Samson en Gert

starring Danny Verbiest en Gert Verhulst in the respective roles.

The series

The Samson en Gert series ran from 1990 to 2006 while full-length CDs were released on an annual basis. Nowadays only the Christmas shows (running since 1991) and the semiyearly music videos remain, But Gert recently announced that the series might resume on an outdoor basis.

History

Gert Verhulst began his career announcing children's programmes on the BRTN 2 channel (now Ketnet); he contacted Danny Verbiest who worked with Dutch clown-/acrobat duo Bassie en Adriaan. Their latter television series introduced a sheep-dog called Lara as the next non-human sidekick. This inspired Verbiest to create Samson. Bassie en Adriaan paid a visit to Samson en Gert late 1990 during work on their Europe-themed series and referred to Lara (R.I.P. 1992).

After their successful debut episode on Christmas 1989 Samson en Gert's series kicked off in earnest in 1990 with a Wednesday afternoon slot and a Sunday morning rerun. The one hour episodes were taped in Samson en Gert's living room and were interrupted by cartoons and fanmail. The two residents of No. 101 were regularly visited by Albert, the Mayor and original neighbour Joop Mengelmoes to whom Samson refers as Mr. Chocomoes (Mr. Choccy Mousse); the latter played by Dutch transplant Stef Bos.

Stef Bos left in 1992 to concentrate on his singing career. Mengelmoes was replaced with Octaaf and his daughter Miranda (who left after one year). The stage set was augmented by a cellar and a kitchen, and from 1993 onwards viewers could also take a look at the Mayor's office. Other additions were Albert's hairdressing saloon, and a grocery store run by Octaaf's Mum Jeannine de Bolle. During 1995/1996 the Mayor's niece Sofie (to whom Samson refers as Koffie) made a few appearances.

In 1996 the city hall underwent a few alterations; a corridor, a staircase and an elevator. In 1998 the regularly mentioned Eugene Van Leemhuyzen finally made his appearance, and a year later Hans Royaards became the permanent actor to make guest appearances as the Minister's Delegate. 1999 also saw the departure of Jeannine; her absence was since covered up by Octaaf's "Ons moeke zegt altijd..." ("Mummydear always says") till the latter called it quits in 2001. Meanwhile in 2000 a square was built for scenes at the chip-stall run by new arrival Frieda Kroket, taking over from her offscreen-uncle Fred Kroket who went to Spain for retirement. Three years later she pulled down the shutters for good. In 2005 the MD became a permanent fixture while Verbiest retreated. Peter Thyssen, the pig-half of Big en Betsy, took his place; a move that longtime fans regret. A slimmed-down Albert departed in 2006.

Dutch viewers got their first exposure to Samson en Gert in 1992 thanks to public broadcaster Veronica. Three years later TROS took over because Veronica went commercial. Nowadays Samson en Gert have a Dutch Sunday morning slot on children's channel Zapp.

Running gags

The series is characterized by a stream of running gags; everytime someone enters Samson en Gert's living room (s)he always says "Ik moest kloppen want de bel doet het niet" ("Sorry, I had to knock because the doorbell doesn't work"). Albert Vermeersch insists on being addressed as Alberto and whenever Gert fails to do so he furiously responds with (for example) "Ten eerste is het Albertooo; en ten tweede, de koekjes zijn op" ("Firstly; it's Albertooo. Secondly; you're out of cookies"). Octaaf de Bolle always says (for example) "Opscheppen, dat is toevallig een van mijn specaliteiten. Mijn Miranda zegt dat ook altijd; pa, zegt ze, zoals jij kan opscheppen zo... schep ik op" ("Showing off happens to be one of my specialties. My Miranda always agrees; Dad, she shays, the way you show off... well, I show off"). Samson struggles to pronounce difficult words and names; for example, he refers to Eugene van Leemhuyzen as Mr. Van Veel Luizen (Mr.Many Lice) while Jeannine de Bolle becomes Mrs. Praline. Recurring subjects in the series are "cheaters never win" and "honesty is the best policy".

Merchandising

Apart from releasing CDs and DVDs, Samson en Gert were also subject of a series of comic books plus other merchandising varying from school-equipments to bed sheets and lunchboxes. Belgian fans were even exposed to Samson-bread, unmoulded wholewheat powdered with flour.

2000 saw the launch of Plopsaland, a theme-park devoted to Studio 100-productions. Soon a Plopsaland Indoor was opened in Hasselt which was taken over by TeleCoo and renamed PlopsaCoo. At the moment there are plans for a Plopsaland on Dutch soil.

Samson en Gert; the movie

Their first feature-length movie [http://nl.wikipedia.org/Hotel_op_Stelten Hotel op Stelten] ("Madhouse Hotel") was released in March 2008. It s stuffed with cameos from Flemish celebrities like The Dalton Sisters and Dirk van Voren (Steven Stil from Piet Piraat). Even old muckers Albert (returning to his fat self), a balding Octaaf and the Mayor are present to spice things up. Flashback-scenes serve to portray the main characters' younger selves; even at that age Gert fancied Marlene. His wealthy nemesis Jean Louis Michel (whose name should never be mentioned at No. 101) remains absent from these scenes.

Trivia

*Apart from Samson himself, his mispronunciations too are a page out of Bassie and Adriaan's book. In their debut series ("De Plaaggeest") the pair were forced to take other jobs after their own circus abandoned them. Bassie told a school-headmaster, struck by sick personnel, to employ Adriaan as a PE teacher. "He's very good at gumelastics".

*Samson en Gert were inevitably subjected to parody, varying from funny to offensive. Walter Baele, the actor who plays Van Leemhuyzen, made a TV-advert in which he cracks a corny Samson en Gert-joke. Koefnoen, a Dutch sketch-show stuffed with cheap versions of the real thing, tackled them; they also came up with Geert en Samson, replacing Gert with controversial politician Geert Wilders (his second-best, that is).

*Early 2007 Gert lived up to his 1992 on-song promise to hand out gallons of lemonade and 100 kilograms of chocolate if he'd ever had €10,000,000 (At the time of the song, however, Belgium still had the franc as its currency, though the video appears to show Gert throwing US dollars in the air (10,000,000 BEF (Belgian francs) = about US$310,000)). Gert organised this event at Plopsaland Indoor.

*Apparently putting some distance between himself and his TV-character, Gert now sports a goatee-beard.

ee also

Other Flemish-Belgian children's television programmes:
*Kabouter Plop
*Hopla

External links

* [http://www.samsonengert.be/ Samson en Gert Site]
* [http://www.studio100.be/ studio 100]