 100 Greatest Britons....
(Our Best), Loriot was ranked the 54th best German ever. In a special comedy episode of Unsere Besten, he was ranked as the most famous German comedian ever.
Biography
Vicco von Bülow was born in Brandenburg an der Havel in PrussiaPrussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
, today Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
, in modern North-Eastern Germany. His family von Bülow
Bülow
Bülow may refer to:*Bülow, Germany, a municipality in the district of Parchim, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, GermanyThe von Bülow family are a German / Danish noble family, with the titles Baron or Prince...
belonged to German aristocracy. His parents separated soon after he was born, his mother died when he was six. Von Bülow and his brother grew up 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...
with their grandmother.
Von Bülow was still in school when 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...
started. He completed the Notabitur, a shortened A-level, in 1941. In his family's tradition he became a military officer and was deployed to the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
for three years, serving as First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First lieutenant is a military rank and, in some forces, an appointment.The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations , but the majority of cases it is common for it to be sub-divided into a senior and junior rank...
of Panzergrenadier
Panzergrenadier
is a German term for motorised or mechanized infantry, as introduced during World War II. It is used in the armies of Austria, Chile, Germany and Switzerland.-Forerunners:...
regiment 3 in the 3rd Panzer Division.
Artistic career
Von Bülow's talent for drawing was eminent already during his school years. After the war he studied graphic design and painting at the Landeskunstschule in HamburgHamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
. From 1950 onwards he published cartoons under the pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
"Loriot", derived from the French word for Oriole
Oriole
Orioles are colourful Old World passerine birds in the genus Oriolus, the namesake of the corvoidean family Oriolidae. They are not related to the New World orioles, which are icterids and, belonging to the superfamily Passeroidea songbirds, are quite unrelated to the true orioles.The orioles are...
, his family's heraldic animal.
Voice acting
Voice acting is the art of providing voices for animated characters and radio and audio dramas and comedy, as well as doing voice-overs in radio and television commercials, audio dramas, dubbed foreign language films, video games, puppet shows, and amusement rides.Performers are called...
himself. Wum became the mascot of "Aktion Sorgenkind", a German humanitarian organization. During the Christmas season of 1972 Wum's song "Ich wünsch' mir 'ne kleine Miezekatze" ("I wish I had a little kittycat"), sung in sprechgesang
Sprechgesang
Sprechgesang and Sprechstimme are musical terms used to refer to an expressionist vocal technique between singing and speaking. Though sometimes used interchangeably, sprechgesang is a term directly related to the operatic recitative manner of singing , whereas sprechstimme is...
style, became popular enough to remain in the top position of the German pop charts for nine weeks. Wum also appeared in the German show "Der große Preis" ("The big prize"), where he appeared during breaks until the 1990s. Before long Wum was accompanied by the elephant Wendelin, and later by Blauer Klaus ("Blue Klaus"), an alien hovering in with his flying saucer. Loriot wrote, drew and dubbed all of these skits by himself. Each cartoon ended with Loriot asking the viewers to take part in the TV-lottery, which supported the "Aktion Sorgenkind". When the show was dropped, the adventures of Wum and Wendelin ended as well. Today, Wum and Wendelin appear on the final page of the TV magazine "Gong".
The first episode of the TV series Loriot was produced in 1976. In six episodes, Loriot presented sketches, usually being the protagonist himself, and short cartoons, drawn by himself.
Loriot had a love of classical music and opera. In 1982 he conducted the humorous gala concert for the 100th anniversary of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also related to the orchestra's history by kinship (Hans von Bülow
Hans von Bülow
Hans Guido Freiherr von Bülow was a German conductor, virtuoso pianist, and composer of the Romantic era. He was one of the most famous conductors of the 19th century, and his activity was critical for establishing the successes of several major composers of the time, including Richard...
, the first chief conductor of the orchestra, was distantly related to Loriot). His narrative version of Camille Saint-Saëns
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns was a French Late-Romantic composer, organist, conductor, and pianist. He is known especially for The Carnival of the Animals, Danse macabre, Samson and Delilah, Piano Concerto No. 2, Cello Concerto No. 1, Havanaise, Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, and his Symphony...
' The Carnival of the Animals
The Carnival of the Animals
Le carnaval des animaux is a musical suite of fourteen movements by the French Romantic composer Camille Saint-Saëns. The orchestral work has a duration between 22 and 30 minutes.-History:...
was repeatedly performed by Loriot with the Scharoun Ensemble, a chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
ensemble consisting of musicians of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. As a director, Loriot staged the operas Martha
Martha (opera)
Martha, oder Der Markt zu Richmond is a 'romantic comic' opera in four acts by Friedrich von Flotow, set to a German libretto by Friedrich Wilhelm Riese and based on a story by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges....
(Staatsoper Stuttgart
Staatsoper Stuttgart
The Staatsoper Stuttgart is a German opera company based in Stuttgart, Germany.-History:The Stuttgart Staatsoper forms part of the Stuttgart State Theatre , which is a a three-branch-theatre complex and represents the largest theatre of its kind in Europe...
, 1986) and Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz
Der Freischütz is an opera in three acts by Carl Maria von Weber with a libretto by Friedrich Kind. It premiered on 18 June 1821 at the Schauspielhaus Berlin...
(Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg urban district with about 87,000 inhabitants...
, 1988). In 1983 Radio Bremen
Radio Bremen
Radio Bremen , Germany's smallest public radio and television broadcaster, is the legally mandated broadcaster for the city-state of Bremen...
produced the broadcast "Loriot`s 60th birthday" for the broadcast station ARD
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
on the occasion of Loriot's 60th birthday. In 1988 he received the Bavarian Film Award, Special Prize, and in 1993 the Bavarian Film Award, Honorary Award.
Loriot was awarded an honorary
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
by the University of Wuppertal
University of Wuppertal
The University of Wuppertal is a German scientific institution, located in Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia.The university, the full German name of which is Bergische Universität Wuppertal , was formed in 1972 and is located in the city of Wuppertal, within the state of North Rhine-Westphalia,...
in 2001. He is honorary citizen of his hometown Brandenburg an der Havel and his chosen home Münsing
Münsing
Münsing is a municipality in the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen in Bavaria in Germany....
since 1993. Furthermore, Loriot was a member of the Bavarian Academy of the Fine Arts (Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste) since that same year and of the Berlin Academy of the Arts
Akademie der Künste
The Akademie der Künste, Berlin is an arts institution in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in 1696 by Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg as the Prussian Academy of Arts, an academic institution where members could meet and discuss and share ideas...
(Berliner Akademie der Künste) since 1997. He became honorary professor of theatrical arts at the Berlin University of the Arts
Berlin University of the Arts
The Universität der Künste Berlin, UdK is a public art school in Berlin, Germany, one of the four universities in the city...
in June 2003. He received numerous awards for his performance in TV, movies and other disciplines. He died in Ammerland
Münsing
Münsing is a municipality in the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen in Bavaria in Germany....
of old age.
Characteristics of his art
The same contrast between absurd situation and dignified behaviour of his characters could be seen in his various sketches and movies.
Loriot’s enormous popularity, his accurate language, and high-brow sense of comedy led to the adoption of a large number of phrases and inventions from the series’s sketches into German common knowledge and everyday speech. Among these are certainly the ‘yodel diploma’, the ‘stone louse
Stone louse
The stone louse is a fictitious animal created by German humorist Loriot to parody nature documentaries...
’, but also sentences like “With that, you have something of your own!”, “Please, don’t talk right now…”, "There used to be more tinsel (früher war mehr Lametta)", “Look, a piano! A piano, a piano!” or the laconic, hardly translatable “Ach!?” (basically meaning “Oh, is it?” in English).
Lawsuit against Wikimedia Foundation for alleged copyright violation
Pictures showing German stamps with topics of Loriot's work that illustrated Loriot's entry in the German-language Wikipedia were removed by the Wikimedia FoundationWikimedia Foundation
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. is an American non-profit charitable organization headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States, and organized under the laws of the state of Florida, where it was initially based...
on 8 November 2011. This action was prompted by an interim order
Interim order
The term interim order refers to an order passed by a court during the pendency of the litigation. It is generally passed by the Court to ensure Status quo. The rationale for such orders to be passed by the Courts lie are best explained by Latin legal maxim "Actus curiae neminem gravabit" which...
forbidding Wikipedia to use these images that had been initiated by an heiress at the Landgericht Berlin
Landgericht Berlin
The Landgericht Berlin is the regional court of Berlin, divided into two divisions for civil and criminal cases. In the German court hierarchy, it is above the eleven local courts of the city and below the Kammergericht...
on 6 October 2011 after an email of the heiress requesting their removal had not been answered. Wikipedia had to pay the cost of the legal proceedings.
Quotes
- In answer to a question about his lasting influences, Loriot stated in 2007: "I know when I started studying, I was living between the madhouse, the prison and the cemetery. The location alone is what did it, I imagine."
- Dieter Wedel: "The Germans don't have any sense of humor — the Germans have Loriot!"
Accolades and awards
- 1943: Iron CrossIron CrossThe Iron Cross is a cross symbol typically in black with a white or silver outline that originated after 1219 when the Kingdom of Jerusalem granted the Teutonic Order the right to combine the Teutonic Black Cross placed above a silver Cross of Jerusalem....
1st and 2nd Class - 1973: Adolf Grimme Award in silver
- 1974: Karl-ValentinKarl ValentinKarl Valentin was a Bavarian comedian, cabaret performer, clown, author and film producer. He had significant influence on German Weimar culture...
Medal - 1988 & 1993: BambiBambi (prize)The Bambi - Deutschlands Wichtigster Medienpreis, often simply called Bambi Awards and stylized as BAMBI, are presented annually by Hubert Burda Media to recognize excellence in international media and television "with vision and creativity who affected and inspired the German public that year",...
- 1998: Great Cross of Merit with Star and shoulder ribbon
- 2001: Honorary degreeHonorary degreeAn honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
from the University of WuppertalUniversity of WuppertalThe University of Wuppertal is a German scientific institution, located in Wuppertal, North Rhine-Westphalia.The university, the full German name of which is Bergische Universität Wuppertal , was formed in 1972 and is located in the city of Wuppertal, within the state of North Rhine-Westphalia,...
External links
- Germany Mourns the Death of its Best Comedian (Spiegel Online)
- Beloved humorist “Loriot,” who defined the German sense of humor, dies at 87 by The Washington PostThe Washington PostThe Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...