Difficult to find on domestic television a program that has managed to maintain the interest of the public for several decades now. Every year, thousands of people from all over Russia participate in KVN, and about 5 million people attend performances. It all started on November 8, 1961, when the first editions of the club of the cheerful and resourceful appeared on the black-and-white screens of Soviet TVs.
In the 60s, the game only remotely resembled today's KVN: Soviet viewers could not only watch the teams compete, but also participate in what was happening. KVN among the participants was then called "intellectual football".
Initially, the game did not have a script. The teams were 11 people each and 2 spares, they went out to the football march. At the beginning it was an educational program, and then a rule appeared: if you don’t know the right answer, answer with humor.
Today it is already impossible to imagine KVN without Alexander Maslyakov. A cheerful and resourceful presenter appeared in the club by chance. The former presenter Albert Axelrod had to leave KVN for a short time to write a dissertation, and then the organizers organized a competition: each of the 12 teams had to nominate their own candidate.
Once, the captain of MIIT came to the test and asked instead to take his friend, a student of the Moscow University of Communications Sasha Maslyakov, as the host. Maslyakov did not make the best impression on the director of the program, Bella Sergeeva: “I looked, Lord, the hairs are sticking out, the eyes are running around, so unprepossessing, dull, looking around. But I won’t say such things in front of a person.”
However, upon entering the stage, Maslyakov surprised not only the director, but everyone present. "And suddenly, he put on such a dignified air, combed his hair and was so lively," Sergeeva recalled. "And then we didn't even look at the rest. And at the flyer, which we had every time, I suggested leaving Maslyakov."
Maslyakov remained leading until the program closed in 1971. By this time, hundreds of young people had passed through KVN. Maslyukov himself only recently discovered with surprise that Gennady Andreevich Zyuganov was also once the captain of his KVN team. “It was just once customary to remember who was in which party, but now it’s fashionable to remember how he played in KVN. But that’s wonderful!” says Alexander Vasilyevich.
One of those for whom KVN became a ticket to life was Gennady Khazanov. Before appearing on the stage of the club of cheerful and resourceful, he tried to enter several theater universities Moscow, but without success. I had to say goodbye to the dream of a stage and go to enter the Moscow Engineering and Construction Institute. There he was waiting for student amateur performances, and later - participation in the KVN MISI team.
Even then, while studying at the institute, Khazanov appeared on stage with the famous monologue of a student of a culinary college. Trusting" small man"whose innocence often turned into worldly wisdom, in an instant became a favorite of the public.
Khazanov did not manage to enter the Moscow Art Theater School and the Shchukin School. Only on the second attempt he was taken to the State School of Circus and Variety Art, where one of the leading actresses of the Moscow Satire Theater Nadezhda Ivanovna Slonova became his teacher. A few years later, Khazanov became one of the most popular domestic artists and the main director of the Variety Theater.
Another KVN star - Julius Gusman also stood at the origins legendary game. The captain of the team from Baku came to the club of the cheerful and resourceful in 1964. He first introduced "organization" into KVN - his team always performed in the same form. On the stage of KVN, Yuly Solomonovich was remembered as the author and performer of the tricks "Tearing off the mustache", "Removing the beard" and the phrase "From me, like water from Gusman!".
During his participation in KVN, he managed to graduate from the Medical Institute. Narimana Narimanov, postgraduate student, to write a dissertation "Clinical and psychological correlations in cerebral atherosclerosis". However, Guzman never became a doctor. But he became a director who made several films and staged many performances, including in America, Japan and China.
Guzman left KVN only in 1971, when the program was closed. The fact is that over time, the game began to be transferred to records, and jokes that were dubious from an ideological point of view were cut out. It got to the point that it was forbidden to go on stage with a beard - this was considered a mockery of Karl Marx.
In the end, the USSR State Radio and Television closed the program. But the idea of KVN turned out to be amazingly tenacious: dozens of cheerful and resourceful teams competed in district centers, student stages from Moscow to Kamchatka.
It is not surprising that in 1986 KVN was revived. With the words of the new anthem "We start KVN", the game began a new chapter in its history. Everything was new in it: competitions, the rating system, the structure of the program and the methods of the television show. Only the presenter, Alexander Maslyakov, remained the same, but new functions fell on him - editorial.
The first champion of KVN was the team of Odessa state university. In total, more than a hundred teams played in the major league. Many KVN participants after the end of their playing career became popular TV presenters, actors, writers, screenwriters, etc.
For example, the popular program "O.S.P." was created in the late 90s by former KVN players, among its founders was the champion of the first women's team KVN "Only girls in jazz" Tatyana Lazareva.
Another "graduate" of KVN, Elena Khanga, even played for the World team at the Festival in Israel. Subsequently, she became a popular TV presenter for the sensational program "About It" and "The Domino Principle". Together with former players Elena, the first member of the KVN team, opened a Russian comedy club in New York.
The leader of the KVN teams of the Donetsk Polytechnic Institute, "Dream-Team" and the CIS team, Sergey Sivokho, is a metallurgical engineer by profession, but he worked by profession only during practice at a metallurgical plant. Today he is a popular showman in Ukraine, though he does not forget about KVN either: he regularly judges at the Ukrainian League, arranges KVN sabantui.
Valdis Pelsh on the jury major league KVN appeared repeatedly. One of the founders of the group "Accident" himself once played in the student theater, and then in the KVN team of Moscow State University. Pelsh was remembered by the audience in the form of a Latvian who does not know Russian well. In one of the scenes, he turned to Alexei Kortnev (a colleague in the Accident and KVN group) with the words: "As Lesha's narrow-minded friend said ..."
When Pelsh came to the Guess the Melody program, he decided to end old joke and speak without accents. But the viewers were told that in fact the presenter speaks with a wild accent, it's just that the ViD TV company bought a special expensive device for him that muffles the accent. This joke was taken at face value by many.
The material was prepared by the editors of rian.ru based on information from open sources
Competitive show program for March 8. Two presenters come out: Urmas Ott and Valdis Pelsh.
Urmas Ott (speaking with a Latvian accent): Hello friends, (addressing Pelsh) hello, dear colleague. It's a beautiful day. It's spring outside.
Valdis Pelsh: And today the ruble is equal to the Arabian Tugrik.
URMAS OTT: Dear Valdis, what does the ruble have to do with it?
VALDIS PELSH: Guess three times.
URMAS OTT: Valdis, you are not in the transmission. Remember, we came to the Black Sea. We have a very important task.
VALDIS PELSH: Sorry Urmas, I just forgot. What task are you talking about?
URMAS OTT: Let's start in order. What month is it?
VALDIS PELSH: It seems March.
URMAS OTT: Right. What day?
VALDIS PELSH: It seems the eighth of March.
URMAS OTT: That's right. Now remember what usually happens on the eighth of March?
VALDIS PELSH: Day off. Guessed?
URMAS OTT: Yes, but not all of them. Usually only the beautiful half of our humanity rests on this day. And we, men, work, work and work again.
VALDIS PELSH: Well, what is our task?
URMAS OTT: So we also have women working on television. And today they are all resting. And the transmissions go to live. And we need to find a replacement for our wonderful presenters.
VALDIS PELSH: Ah-ah.
URMAS OTT: Did you remember at the end?
VALDIS PELSH: I remembered. Where are we going to look?
URMAS OTT: I think we won't go far. (turning to the audience) Is there anyone in this room who wants to? That's fine.
VALDIS PELSH: Well, let's start our competition. And they will help us: (jury presentation)
URMAS OTT: Morning on television begins with the program "Morning". In order to choose the host of this program, we invite six contestants to the stage.
(representatives from each group leave)
VALDIS PELSH: (sticks to girls with stupid questions, asks to introduce themselves)
URMAS OTT: As you know, for the presenter morning program the most important thing is a smile.
Competition "Smile"
The human smile is one of the most amazing phenomena in the world. With the help of a smile, a person can get acquainted and say goodbye. A smile can comfort and offend. A smile allows you to convey hundreds of shades of feelings and emotions. Try to fake a smile, which could be defined like this:
joyful "Nice meeting"
comforting "Everything will be fine!"
happy "What a success!"
surprised "It can't be!"
distressing "How so!"
forced "I can smile"
VALDIS PELSH: What good smiles, for such smiles you can reward. Prizes for the studio!
URMAS OTT: Listen, Valdis, in my opinion the phrase “Prizes to the studio” is not from your program. Are you afraid that you will be prosecuted for copyright infringement?
VALDIS PELSH: No, I agreed with Yakubovich, he allowed me to use it for one day. By the way, he also asked me to pick up girls for him in the "Field of Miracles".
URMAS OTT: These are the girls who take out the prizes and turn the letters over?
VALDIS PELSH: Yes, yes, these very ones.
URMAS OTT: But they must have Beautiful legs and they must walk nicely.
VALDIS PELSH: Now we will choose such people. Those who want 6 girls, please come up to the stage.
Competition "Walk"
Each person has their own individual gait. One has a proud, confident gait, another has a fussy, hasty gait, and a third has an imposing, lazy one. Try to portray the walk of a person
who just had a good meal
whose shoes are tight
who unsuccessfully kicked a brick
who had an acute attack of sciatica
who ended up in the forest at night
walking along the edge of a skyscraper
(prizes are given out, awards of participants, participants sit down in their places)
VALDIS PELSH: Just fine, I think Yakubovich will be satisfied. What do we have next.
URMAS OTT: Of course, television cannot do without news. Each channel has its own news programme, its own news stars.
VALDIS PELSH: You know, Urmas, but I still like it better when a news program is hosted by a girl. It used to happen that you go into the studio, and there Sveta Sorokina broadcasts some terrible news live, and you stand and admire her, you can’t take your eyes off ...
URMAS OTT: Valdis, stop. Don't forget why we're here.
VALDIS PELSH: Oh, yes, yes, yes. We invite new participants to this stage.
Competition "News in one line"
Try composing a one-line message about an event that happened somewhere in the world. In this case, be sure to use 5 words in the text of the message. And the words should be:
Azerbaijan, skyscraper, robbery, navigation, ozone
Chile, iceberg, opposition, rally, chess
Malaysia, stadium, space, emigration, harvest
Liechtenstein, oasis, film, panic, accusation
Tunisia, pavilion, flood, disease, anniversary
Zimbabwe, theater, earthquake, strike, tram.
All proposed nouns can be turned into verbs or adjectives, you can add any number of other words to the proposed words, the main thing is that the message has at least some meaning.
VALDIS PELSH:
(turns to the audience) While our contestants are thinking, I'll get on with my direct business. Now I will ask our Belarusian State Orchestra and its non-replaceable and respected conductor Vitaly to help me. The beginning of the songs will sound, and you have to guess what the song is and who sings it.
Competition with the audience
URMAS OTT: Finally, our girls are ready and we are listening to them carefully.
(the results are summed up, rewarding, thunderous applause)
VALDIS PELSH: Well, besides the presenters, there are those who run around with microphones, everyone asks something, writes down ...
URMAS OTT: These are correspondents.
VALDIS PELSH: Yes, and among them there are representatives of the fair sex. In general, I prefer to give interviews to girls, it is more pleasant to talk with them. Natalya Darialova used to come to me, so we sit with her for two hours. She asks me a question, and I answer her, she asks me a question, and I answer her ...
URMAS OTT: Valdis, you got carried away again.
VALDIS PELSH: And what is good is always pleasant to remember.
URMAS OTT: Don't forget about our goal. And on this stage I invite six wonderful girls who want to become correspondents.
Competition "Reportage"
To prepare a vivid report, correspondents sometimes go to desperate deeds, penetrate into the most dangerous places. Imagine yourself as such a desperate correspondent and prepare a report ...
from the eaves of the 16th floor
from the eaves of the 16th floor
from the bottom of the pool
from the refrigerator
from the operating table
from the sinking Titanic
URMAS OTT: lovely girls I think they will make good journalists.
VALDIS PELSH: Trouble, Urmas, they just called from ORT, Kostya Ernst called. He says that Makarevich fell ill, and he urgently needs to look for a replacement. And it's good if it's a girl.
URMAS OTT: We will search. I will ask six applicants for the role of the hosts of Smak to come out here
Competition "Recipe"
Imagine that in one city, an entrepreneur who is an active admirer of Marxist theory opened a restaurant with an unusual name for our time - "Bolshevik". This restaurant served only specialties, whose names reminded visitors of the glorious revolutionary past of our country. Try to guess what they are made of and make a recipe for dishes that appear on the restaurant menu:
Salad "April Theses"
Soup "Aurora Shot"
cutlet "Iron Felix"
drink "Smolny Nights"
dessert "Death to the Socialist-Revolutionaries!"
hot dish "Winter Morning"
VALDIS PELSH: Here Andryukha Makarevich will be delighted with such an assistant. So what's next for our program?
URMAS OTT: Yes In the evening we have the program "Full House, Full House"
VALDIS PELSH: And this is the host of such a funny Pukhovitskaya or something.
URMAS OTT: Yes, not Pukhovitskaya, but Dubovitskaya, her name is Regina.
VALDIS PELSH: Well, yes, yes. Let's look for our Regin. Applicants please come up to us.
singer Lyudmila Zykina
dancer Boris Moiseev
comedian Mikhail Zhvanetsky
duet "Academy"
singer Alla Pugacheva
group "Na-na"
VALDIS PELSH: Yes, we need more such girls, we will laugh from morning to evening. What's next for our program?
URMAS OTT: And with us, Valdis, according to the program - that's it, we don't need anyone else yet.
VALDIS PELSH: Well, that means Good night Dear viewers, don't forget to turn off the TV.
URMAS OTT: You're joking, Valdis.
VALDIS PELSH: And why not joke when so many wonderful, beautiful, smart and talented girls gathered in just one place. Where are the producers looking? Their same direct modicum now to us on television.
URMAS OTT: You are absolutely right, Valdis. (addressing the audience) And on behalf of all the stars and non-stars of the Russian television screen, Valdis and I congratulate the beautiful half of our humanity present here on an equally wonderful spring holiday March 8.
VALDIS PELSH: And we wish you much happiness and kindness. Good luck to you!
Urmas Ott and Valdis Pelsh sing a duet song.
Since the appearance of the "Guess Co" program on ORT, nothing has been said about it. As if the players know in advance which songs will be played and agree on who will beat whom. As if Valdis Pelsh only opens his mouth, and an unknown DJ speaks for him, while the host himself speaks in Russian with a terrible accent and can only wave his arms. As if before filming, the participants in the game are drunk with vodka so that they sing and dance. We hasten to dispel these legends, because everything happens differently...
Two programs are filmed in one evening, we arrived at the television center when the first shooting had already ended, and the second had not yet begun in the hope of talking with the legendary mill man. Alas, in the interval between filming, the presenter does not even have time to rest: he needs to pick up another suit, and even talk with the program participants again, support.
A little later, future players are transferred to caring hands permanent director of the program Alla Plotnikova. And the dance lesson begins: Do you think that the players themselves dance in sync in musical losses? No, they are taught this beforehand: "Top-top, clap-clap, arms to the sides, more fun: now repeat without me, and don't think about the movements, you must pretend to be happy." Alla retires to the control room, and the trinity obediently repeats ritual dance before the start of filming. Now they certainly will not stand as idols when the music starts.
Ten minutes before the start of filming, the audience poured into the hall, it is surprising that among the crowd of young music lovers there are many people even very old age. The director's last instructions sound menacing: "It's time for the participants to put on the nooses." This does not mean at all that instead of "Guessing" they will film the execution by hanging, it's just that in the language of television, fixing a buttonhole microphone on the player's clothes is called. flared up bright light, from behind the scenery, Valdis, shining like fireworks, fluttered out, ran around the studio, jumped up the stairs and froze in front of the audience. The audience, stunned by the hurricane swiftness of the host, did not even immediately react to his appearance, only one enthusiastic man clapped his hands with all his might. "Okay, okay, I didn't deserve it yet," Valdis said modestly (by the way, without the slightest accent) and transgressed to the traditional warming up of the audience.
“We won’t shoot “patties” in advance, as they do on other programs,” Pelsh immediately warned, “instead, I will give you a long, tedious lecture on how to survive on the Guess and Co program, because on the set of our program 170 or even 180 people have already died a terrible, untimely death.One stupid uncle, who was sitting on the upper platform under the very crane, decided to get up in the midst of filming, which, of course, was not expected by the operator of this same crane and strong hand moved his heavy structure. As a result, the uncle lost his head, never remembering the golden rule: do not stand under the arrow!
Another, not distinguished by an excellent upbringing uncle, decided to leave the studio after me before the end of the program, forgetting that the shooting of the star was still ongoing. This one, unencumbered good manners tipchik, walked past the included video camera, running his finger into the bowels of his nose. Oh, how I laughed later, watching the film, and how our director cursed, and, most likely, would have killed the ignoramus, had he been at hand!
Another curious young man, having spotted a monitor through which a text is transmitted, decided to check what would happen if this text was blocked from me and began waving his arms in front of the screen. This time I swore loudly and tore off the experimenter's inquisitive head.
Valdis squinted at our photojournalist, who, perched on the very "front line", replenished the newspaper's archive with fresh, exclusive shots and continued his admonitions: "And one stupid photographer clicked the whole program with a camera with a flash. And as you know, the flash interferes with the filming process and spoils the picture for our cameramen. The cameraman could not stand it, took a mount and cracked the skull of a stupid photographer." You're trying in vain, Valdis, our photographer is smart, he turned off the flash as soon as he heard the command "Motor!". "AND last request. Please turn off your pagers, cell phones and Tamagotchis - let the Tamagotchis die, because their plaintive squeak confuses our sensitive equipment.
I would like to warn harmful readers who only dream of learning some nasty things about their idol and please good readers with the fact that the filming of the program practically does not differ from the enchanting show that we are shown on TV. Unless: It probably doesn’t occur to you how Valdis Pelsh manages to remember all that cute nonsense with which he showers the audience like confetti? Just in the middle of the tribune stands a huge monitor, on the screen of which a continuous string of text runs. It is only surprising how the leader behind his virtuoso "helicopter" pas manages not to lose the constantly moving line. Even the viewer in the home chair will never believe that each next take is completely different from the previous one, because real actor invents intonations on the go, more precisely, on the run, or on the run - as you like. The director has a difficult task: to choose the best one from several takes! It even seemed to us that she deliberately makes Valdis repeat everything from the beginning - why not give the audience pleasure?
But let's leave this technical digression and return to the studio, where the greeting is being filmed. The players ride out on a moving ring, with difficulty holding on to bent legs and at the same time, still trying to dance, Valdis quickly pronounces the text and on last word"stumbles" - the poor fellow, even the language does not have time for the rapid flight of thought. “Ay-yay-yay, stupid presenter, ah-ta-ta,” the host reproaches himself for the mistake and immediately stops grimacing, says almost seriously to the audience, “Study, kids, it’s good. Become doctors, teachers, engineers:. And you will not be clowns on the stage, like me." Double two was "blurred" by the player, who still could not resist on the spinning floor and plopped down on a more stable point: Pelsh sighed, wiped sweat from his forehead and started all over again.
The game itself is very fast, we didn’t have time to play the first chords of music, and already all the points have been scored, the melodies have been guessed and mysterious star guessed. And now she mysterious stranger in high heels, she tries to go down the slippery ladder without falling into her own soundtrack, and the obliging Valdis rushes to her aid and almost to own hands pulls down. Needless to say, our idols in the television version look much more advantageous than in the studio. Judge for yourself. First, when the host tortures the star tricky questions, you do not think that it is she herself who answers so cleverly, the fact is that not only a question is displayed on the monitor, but also a ready-made witty answer. The only thing left for the idol is to slightly “range” this answer with his own thoughtfulness. Secondly, the "very difficult" tasks that the star tries to perform in front of the camera, she pre-rehearses, and even after that she does not always manage to pass the test on the first take. In theory, the program archive should contain many, many records of stellar misses and errors, if all this was released on a cassette, it would turn out no worse than "You are an eyewitness."
"Thank God, we are done with the star, take the prizes, go home:" Valdis Pelsh should say this phrase to the winner, leaving the "battlefield", because their mission is completed. It remains to record only the final song of the idol, but this is already happening without a host. Pelsh left, and after him, as if with a wave of a conductor's baton, the youngest half of the hall flew away, completely ignoring the director's insistent requests to stay.
Today I present to you an interview with the father of a famous showman who returned to television with a hit of the 90s - the program “Guess the Melody!”. Father of Valdis Pelsh - Eugene(a Latvian journalist with half a century of experience) lives in the same neighborhood in Riga as me. Mom is in Israel younger sister- in the USA, and the older brother went to the younger one - to Moscow, works in showbiz ...
Once I asked for a visit to Eugeniy, and he told me why Valdis converted to Catholicism and baptized his second daughter in this faith, why the mother of the future TV star left Latvia for Israel, how the Pelsh family escaped deportations (German and Soviet) and about many other things. friend...
(picture - heat.ru)
Surname of a member of the Politburo
The surname Pelshe was very well known in the USSR. Have you ever been attributed a relationship with a member of the Politburo of the CPSU from 1966 to 1983, Arvid Yanovich Pelshe? Did this “namesake” influence the fate of your family? Maybe it was easier for Valdis with such a surname to enter the university in Moscow?
Eugenijs Pelsh with his pet... (chas-daily.com)
I perceived it as a great inconvenience, - says Eugeniy. - Many times I had to feel some awkwardness, naming my last name when I came to some factory or construction site. And so I always tried to emphasize: my last name is not Pelshe, but Pelsh. So - no connection with the name of a member of the Politburo.
Although there were comical situations. One day I was on a job call in Pavilosta, a small town near Liepaja. On the eve of the trip, I dial the number of the executive committee: naturally, I introduce myself that I am calling from the radio committee, my surname is Pelsh, that I would like to meet tomorrow with the chairman of the executive committee. I was told that he would definitely be warned about the visit. When I arrived in Pavilosta the next day, they immediately told me that there was no time for a conversation today, because in anticipation of Pelshe’s visit, all the district authorities, headed by the first secretary of the Liepaja District Party Committee, arrived in Pavilosta ...
As far as I know, Valdis used this consonance of surnames only once, when he served at military training camps. They had an evil sergeant in the unit who somehow wanted to impose a strict penalty on Valdis, and then the son said to him: “Do you know what my last name is?” After that, the punishment was reduced.
But later, Valdis, which I know well, never used this trick, all the time emphasizing the difference (albeit small) in the surnames ...
But now you are probably proud to say that you are the father of the same Pelsh who broadcasts in Moscow?
In this regard, I am quite modest, I do not tell anyone about it. I only answer if someone asks me about it directly. Neighbors and my entourage, of course, know who my son is. Although Valdis comes to Riga mainly for work…
With the co-host of the "Rally" spectacular Tatiana Arno "yellow editions" Valdis married more than once... (afisha.net)
Valdis was chosen by Vlad Listyev
Perhaps the fact that Valdis, in the end, chose television, is your merit? After all, you worked in the newspaper "Tsinya" ("Struggle") - the oldest Bolshevik newspaper in the USSR, and since 1960 - on the Latvian Radio ...
Hardly. It all started with the student theater at Moscow State University. As his colleagues told me, he was the soul of this theatre. And then there was the group "Accident", which was famous. And Valdis was invited to work on television by Vlad Listyev, after watching his previous stories. Valdis then noticed to Vlad that he could hardly meet the requirements of the Guess the Melody program, because everything that he had done on television until then had a very short life. Vlad then said: let's work - we'll see ...
Has journalism become a family affair? After all, besides your daughter Sabina, who chose computers, did your eldest son Alexander become a cameraman?
Yes, but now Alexander is doing business in Moscow. And Sabina has the ability to draw since childhood, she studied computer design at the University of Haifa. True, she first had to learn Hebrew, despite the fact that Last year before moving to Israel, she attended a Jewish school in Riga. Now Sabina speaks Russian with an accent.
Sabina with the second wife of Valdis Sveta (moscowuniversityclub.ru)
- And in Latvian?
Pretty insecure. In our family, they mainly spoke Russian. The only thing is that she knows well the Latvian lullabies that I sang to her as a child. (By the way, I spoke exclusively in Latvian with Valdis's father, as it somehow happened by itself - K.M.)
And Valdis graduated from the Henri Barbusse school in Riga, which specialized in in-depth study French. But children could learn the world not only from textbooks. My family and I traveled a lot, went around the whole Crimea: for example, on foot from Alushta to Kerch. Were in the Caucasus, in the Carpathians, Moldova, on the Belaya River in the Urals. Of course, we also traveled along the Latvian rivers - along the Gauja, Lielupe. First, with Alexander and Valdis, and then, when Sabina grew up (there are 13 years difference between her and Valdis), then five of us ...
Ezheniya - in honor of the grandfather ...
How often do you get to see your kids? Do you go out to them or do they mostly come?
They come more often. Sabina lived here with her mother for a couple of months in the summer, and Valdis came to visit. And we are definitely in touch. I myself lived in Israel for two years - I had a two-year visa, and I prepared weekly materials for Latvian radio as your own correspondent.
- It's probably easier for Valdis to see you during trips to Riga?
Yes, but Valdis is a workaholic. For example, when he starts shooting in Moscow, he works from 8 am to 11 pm, his voice even sits down. I once sent him special medicines to Moscow, which are produced here in Latvia.
(With the Guess the Melody program in 1995, Valdis entered the Guinness Book of Records when 132 million people watched the program at the same time. In 40 days, he filmed 143 programs in a row without days off!)
With his friend and partner in "Accident" Alexei Kortnev from the time of the first "guessing game" (telesem.ru)
- Did Valdis name his first daughter Eugenia in your honor?
Yes. And the second - Ilvoy.
Eugeny with his granddaughter Eugenia - affectionately Eugenia (moscowuniversityclub.ru)
To Moscow - at the age of 16
Valdis from childhood showed some creative fantasies? Was he an obedient child?
He was a very independent boy and somewhat stubborn, which is good. Although mischievous, but not one of those who, as they say, are interested in the police ... And he has a talent for improvisation since childhood. And after graduating from school he went to Moscow when he was 16 years old. But he entered Moscow State University here in Riga, having passed the competition (in the largest universities of the USSR for representatives national republics reserved a certain amount of places in different faculties - K.M.). By the way, his maternal grandfather was Korolev's deputy designer. He and Valdis's grandmother lived in Kaliningrad, near Moscow, where the cosmonautics center was located.
Valdis at the age of 16 - photo from the personal archive of Valdis's father
- And how did Valdis go to school, what were his favorite subjects?
He was not a miracle child, an excellent student. But he studied for solid fours. The main thing in any business for him was the idea, the meaning. For example, we sometimes talked to him on philosophical themes while discussing the meaning of life. And his favorite subject was history. He was not a fighter, but he could stand up for himself, although I was never called to school because of his behavior.
Catholicism - the choice of Valdis
Did you go to Valdis' first wedding?
No, my mother went to the wedding, and I stayed with Sabina in Riga. Of course, we saw each other later. But now Valdis has a second wife - Sveta (designer, opened a domestic staff recruitment agency in 2010, the owner of the MajorDom agency - clothes design for servants - K.M.). And the first by profession was a lawyer, and from high circles, her father was the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Russia. Valdis maintains good relations with the first family.
Valdis in Malta. Behind him is his first wife, Olga (diveforum.spb.ru)
It turns out that both wives of Valdis are Orthodox, and he himself, as far as is known, at the very beginning present century decided to convert to Catholicism and also baptized his second daughter according to the Catholic rite. Why?
I never asked Valdis about this choice of his. It seems to me that he wanted thereby to continue the traditions of the family, his father's family. In addition, Sveta herself wanted Ylva to become a Catholic, despite the fact that she herself is Orthodox.
- Do you somehow help your son with advice?
I always watch my son's shows. Of course, when we call each other, I do not hide my thoughts about this or that moment. But I am talking about this from the point of view of the viewer, because I know: Valdis did not like custody from childhood.
December 2006. During the official legalization of relations with civil wife Svetlana. Daughter Ilva turned 5 that day...(bestactor.ru)
"French Affair"
Eugenius, let's talk about yourself now. How did you get into journalism?
He began to study at the philological faculty of the University of Latvia in the French department. Then the so-called "French Affair" began, when the teaching forces were put up by French bourgeois agents. Some of the teachers were arrested, and our department was closed. This was in 1949. We moved to the art department. After that, this department was also closed - under the pretext that there were enough specialists in this area. Then I moved to the department of journalism.
After graduation, he became a special correspondent for the newspaper "Tsinya" in several regions of Latvia (Talsi, Dundaga, Kandava, Tukums). I worked for more than a year, but then I had a conflict with the local authorities - with the 1st secretary of the Talsi district party committee Eisaks, who once called me and said: “Scribbler, come, I will show you how to work with collective farms!” He put me in his car, and we drove around with him about two dozen collective farms. He told me: “Write how we manage the collective farms!” And I wrote absolutely everything that was actually. On the day of the publication of my material in "Tsin", it so happened that a meeting of the first secretaries of the district committees of the republic was held in the Central Committee of the CPL ...
After the conflict, I moved to Dobele, where I became the editor-in-chief of the newspaper Brivais Valsts (Free Country - K.M.). And after about a year of that work, I became a radio journalist ...
Elder brother - legionnaire
Here you are talking about the "French case". But there was also the “case of doctors”, deportations ... How did your family manage to avoid Stalin's repressions?
My father was on the expulsion list. But my older brother Voldemars - Voldis (in the Latgalian manner - Valdis is named after him) saved us. And twice. When the Germans came, our neighbors (we lived in the Varaklyansk volost) had such a Mr. Broks. And Varaklyany was a purely Jewish town. And this Brox somehow suggested to his brother: “Let's go shoot the Jews!” He also came to my mother, told me to let Voldis go to shoot the Jews. Mom replied that her son would not kill innocent people. This policeman was indignant and said that, therefore, we are at the same time with the Jews, well, they say, we will write it down. And the brother, in order not to become a policeman, and so that the family would not have trouble, joined the SS legion and went to the front. Soon he was wounded and returned home. I didn't want to fight again. But when the Red Army came, he was mobilized. A month later he died. And that's the only reason why our father wasn't expelled when they figured out that his son had died in the Red Army.
We are from peasant family were. They lived in poverty. But, despite this, when Soviet tanks entered Latvia on June 17, 1940, my father said: “We are being humiliated!”
- And what about President Ulmanis, he did not say this, but also called on the people to calm down ...
I cannot forgive Ulmanis the only thing: he had to fight for at least one hour, and then leave the country. This would mean that the country is occupied and the president cannot be in it...
But my mother's sister was not so lucky. My aunt's entire family was expelled in 1949 just because they had a mill! But they worked on their own, without laborers. I remember my aunt's husband Leonards, who was the director of the school in Preili and the head of the district aizsargs ("defenders" - voluntary armed detachments - K.M.). He hid with us in 1941. But when the Germans came, he said that with these "brothers" he was also not on the road. They are exactly the same from whom he was hiding ...
German soldiers are warmly welcomed in Riga (gazeta.lv)
Dream of a house in Riga…
Let's go back to our days. It's no secret that pensions in Latvia are small and utility bills are huge. Do the children help you?
Of course, children help, otherwise you won’t survive ...
- Have you ever invited Valdis to return home, to Riga - and work on television here?
No, I didn't call. And I don't think he would want to do it now. The only thing he once said was that in his old age he would like to buy a house in Old Riga in order to live here ...
- Didn't Valdis forget Latvian? What language do you communicate in?
In Russian. Latvian - Valdis's is not particularly brilliant.
- With Valdis's mother - Ella, as I understand it, you broke up?
Yes. And met with future wife during the construction of the Plavinskaya HPP, where she arrived as part of a design team from Moscow, and I almost whole year covered this building.
During the "Atmoda" ("Awakening" - the movement for independence - K.M.) she actively participated in everything, and when the division by citizenship began, she had problems. Sabina was a citizen (by her father - K.M.), but her mother was not. And she once told me: you know what, I'll go to my historical homeland - to Israel. I was against it, but... Of course, we maintain normal human relations. As for the departure of Valdis, of course, there was no talk. Where would he go from Moscow?
With wife Sveta and children - Ilva and Einar (zdorovieinfo.ru)
From the biography:
Valdis Pelsh was born on June 5, 1967 in Riga.
One of the founders and member (1983-1997) of the "Accident" group. He graduated from the Faculty of Philosophy of Moscow State University, worked for one year as a junior researcher at the Institute of the History of Natural Science and Technology of the USSR Academy of Sciences. During his studies and until 1995 he played in youth theater Moscow State University (now - Student Theater of Moscow State University).
Since 1987 - on television.
Since 2007 - member of the political council political party"Civil Force".
Twice winner of the "Tefi" award (for "Guess the melody!" and "Rally"), the Ovation award (for "Guess the melody"), winner of the "Silver Olive" award ( International Festival TV programs in Montenegro).
starred in 11 films, including episodic role in "Brother-2", where he played himself.
Children: daughters - Eugenia, from the first marriage (1992), Ilva (2002), son Einar (2009) - from the second.
Hobbies: diving (NAUI Dive Master). He added to this his eldest daughter. Eugenia entered the Guinness Book of Records as the youngest diver to dive off the coast of Antarctica. The former record holder was 20 years old, and at that time she was 14.5!
(1tv.ru) Valdis also likes to jump with a parachute (parachutist category "C" International Federation parachuting, about 400 jumps). He also collects army helmets from the two world wars and postcards with views of the world's cities at night...
Two presenters come out: Urmas Ott and Valdis Pelsh.
Urmas Ott (speaks with a Latvian accent): Hello, friends, (turns to Pelsh) hello dear colleague. It's a beautiful day. It's spring outside.
Valdis Pelsh: And today the ruble is equal to the Arabian Tugrik.
Urmas Ott: Dear Valdis, what does the ruble have to do with it?
Valdis Pelsh: Guess three times.
Urmas Ott: Valdis, you're not in gear. Remember, we came to the Black Sea. We have a very important task.
Valdis Pelsh: Sorry Urmas, I just forgot. What task are you talking about?
Urmas Ott: Let's start in order. What month is it?
Valdis Pelsh: Looks like March.
Urmas Ott: Right. What day?
Valdis Pelsh: It seems to be the eighth of March.
Urmas Ott: All right. Now remember what usually happens on the eighth of March?
Valdis Pelsh: Day off. Guessed?
Urmas Ott: Yes, but not everyone. Usually only the beautiful half of our humanity rests on this day. And we, men, work, work and work again.
Valdis Pelsh: Well, what is our mission?
Urmas Ott: So we also have women working on television. And today they are all resting. And the programs are broadcast live. And we need to find a replacement for our wonderful presenters.
Valdis Pelsh: Ah-ah-ah.
Urmas Ott: Do you remember at the end?
Valdis Pelsh: I remembered. Where are we going to look?
Urmas Ott: I don't think we'll go far. (turning to the audience) Is there anyone in this room who wants to? That's fine.
Valdis Pelsh: Well, let's start our competition. And they will help us: (jury presentation)
Urmas Ott: Morning on television begins with the program "Morning". In order to choose the host of this program, we invite six contestants to the stage.
(representatives from each group leave)
Valdis Pelsh: (attacks girls with stupid questions, asks to introduce themselves)
Urmas Ott: As you know, for the host of the morning program, the most important thing is a smile.
Competition "Smile"
The human smile is one of the most amazing phenomena in the world. With the help of a smile, a person can get acquainted and say goodbye. A smile can comfort and offend. A smile allows you to convey hundreds of shades of feelings and emotions. Try to fake a smile, which could be defined like this:
joyful "Nice meeting"
comforting “Everything will be fine!”
happy “What a success!”
surprised “It can’t be!”
distressing “How so!”
forced “I can smile”
Valdis Pelsh: What good smiles, such smiles can be rewarded. Prizes for the studio!
Urmas Ott: Listen, Valdis, in my opinion the phrase “Prizes to the studio” is not from your program. Are you afraid that you will be prosecuted for copyright infringement?
Valdis Pelsh: No, I agreed with Yakubovich, he allowed me to use it for one day. By the way, he also asked me to pick up girls for him in the “Field of Miracles”.
Urmas Ott: Are these the girls who take out the prizes and flip the letters?
Valdis Pelsh: Yes, yes, these are the ones.
Urmas Ott: But they must have beautiful legs and they must walk beautifully.
Valdis Pelsh: Here we are now choosing them. Those who want 6 girls, please come up to the stage.
Competition "Walking"
Each person has their own individual gait. One has a proud, confident gait, another has a fussy, hasty gait, and a third has an imposing, lazy one. Try to portray the walk of a person
who just had a good meal
whose shoes are tight
who unsuccessfully kicked a brick
who had an acute attack of sciatica
who ended up in the forest at night
walking along the edge of a skyscraper
(prizes are given out, awards of participants, participants sit down in their places)
Valdis Pelsh: Just fine, I think Yakubovich will be satisfied. What do we have next.
Urmas Ott: Of course, television cannot do without news. Each channel has its own news program, its own news stars.
Valdis Pelsh: You know, Urmas, but I still like it better when a news program is hosted by a girl. It used to happen that you go into the studio, and there Sveta Sorokin broadcasts some terrible news live, and you stand and admire her, you can’t take your eyes off ...
Urmas Ott: Valdis, stop. Don't forget why we're here.
Valdis Pelsh: Oh, yes, yes, yes. We invite new members to this stage.
Competition “News in one line”
Try composing a one-line message about an event that happened somewhere in the world. In this case, be sure to use 5 words in the text of the message. And the words should be:
Azerbaijan, skyscraper, robbery, navigation, ozone
Chile, iceberg, opposition, rally, chess
Malaysia, stadium, space, emigration, harvest
Liechtenstein, oasis, film, panic, accusation
Tunisia, pavilion, flood, disease, anniversary
Zimbabwe, theater, earthquake, strike, tram.
All proposed nouns can be turned into verbs or adjectives, you can add any number of other words to the proposed words, the main thing is that the message has at least some meaning.
Valdis Pelsh:(turns to the audience) While our contestants are thinking, I'll get on with my direct business. Now I will ask our Belarusian State Orchestra and its non-replaceable and respected conductor Vitaly to help me. The beginning of the songs will sound, and you have to guess what the song is and who sings it.
Competition with the audience
Urmas Ott: Finally, our girls are ready and we listen to them carefully.
(the results are summed up, rewarding, thunderous applause)
Valdis Pelsh: Well, besides the presenters, there are still these, well, who run around with microphones, everyone asks something, writes down ...
Urmas Ott: These are correspondents.
Valdis Pelsh: Yes, and among them there are representatives of the fair sex. In general, I prefer to give interviews to girls, it is more pleasant to talk with them. Natalya Darialova used to come to me, so we sit with her for two hours. She asks me a question, and I answer her, she asks me a question, and I answer her ...
Urmas Ott: Valdis, you got carried away again.
Valdis Pelsh: And what is good is always nice to remember.
Urmas Ott: Don't forget our purpose. And on this stage I invite six wonderful girls who want to become correspondents.
Competition “Reportage”
To prepare a vivid report, correspondents sometimes go to desperate deeds, penetrate into the most dangerous places. Imagine yourself as such a desperate correspondent and prepare a report ...
from the eaves of the 16th floor
from the bottom of the pool
from the refrigerator
from the operating table
from the sinking Titanic
Urmas Ott: Beautiful girls, I think they will make good journalists.
Valdis Pelsh: Trouble, Urmas, they just called from ORT, Kostya Ernst called. He says that Makarevich fell ill, and he urgently needs to look for a replacement. And it's good if it's a girl.
Urmas Ott: Will seek. I will ask six contenders for the role of hosts of “Smak” to come here
Recipe Competition
Imagine that in one city, an entrepreneur who is an active admirer of Marxist theory opened a restaurant with an unusual name for our time - “Bolshevik”. This restaurant served only specialties, the name of which reminded visitors of the glorious revolutionary past of our country. Try to guess what they are made of and make a recipe for dishes that appear on the restaurant menu:
Salad “April Theses”
Soup “Aurora Shot”
cutlet “Iron Felix”
drink "Smolny Nights"
dessert “Death to the Socialist-Revolutionaries!”
hot dish “Winter Morning”
Valdis Pelsh: Here Andryukha Makarevich will be delighted with such an assistant. Well, what's next for us according to the program.
Urmas Ott: Yes In the evening we have the program “Full house, full house”
Valdis Pelsh: And it's still leading such a funny Pukhovitskaya or something.
Urmas Ott: Yes, not Pukhovitskaya, but Dubovitskaya, her name is Regina.
Valdis Pelsh: Well, yes, yes. Let's look for our Regin. Applicants please come up to us.
singer Lyudmila Zykina
dancer Boris Moiseev
comedian Mikhail Zhvanetsky
duet "Academy"
singer Alla Pugacheva
group "Na-na"
Valdis Pelsh: Yes, we need more such girls, we will laugh from morning to evening. What's next for our program?
Urmas Ott: And with us, Valdis, according to the program - everything, we don’t need anyone else yet.
Valdis Pelsh: Well then, good night dear viewer, do not forget to turn off the TV.
Urmas Ott: You're joking, Valdis.
Valdis Pelsh: And how can one not joke when so many wonderful, beautiful, smart and talented girls gathered in only one place. Where are the producers looking? Their same direct modicum now to us on television.
Urmas Ott: You are absolutely right Valdis. (addressing the audience) And on behalf of all the stars and non-stars of the Russian television screen, Valdis and I congratulate the beautiful half of our humanity present here on the no less wonderful spring holiday on March 8th.
Valdis Pelsh: And we wish you much happiness and kindness. Good luck to you!
Urmas Ott and Valdis Pelsh sing a duet song.
