Spede Pasanen

Pertti Olavi "Spede" Pasanen (born April 10 1930 in Kuopio – died September 7 2001 in Kirkkonummi) was a Finnish film director and producer, comedian, humorist, TV personality and practitioner of gags.

During his career he directed, wrote, produced or acted in about 50 movies and participated in numerous TV productions, including the comedy "Spede Show" and the game-show "Speden Spelit". Spede Pasanen named Bob Hope as one his biggest comedy influences. Much of his more commercial work was in collaboration with Vesa-Matti Loiri (whose most popular character created by Pasanen was called Uuno Turhapuro; first in TV sketches and then in a long-lasting series of motion pictures) and Simo Salminen. Pasanen's films and TV shows, often made fast and inexpensively in a conveyor-belt mode, usually didn't gain much recognition from the critics but were extremely popular among Finnish audiences from the 1960s onwards. Another actor Pasanen used in tv-comedy was Pentti Siimes. Together withTarja Markus they performed as an excellent nervous and shy love-pair in a coffee-table chat.

Spede Pasanen is considered emblematic of Savonian humor with a slick ironic patter varying between the fullest extremes of understatement and hyperbole. As he himself explained: "A Savonian never tells a thing exactly like it is." Although Spede vociferously denounced elitism and explicitly sought to write and perform comedy for the largest possible audience, he was frequently the person who evinced greatest amusement at his own gags and bon mots.

Noted for his intelligence, financial success and ability to draw in ladies, he is the idol of many who make an attempt to break into the Finnish comedy scene. Despite his homely appearance, Pasanen was something of a womanizer: he had a long relationship with Miss Europe 1976, Riitta Väisänen, and was almost married in 1990 to a Finnish model and Miss Finland candidate. A classic serial monogamist, he valued loyalty and friendship to the hilt, and even after separation, kept employing and financially supporting previous companions. During and after relationships, he vouchafed confidentiality and privacy for all involved in his private life. His good relations with the media might have helped with this, as outside his private sphere, he often dramatized his commercial and artistic ventures to the hilt. Pasanen was also an inventor and jack-of-all-trades; he had over 50 patents in his names, and many of his films include Rube Goldberg-style gadgets. Besides gadgets involved with industrial production, his inventions include:

*The Ski jumping sling
*A Boat ski (to alleviate *bumps* in aquaplaning boat)
*A self-extinguishing, one-size-fits-all candlestick.

Spede Pasanen had a film production company named Filmituotanto Spede Pasanen Ky.

Filmography

Writer, director or producer

* "X-Paroni" (directed with Jaakko Pakkasvirta, 1964), in English "The X-baron"
* "Millipilleri" (1966)
* "Pähkähullu Suomi" (1967), in English "The nutty Finland"
* "Noin seitsemän veljestä" (1968), in English "About seven Brothers"
* "Näköradiomiehen ihmeelliset siekailut" (1969)
* "Leikkikalugangsteri" (1969), in English "The Toy Gangster"
* "Pohjan tähteet" (1969)
* "Jussi Pussi" (1970)
* "Speedy Gonzales - noin 7 veljeksen poika" (1970)
* "Saatanan radikaalit" (1971)
* "Kahdeksas veljes" (1971), in English "The Eighth Brother"
* "Hirttämättömät" (1971)
* "Uuno Turhapuro" (1973)
* "Viu-hah hah-taja" (1974)
* "Professori Uuno D.G. Turhapuro" (1975), in English "Professor Uuno D.G. Turhapuro"
* "Lottovoittaja UKK Turhapuro" (1976)
* "Häpy Endkö? Eli kuinka Uuno Turhapuro sai niin kauniin ja rikkaan vaimon" (1977)
* "Rautakauppias Uuno Turhapuro, presidentin vävy" (1978)
* "Koeputkiaikuinen ja Simon enkelit" (1979)
* "Tup-akka-lakko" (1980)
* "Uuno Turhapuron aviokriisi" (1981)
* "Pölhölä" (1981)
* "Uuno Turhapuro menettää muistinsa" (1982), in English "Uuno Turhapuro loses his memory"
* "Uuno Turhapuron muisti palailee pätkittäin" (1983)
* "Lentävät luupäät" (1984), in English "The Flying Boneheads"
* "Uuno Turhapuro armeijan leivissä" (1984)
* "Uuno Epsanjassa" (1985), in English "Uuno in Psain"
* "Kliffaa hei!" (1985)
* "Uuno Turhapuro muuttaa maalle" (1986)
* "Liian iso keikka" (1986), in English "A Gig Too Big"
* "Pikkupojat" (1986)
* "Uuno Turhapuro - kaksoisagentti" (1987)
* "Fakta homma!" (1987)
* "Tupla-Uuno" (1988), in English "Double Uuno"
* "Onks' Viljoo näkyny?" (1988), in English "Have Ya Seen Viljo?"
* "Rampe & Naukkis" (1990)
* "Uunon huikeat poikamiesvuodet maaseudulla" (1990)
* "Uuno Turhapuro, herra Helsingin herra" (1991)
* "Uuno Turhapuro, Suomen tasavallan herra presidentti" (1992)
* "Uuno Turhapuron poika" (1993), in English "The Son of Uuno Turhapuro"
* "Romanovin kivet" (1993)
* "Pekko ja Poika" (1994)
* "Uuno Turhapuron veli" (1994)
* "Johtaja Uuno Turhapuro - pisnismies" (1998)
* "Naisen logiikka" (1999), in English "The Logic of the Women"

Actor

* "Laivan kannella" (1954)
* "Sankarialokas" (1955)
* "Säkkijärven polkka" (1955)
* "Villi Pohjola" (1955)
* "Tyttö tuli taloon" (1956)
* "Tyttö lähtee kasarmiin" (1956)
* "Rintamalotta" (1956)
* "Anu ja Mikko" (1956)
* "Pekka ja Pätkä ketjukolarissa" (1957)
* "Vääpelin kauhu" (1957)
* "Pekka ja Pätkä sammakkomiehinä" (1957)
* "Asessorin naishuolet" (1957)
* "Pekka ja Pätkä Suezilla" (1958)
* "Ei ruumiita makuuhuoneeseen" (1959)
* "Mullin mallin" (1961)
* "Taape tähtenä" (1962)
* "Hopeaa rajan takaa" (1963)

Television series

Spede is considered the father of modern Finnish television sketch-humour. Starting his career on Yleisradio he later jumped camps to the competing MTV3 network. However, his work on both has been extremely popular. Apart from starring in these series he was also the main producer for many of the popular shows on MTV3, such as the game-show "Kymppitonni" and the cult-hit show "Pulttibois".

YLE

* "Spede Show" (1964, 1971-1976, 1982 ja 1984-1987)
* "Speden saluuna" (1965)
* "Spedevisio" (1965-1967)
* "50 pientä minuuttia" (1967-1971)
* "Robin Hood ja hänen iloiset vekkulinsa Sherwoodin pusikoissa" (1974)

MTV3

* "Kymppitonni" (1985-2005)
* "Uuno Turhapuro armeijan leivissä" (1986) (the film as a TV series)
* "Vesku Show" (1988-1991)
* "Spede Special" (1988-1990)
* "Pulttibois" (1989-1991)
* "Spedestroikka" (1990)
* "Junnutonni" (1991)
* "Speden sallitut leikit" (1990-1992)
* "Speden tee-se-itse TV" (1991-1992)
* "Hynttyyt yhteen" (1991-1995)
* "Speden spelit" (1992-2002)
* "Tsa Tsa Tsaa" (1993-1994)
* "Blondi tuli taloon" (1994-1995)
* "Uuno Turhapuro" (TV series) (1996)
* "Ihmeidentekijät" (1996-1998)
* "Parhaat vuodet" (2000-2002)
* "Kuumia aaltoja" (2003)

External links

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