Dinner for One (1963)
Der 90. Geburtstag oder Dinner for One (original title)Reference View | Change View
- Not Rated
- 18min
- Short, Comedy
- May 1963 (Switzerland)
- TV Short
Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
Freddie Frinton | ... |
James
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May Warden | ... |
Miss Sophie
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Heinz Piper | ... |
Narrator
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Directed by
Heinz Dunkhase | ||
Franco Marazzi |
Written by
Peter Frankenfeld | ... | (developer) (uncredited) (creator) |
Freddie Frinton | ... | (adaptation) (uncredited) |
Lauri Wylie | ... | (source) (uncredited) |
Produced by
Heinz Dunkhase | ... | producer (uncredited) |
Cinematography by
Frank A. Banuscher |
Production Design by
Herbert Lerche |
Additional Crew
Max Ernst | ... | uncredited: head of entertainment SF-DRS |
Production Companies
- Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR)
- Schweizer Fernsehen (SF)
- Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (ARD) (for)
Distributors
- ARD Video (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
- Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (ARD) (1963) (West Germany) (tv)
- Komplett Media GmbH (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
- Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) (2007) (Germany) (DVD) (co-distributed by Vanity Fair)
- Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK) (1975) (Norway) (tv)
- Schweizer Fernsehen (SF) (1963) (Switzerland) (tv) (as Schweizer Fernsehen DRS)
- Sky Arts (2018) (United Kingdom) (tv)
Special Effects
Other Companies
Storyline
Plot Summary |
The sketch presents the 90th birthday of elderly upper-class Englishwoman Miss Sophie, who hosts a celebration dinner every year for her friends Mr Pommeroy, Mr Winterbottom, Sir Toby, and Admiral von Schneider. (The plot has nothing to do with New Year's Eve. There is a "Happy new year" toast, but this is purely a reference to Miss Sophie's birthday.) The problem is that due to Miss Sophie's considerable age, she has outlived all of her friends, and so her equally aged manservant James makes his way around the table, impersonating each of the guests in turn. Miss Sophie decides on appropriate drinks to accompany the menu: Mulligatawny soup (Miss Sophie orders dry sherry), North Sea haddock (with white wine), chicken (with champagne), and fruit for dessert (with port) served by James, who finds himself raising (and emptying) his glass four times per course. That takes its toll, increasingly noticeable in James's growing difficulty in pouring the drinks, telling wine glasses from vases of flowers, and refraining from bursting into song. Even before the alcohol begins to exert its influence, he keeps tripping up on the head of a tiger skin lying on the floor between the dinner table and the buffet, although on one occasion he surprises himself by avoiding it. Written by Simon Slade |
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Did You Know?
Trivia | At first, the program was only used as a filler on German TV. It was shown four times between 1963 and 1972 before it finally got its now famous regular airing on New Years Eve in 1972. It is so popular in Germany that it is shown multiple times on New Years Eve so that everybody can watch it, when it best fits their schedule. In 2003 it aired a total of 19 times on different stations in Germany. See more » |
Goofs | After James burps, Miss Sophie takes hold of her chair's armrests probably in anticipation of James almost tipping her chair backwards. See more » |
Movie Connections | Featured in Das Superweib (1996). See more » |
Soundtracks | Sugartime See more » |
Quotes |
[last lines]
James: By the way... Same procedure as last year, Miss Sophie? Miss Sophie: Same procedure as every year, James. James: [hesitates] Well, I'll do my very best! [They rush up the stairs to the bedroom] See more » |